The Interplay of Inflated Expectations, (Dis)Confirmation, and Emotional Spillover: Implications for Post-Purchase Loyalty in Mystery Deals

Abstract

Mystery deals, a marketing tactic used to boost sales, involve withholding the exact version of the product a customer will receive until after purchase. While prior research has examined consumers' pre-purchase reactions to mystery deals, their post-purchase responses remain underexplored. Addressing this gap, we contribute to the mystery marketing literature by investigating how consumers respond after the purchase when all details of the deal are revealed. Across six empirical studies (1 field, 3 online, 1 lab that uses IA-based facial expression recognition software, 1 supplementary), we disentangle the complex interplay of curiosity-induced inflated expectations, (dis)confirmation, and positive affective spillover effects generated during the pre-purchase phase. The results highlight the crucial role of positive affect in substantially enhancing customer loyalty during the post-purchase phase—compared to traditional deals where all details are known in advance. These affective processes even counterbalance the negative effects on loyalty when consumers receive their non-preferred outcome. For managers, our findings provide insights into how mystery deals impact customer retention, expanding beyond prior research that has primarily focused on customer acquisition. Thus, mystery deals can serve as a viable strategy to sustain customer loyalty, even when individual preferences cannot be fully met.