Potential moderators for comparison standards in consumer satisfaction formation: Some exploratory findings

The extant literature suggest that consumers may use one or some of different comparison standards to evaluate actual product performance during consumer satisfaction formation. However, boundary conditions under which a particular standard operates have not been identified. This study explored such conditions by analyzing data collected over several product categories. Findings suggest that consumer involvement and product experience appear to influence the type of comparison standard used for evaluating product performance. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.