The Dual Impacts of Nostalgia on Consumer Switching Behavior

Abstract

This research examines how nostalgia affects consumers’ switching behavior. While the common practice of nostalgic marketing tends to assume that nostalgia can help customer retention, we found that nostalgia can lead to more consumer switching behavior. However, this effect only occurs when consumers focus on the consumption outcome and reverses when consumers are led to focus on the consumption process. Our results also reveal the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon. Nostalgia can induce dual motivations— approach motivation and savoring motivation—which have divergent implications for switching behavior. When consumers focus on the outcome of consumption, heightened approach motivation drives the effect of nostalgia on switching behavior. Conversely, when consumers focus on the process of consuming a product, nostalgic consumers have a greater motivation to savor the current experience, which causes them to stay with the current option. The results and conclusions offer new insights into nostalgic marketing and antecedents of switching behavior.