Business outcomes of product repairability: A survey-based study of consumer repair experiences

Abstract

Product repair is a suggested post-purchase activity toward extending the useful lifespan of a product. However, repairability has not received sufficient attention by manufacturers. Even if the product repairability is not explicitly claimed by manufacturers, it is expected by consumers, thereby impacting their loyalty and future purchase recommendations. In this paper, the impact of consumers' product repair experiences on their future purchase and recommendation decisions is investigated. The study is based on a survey consisting of 8403 consumers who have had personal repair experiences in year 2013. A bivariate ordered probit model is used to estimate two correlated variables that jointly represent the future product sale, namely 'consumer future purchase decision' and 'purchase recommendations to friends and family'. It was found out that predictor factors such as usefulness of repair information, complexity of repair and consumers' willingness to repair a broken product have significant effect on the future purchase decisions and recommendations.