Consumer response to stockouts

Consumer responses to stockouts, both in terms of consumer satisfaction wit h the decision process and in terms of subsequent store choice behavior, ar e explored. Four laboratory experiments involving stockouts in a consumer c hoice context are run. The results suggest that consumer response to stocko uts is driven in large part by two factors: the effect of a stockout on the difficulty of making a choice from the set and the degree of personal comm itment to the out-of-stock alternative. The results show that personal comm itment to an out-of-stock choice option is a function of preference for the option, whether the option is included in the consumer's consideration set , and the degree to which the stockout announcement is personally directed. As personal commitment to the out-of-stock option increases, consumers rea ct substantially and negatively to the stockout-they report lower satisfact ion with the decision process and show a higher likelihood of switching sto res on subsequent shopping trips. However, under conditions in which person al commitment to the out-of-stock option is low and the stockout leads to a decrease in the difficulty of making a product selection, consumer respons e to the stockout can actually be positive.