Hearing what you pay improves transaction satisfaction? Unveiling the dual process influence of auditory feedback

Abstract

Retailers in certain regions, such as China, have recently implemented auditory feedback in cash registers to promptly announce consumer mobile payment status, but it presents a dual effect on consumers' transaction experiences. On one hand, auditory feedback enhances consumers' sense of control over the payment, leading to increased transaction satisfaction. On the other hand, it also intensifies consumers' pain of payment, resulting in decreased transaction satisfaction. Nevertheless, our study reveals an overall positive effect of auditory feedback on transaction satisfaction. We examined the moderating role of shopping motivation (functional vs. hedonic) and found that auditory feedback can enhance transaction satisfaction for consumers with functional shopping motivation and decrease it for consumers with hedonic shopping motivation. We also explored the moderating role of quick response (QR) code payments (dependent payment vs. autonomous payment) and observed a positive effect of auditory feedback on transaction satisfaction for dependent payment but not for autonomous payment. These findings contribute to the broader research on mobile payments and retailers aiming to enhance consumers' transaction experience.