Consumer susceptibility to cross-selling persuasion: The roles of self-construal and interpersonal harmony

In many sales situations, consumers often encounter cross-selling persuasion, whereby the salesperson will suggest another product to go along with the initial purchase. While some consumers tend to be more susceptible to cross-selling persuasion, others are less so. Why is this the case? The present research proposes that consumers' self-construal can influence their purchase intention for the cross-selling product. The authors conduct three studies to test their hypotheses. Specifically, they show that interdependent (independent) self-construal increases (lowers) consumers' purchase intention toward the cross-selling item (Study 1). This relationship is mediated by interpersonal harmony (Study 2) and moderated by product complementarity (Study 3).