What is it about?
Flow is that absorbing, time-distorting state consumers sometimes enter while browsing online — enjoyable in the moment but potentially problematic afterward. This paper investigates whether becoming aware of having experienced flow (flow consciousness) leads to post-purchase regret and, ultimately, product returns. Using structural equation modelling applied to a sample of Amazon shoppers, the study distinguishes between two types of regret — process and outcome — and examines whether this mechanism differs between two consumer personality types: maximizers (who always seek the best option) and satisficers (who settle for good enough). Results show that flow consciousness increases process regret in all consumers, but its effect on outcome regret depends critically on consumer type: satisficers use the memory of an enjoyable shopping experience to reduce product regret, whereas maximizers interpret the same flow state as evidence they failed to shop properly, intensifying their outcome regret and return intentions.
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Why is it important?
Product returns cost retailers billions annually and carry significant environmental consequences. This research identifies a previously overlooked psychological mechanism — the double-edged nature of enjoyable shopping experiences — that contributes to return rates. Knowing whether a customer is a maximizer or a satisficer could allow e-retailers to personalize post-purchase communication: reminding satisficers of their pleasant shopping experience to reduce regret, while giving maximizers additional product information to reinforce that they made the right choice. The paper also contributes to sustainable retail by targeting one of the root causes of unnecessary returns.
Perspectives
The moment that motivated this paper was realizing that flow — typically studied as something positive — could actually fuel regret and returns under the right conditions. That tension genuinely excited me. The maximizer/satisficer distinction turned out to be the key to unlocking that paradox, and finding that the same flow awareness reduces regret in one group but amplifies it in the other was one of those moments where data surprises you in a theoretically meaningful way. I think this line of research has enormous practical relevance as platforms increasingly invest in creating immersive, engaging shopping environments without fully considering the psychological aftermath.
Sergio Barta
Universidad de Zaragoza
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The double side of flow in regret and product returns: Maximizers versus satisficers, International Journal of Information Management, August 2023, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102648.
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