Abstract

Watching others receive superior treatment, a phenomenon known as the bystander effect, typically results in negative customer responses. In contrast, we investigate how to encourage positive responses from bystanders. The results of our experimental and survey studies show that witnessing preferential treatment leads bystanders to experience envy, which then triggers self-enhancement motivation that influences future intentions about participating in a loyalty program. In addition, when bystanders know the rules that allow preferential treatment, self-enhancement motivation encourages them to participate in the loyalty program. Theoretical contributions and practical implications for managing loyalty rewards programs are discussed.

摘要

看着别人得到更好的待遇，这种现象被称为旁观者效应，通常会导致负面的客户反应。相比之下，我们研究了如何鼓励旁观者的积极回应。我们的实验和调查研究结果表明，目睹优惠待遇会让旁观者产生嫉妒，进而引发自我提升的动机，从而影响未来参与忠诚度计划的意愿。此外，当旁观者知道允许优惠待遇的规则时，自我提升的动机会鼓励他们参与忠诚度计划。讨论了管理忠诚度奖励计划的理论贡献和实际意义。