View in EDS

From Countdowns to Stock Limits: Unpacking the Impact of Scarcity Promotions on Individuals' Choice Set Size Preferences.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: From Countdowns to Stock Limits: Unpacking the Impact of Scarcity Promotions on Individuals' Choice Set Size Preferences.
Authors: Liang, Shichang (AUTHOR), Zhou, Yizheng (AUTHOR), Zhang, Xiaochuan (AUTHOR), Geng, Lixiao (AUTHOR), Chen, Weiquan (AUTHOR), Li, Jingyi (AUTHOR), Zhang, Tingting (AUTHOR), Deng, Wanshan (AUTHOR), Gan, Linghong (AUTHOR), He, Junyan (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Consumer Behaviour. May2026, Vol. 25 Issue 3, p1192-1205. 14p.
Subjects: Scarcity, Sales promotion, Commercial products, Consumer behavior
Abstract: Consumers are increasingly influenced by scarcity promotions in their purchasing decisions, with limited‐quantity and limited‐time promotions being commonly used in everyday marketing. Previous studies on limited‐time and limited‐quantity promotions have primarily focused on consumer purchase behaviors within fixed choice sets. However, these studies have overlooked the impact of scarcity promotion types on consumers' preferences for different choice set sizes. This study explores how scarcity promotion (limited‐quantity vs. limited‐time) influences preferences for choice set size and also investigates the mediating role of perceived scarcity and the moderating effect of product type (hedonic vs. utilitarian) on choice set size. Three studies reveal that consumers prefer larger choice sets in limited‐quantity promotions compared to limited‐time promotions, with perceived scarcity acting as a mediator. Furthermore, the effect is moderated by product type. Specifically, consumers purchasing hedonic products tend to favor larger choice sets in limited‐quantity promotions, while those purchasing utilitarian products prefer larger choice sets in limited‐time promotions. The findings provide valuable insights for marketers, highlighting the importance of aligning promotional strategies with product characteristics and consumer perceptions of scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Consumer Behaviour is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 193656307
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: From Countdowns to Stock Limits: Unpacking the Impact of Scarcity Promotions on Individuals' Choice Set Size Preferences.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Liang%2C+Shichang%22">Liang, Shichang</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhou%2C+Yizheng%22">Zhou, Yizheng</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Xiaochuan%22">Zhang, Xiaochuan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Geng%2C+Lixiao%22">Geng, Lixiao</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Weiquan%22">Chen, Weiquan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Jingyi%22">Li, Jingyi</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Tingting%22">Zhang, Tingting</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Deng%2C+Wanshan%22">Deng, Wanshan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gan%2C+Linghong%22">Gan, Linghong</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22He%2C+Junyan%22">He, Junyan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Consumer+Behaviour%22">Journal of Consumer Behaviour</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 25 Issue 3, p1192-1205. 14p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scarcity%22">Scarcity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sales+promotion%22">Sales promotion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Commercial+products%22">Commercial products</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumer+behavior%22">Consumer behavior</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Consumers are increasingly influenced by scarcity promotions in their purchasing decisions, with limited‐quantity and limited‐time promotions being commonly used in everyday marketing. Previous studies on limited‐time and limited‐quantity promotions have primarily focused on consumer purchase behaviors within fixed choice sets. However, these studies have overlooked the impact of scarcity promotion types on consumers' preferences for different choice set sizes. This study explores how scarcity promotion (limited‐quantity vs. limited‐time) influences preferences for choice set size and also investigates the mediating role of perceived scarcity and the moderating effect of product type (hedonic vs. utilitarian) on choice set size. Three studies reveal that consumers prefer larger choice sets in limited‐quantity promotions compared to limited‐time promotions, with perceived scarcity acting as a mediator. Furthermore, the effect is moderated by product type. Specifically, consumers purchasing hedonic products tend to favor larger choice sets in limited‐quantity promotions, while those purchasing utilitarian products prefer larger choice sets in limited‐time promotions. The findings provide valuable insights for marketers, highlighting the importance of aligning promotional strategies with product characteristics and consumer perceptions of scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Consumer Behaviour is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=193656307
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/cb.70087
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 1192
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Scarcity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sales promotion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Commercial products
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Consumer behavior
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: From Countdowns to Stock Limits: Unpacking the Impact of Scarcity Promotions on Individuals' Choice Set Size Preferences.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Liang, Shichang
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhou, Yizheng
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhang, Xiaochuan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Geng, Lixiao
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Chen, Weiquan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Li, Jingyi
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhang, Tingting
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Deng, Wanshan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gan, Linghong
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: He, Junyan
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 14720817
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 25
            – Type: issue
              Value: 3
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Consumer Behaviour
              Type: main
ResultId 1