Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand how the degree of congruence between buyers’ and sellers’ intentions to negotiate impacts buyers’ postpurchase emotions and attitudes. In addition, the study examines whether buyers’ self-confidence and negotiation expertise can increase buyers’ perceptions of control and regret, as well as buyers’ postpurchase satisfaction and enjoyment with the purchase. Traditionally, marketplace exchanges have been classified as either fixed price or negotiated. The present research treats marketplace exchanges along a continuum of intention congruence to test the relationships between intention congruence and outcome variables of control, regret, satisfaction and enjoyment with the purchase.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors studied the perceived difference between buyers' and sellers' intentions to negotiate and how the difference impacts buyers' postpurchase attitudinal and emotional outcomes. A mail survey of automobile buyers resulted in a sample of 291 respondents. An automobile is a significant and irreversible purchase for a buyer. Thus, automobile markets often host transactions that evoke dissonance and regret for buyers if things go awry. In addition, buyers and sellers vary considerably in their desire to negotiate, thus reflecting a range of intention congruence in negotiation. Therefore, a survey of automobile buyers was considered appropriate for testing the effects of intention congruence on buyers’ postpurchase outcomes.

Findings

Results indicate that when buyers are willing to negotiate but sellers do not reciprocate equally, buyers feel less in control of a transaction. Contrarily, buyers experienced greater control and lesser regret when buyers’ perceptions of sellers’ intention to negotiate exceeded buyers’ own intentions to negotiate. Results also suggest that when buyers’ intentions to negotiate were congruent with buyers’ perception of sellers’ intention to negotiate, greater dyadic levels of negotiation marginally lowered buyers’ perceived regret. Overall, an intention-congruence perspective adds to the current understanding of negotiated exchanges and is a meaningful approach for improving postpurchase outcomes for buyers.

Research limitations/implications

The study used only the consumers’ perspective of negotiation. Although this is supported by studies in power and dependence because the consumers’ perspective is valuable and valid, a true dyadic measurement of the negotiation process can only be obtained if the sellers’ view is also incorporated. This remains a key limitation of this study.

Practical implications

The results suggest that sellers may be better off honoring buyers’ intentions to negotiate. Intention incongruence negatively impacted buyer satisfaction when buyers perceived sellers to be less eager to negotiate. However, where sellers seem more eager to negotiate, incongruity favored buyers and positively impacted buyers’ postpurchase outcomes. Thus, for sellers, it is worthwhile to consider adding policies that honor negotiation.

Originality/value

Past research classifies marketplaces exchanges as either fixed price or negotiated. The present study uses intention congruence as a continuum between transaction partners. The intention congruence approach allows a closer examination of both the symmetry and strength of intentions to negotiate in a dyadic exchange. Given that markets are comprised of buyers and sellers who display considerable variability in intentions to negotiate, examining intention congruence allows for a more realistic study of negotiation behavior in business-to-consumer marketplaces.

中文翻译：

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消费市场中的买卖双方谈判：意图一致性方法

目的

本研究的目的是了解买卖双方谈判意图的一致程度如何影响买家的购买后情绪和态度。此外，该研究还探讨了买家的自信和谈判专业知识是否可以增加买家的控制感和后悔感，以及买家的购买后满意度和购买乐趣。传统上，市场交易被分为固定价格或协商价格。本研究沿着意图一致性的连续体来处理市场交换，以测试意图一致性与购买的控制、后悔、满意度和享受的结果变量之间的关系。

设计/方法论/途径

作者研究了买家和卖家谈判意图之间的感知差异，以及这种差异如何影响买家的购买后态度和情感结果。对汽车购买者进行的邮件调查产生了 291 名受访者的样本。对于买家来说，汽车是一项重要且不可逆转的购买。因此，汽车市场上经常会发生交易，一旦出现问题，就会引起买家的不和谐和遗憾。此外，买家和卖家的谈判意愿差异很大，从而反映了谈判中一系列意图的一致性。因此，对汽车购买者的调查被认为适合测试意图一致性对购买者购买后结果的影响。

发现

结果表明，当买家愿意谈判但卖家不给予同等回报时，买家会感觉对交易的控制力较差。相反，当买家对卖家谈判意图的看法超出买家自己的谈判意图时，买家会经历更大的控制和更少的遗憾。结果还表明，当买家的谈判意图与买家对卖家谈判意图的看法一致时，更高的二元谈判水平会略微降低买家的后悔感。总体而言，意图一致性视角增加了当前对协商交换的理解，并且是改善买家购买后结果的有意义的方法。

研究局限性/影响

该研究仅使用消费者的谈判视角。尽管这一点得到了权力和依赖性研究的支持，因为消费者的观点是有价值和有效的，但只有在卖方的观点也被纳入的情况下，才能获得对谈判过程的真正的二元衡量。这仍然是本研究的一个关键限制。

实际影响

结果表明，如果卖家尊重买家的谈判意图，效果可能会更好。当买家认为卖家不太愿意谈判时，意图不一致会对买家满意度产生负面影响。然而，当卖家似乎更渴望谈判时，不一致对买家有利，并对买家的购买后结果产生积极影响。因此，对于卖家来说，增加尊重议价的政策是值得考虑的。

原创性/价值

过去的研究将市场交易分为固定价格或协商价格。本研究使用意图一致性作为交易伙伴之间的连续体。意图一致性方法可以更仔细地检查二元交换中谈判意图的对称性和强度。鉴于市场由买家和卖家组成，他们的谈判意图表现出相当大的差异，检查意图一致性可以对企业对消费者市场中的谈判行为进行更现实的研究。