Unveiling the effects of consumers' psychological distance on their reactance and related behavioral outcomes: Do lockdown restrictions matter?

Abstract

This study examined consumers' psychological reactance, which is insufficiently explored in the literature. This research fills the gaps found in the literature reviewed and investigates how the psychological reactance of restaurant consumers developed because of social, temporal, and spatial distancing measures during COVID-19. This study also explored ways in which the restaurant industry can increase its compliance with COVID-19 restrictions in such a situation. We explored the effects of social, temporal, and spatial distancing on psychological reactance. We also identified the moderating effect of lockdown restrictions, which strengthen the psychological reactance developed because of (a) social distancing, (b) temporal distancing, and (c) spatial distancing. We collected data from restaurant consumers in Lahore. This study applied quantitative techniques (i.e., a test of normality, measurement model assessment, structural model assessment, and common method variance). The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 25 and AMOS 24 and the results were interpreted and presented accordingly. This study added to the literature on psychological reactance, service management, and psychological distance. We could also help the restaurant industry overcome the challenges that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and the closures. This study could assist the restaurant industry to understand consumer behavior and attract potential consumers.

Research on the influencing factors of human computer interaction on consumers' impulsive mobile shopping intention

“…This desire to restore freedom is psychological resistance [20] . Not only do temporal and spatial distances cause psychological resistance in consumers [21] , and choice hesitation due to choice overload can also cause consumers to develop psychological resistance [22] . In today's marketing environment as well as marketing strategies are constantly updated, consumers increasingly expect products or services with personalization.…”

The Impact of The Pandemic on the Informal Eating Out Habits of Filipino Diners in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

“…One area that has been greatly affected is the dining industry, including both formal and informal eating out habits. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous challenges and disruptions to the global economy, with the restaurant industry being one of the hardest hit (Chen et al, 2022). In particular, this essay will focus on the impact of the pandemic on the informal eating habits of Filipino diners in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and how it has led to changes in their dining behaviors.…”

Consumer attitudes and expectations of restaurant COVID-19 mitigation practices concerning public health after year one of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In fact, there is a clear gap in the literature regarding how different demographic groups impact consumer perceptions and behaviors toward COVID-19 public health safety practices in restaurants, in particular. Sociodemographics playing a role in consumer attitudes and expectations could be attributed to the Expectation Disconfirmation Theory and Construal Level Theory, which describe how groups can respond differently to the same stimulus because of their different expectations, thereby impacting consumer satisfaction (Zhang et al, 2021;Steinbach et al, 2019;Chen et al, 2022).…”

“…Consumers from different groups, in this case, demographics, do not have similar expectations of services so they may respond differently to the same stimulus. The construal level theory further explains that people of different groups interpret the same event differently (Steinbach et al, 2019;Chen et al, 2022).…”