INVOLVEMENT, ATTRIBUTIONS, AND CONSUMER RESPONSES TO REBATES

This paper examines effects of both purchasing involvement and product involvement on consumers' responses to rebates. In Part One, the stud y examines the effects of involvement on consumer responses to a rebat e price promotion. Specifically, the study reports that consumers with high levels of purchasing involvement and consumers with high levels of product involvement are more likely to experience satisfaction with a shopping experience involving a rebate and, subsequently, are more likely to express intentions to engage in repeat purchase behavior and word-of-mouth communication about the product. High purchasing involv ed (but not high product involved) customers are also more likely to u se rebates. In Part Two, the study examines effects of involvement on consumer attributions for satisfaction with the price deal and reports that high purchasing involvement is significantly related to a tenden cy to make internal, rather than external, attributions for satisfacti on with a rebate shopping experience. Results of hierarchical moderate d regression suggest that consumer responses to the rebate price promo tion are moderated by these internal attributions. Implications of the findings for a theoretical understanding of involvement effects on at tributions and for the effectiveness of price promotion strategies in the marketplace are discussed.