The effect of stating expectations on customer satisfaction and shopping experience

Customers' expectations are key determinants of their consumption experiences, satisfaction, and loyalty. The authors examine alternative theoretical predictions about the impact of stating expectations before purchase on postpurchase perceptions of the shopping experience and the firm. In particular, the authors suggest that asking customers to articulate their expectations can backfire and lead to lower postpurchase evaluations of the shopping and consumption experience. A series of field experiments indicate that compared with a control group, stating prepurchase expectations leads customers to focus on negative aspects of the shopping experience and perceive the same performance more negatively. The tendency for consumers to rate their shopping experiences less favorably after stating prepurchase expectations is inconsistent with confirmation bias as well as assimilation, contrast, and positivity effects. The final study contrasts the impact of stating expectations about the next store shopping experience with the impact of evaluating the store's past performance. The results show that though (prepurchase) expectations are indistinguishable from evaluations of the store's past performance, the former leads to lower postpurchase than prepurchase evaluations, whereas the latter tends to generate higher postpurchase evaluations. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of this research.