Input factors and outcomes of pre-purchase dissonance

This study addresses problems faced by parents regarding the choice of private tertiary education in Malaysia, for their children. Due to the intense competition to get a place in Malaysian Public Universities, parents turn to Private HEIs to pursue their children’s dreams. Private HEIs make enticing promises but the deliverables are not guaranteed; this, coupled with prohibitive costs often leaves parents in a dilemma which is known as Cognitive Dissonance. Previously, Cognitive Dissonance was believed to exist at the post-facto phase only. However, a recent study has shown that Cognitive Dissonance also exists at the ex-ante phase. Consequently, this research posits that if Cognitive Dissonance could be reduced at the ex-ante phase (i.e., Pre- Purchase Dissonance), it could increase buyers’ positive feelings towards a product; and, as a result, lead to a greater likelihood of purchase. Drawing on the Theory of Buyer Behavior, this study proposes a conceptual framework that examines the effects of antecedent and moderating variables on Pre-Purchase Dissonance vis., i) Brand Equity, Buyer Involvement and Advertising were independent variables, ii) Pre- Purchase Dissonance and Pre-Purchase Satisfaction were sequential mediating variables, iii) Buyer Expectation was the moderating variable, and iv) Word-Of-Mouth (WOM) was the moderating variable. Questionnaires were distributed to parents at education fairs and university open days in the Kuala Lumpur. This research adopted a purposive sampling technique; and 394 respondents completed the survey. Variance Based–Structural Equation Modelling (VB-SEM) was used to analyze the data (SmartPLS 3.0). The findings of this study suggest that Brand Equity and Buyer Involvement can reduce Pre-Purchase Dissonance; while advertising can induce Pre- Purchase Dissonance. Pre-Purchase Dissonance and Pre-Purchase Satisfaction were found to have a negative relationship. Pre-Purchase Satisfaction was also found to have a positive relationship with Purchase Intention. The findings also revealed that Pre-Purchase Dissonance and Pre-Purchase Satisfaction have a sequential mediating effect between Brand Equity and Advertising. This research found that WOM moderates the relationship between Pre-Purchase Dissonance and Pre-Purchase Satisfaction. These findings, suggest that Pre-Purchase Dissonance can be reduced at the ex-ante phase. Practically, marketers of Private HEIs should focus their marketing strategy on enhancing their Brand Equity, and promote parent Involvement to reduce Pre-Purchase Dissonance. In contrast, this research suggests that marketers should reconsider their Advertising strategy to attract parents because Advertising seems to create dissonance among parents