What is it about?
When companies recall products opportunistically, consumers react emotionally, leading to negative behaviors like protest and revenge. This study finds that regret, more than anger, drives these reactions. Analyzing 425 survey responses, we show that regret and brand hate escalate negative behaviors, and full-time employees are more likely to protest. These insights suggest that companies should focus on managing consumer regret to reduce backlash from product recalls.
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Why is it important?
This study shows that product recalls can backfire when customers perceive them as self-serving rather than protective. Even mild emotions like regret can accumulate and lead to strong negative reactions such as protest and revenge. By highlighting these emotional pathways, the research helps firms better understand why recalls damage relationships and how more transparent, customer-focused strategies can reduce backlash.
Perspectives
This paper reflects my interest in understanding how subtle, often overlooked customer emotions shape meaningful marketplace outcomes. While much research focuses on intense reactions such as anger, I was particularly motivated to explore the role of regret, which is quieter but more enduring and personally felt. I found it important to show that even low-intensity emotional responses can accumulate and lead to significant behavioral consequences for brands. This work also represents my broader research agenda on ethical boundaries in consumer-brand interactions. Opportunistic product recalls provide a compelling context where firms may appear to act responsibly while simultaneously pursuing self-serving goals. Examining this tension allowed me to contribute to both theory and practice by highlighting how such perceptions can erode trust and trigger backlash. Precisely, this study is part of my ongoing effort to unpack the emotional and ethical dynamics underlying consumer-brand relationships, particularly in situations where firms’ intentions are ambiguous and open to interpretation.
Shahid Hussain
Edith Cowan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Understanding the cascade effect: the role of emotions in opportunistic product recall outcomes, Journal of Product & Brand Management, January 2026, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/jpbm-12-2024-5656.
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