Search regret: Antecedents and consequences

Consumer search behavior has received considerable research attention in marketing. An area that has not been studied, however, is unsuccessful consumer search and the outcomes of such. This study proposes the concept of “search regret,” a postsearch dissonance that results from an unsuccessful prepurchase search. A pilot study is conducted to verify the existence of the search regret construct and to identify its potential antecedents and consequences. A conceptual model is then presented and tested. Based on the results, implications for retailers as well as suggestions for future research relating to search regret are discussed.