SHIPPING CHARGES AND SHIPPING- CHARGE SKEPTICISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR DIRECT MARKETERS' PRICING FORMATS

摘要

The purpose of this research is to develop a theoretical framework for understanding consumer response to direct marketers' pricing formats based on shoppers' perceptions of fairness. As part of this effort, we introduce an individual difference variable we call shipping-charge skepticism. An experiment is conducted (n = 189) to examine whether offers are more appealing when shipping charges are bundled into a single price or partitioned out separately from a base product price. We demonstrate that when an external reference price is available, shipping-charge skeptics prefer direct marketers' offers more in a bundled price format, whereas non-skeptics prefer them more in an unbundled price format. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.