Effects of shopping information on consumers\u27 responses to comparative price claims

This article describes three studies that examine the effects of shopping information on consumers\u27 responses to comparative price claims in retail advertisements. Results of the studies show that 1) the opportunity to shop across retail stores reduces the effect of comparative price claims on consumers\u27 estimates of lowest price for a particular item, but has less impact on their estimates of the store\u27s regular price; 2) access to advertising from competing retailers has the same pattern of effects; and 3) across exposure to a series of ad claims, these effects generalize from estimates of specific item prices to judgments of the store\u27s general pricing. For branded shopping goods, the results show that comparative price claims may prove counterproductive for retail advertisers by leading consumers to believe that the store\u27s regular prices are high without convincing them that its sale prices are low. (C) 2002 by New York University. All rights reserved