Impact of Consumption Emotions

on Post-Purchase Satisfaction
of Automotive Customers
Sikha Rani Baishya* and Smritishikha Choudhury**

Emotion is always seen to have an influential role in various aspects of consumer bu•illg behavior. The
emotional experience consumers have after crmsumptirin is of utmost importance because 1: can have an
impact on post-purchase behavior like repeat purchasc, word-ri-mouth prorno:ion, complaint kii.:Lior,
etc. The investination of the impact Of mourns on the post purchtze ct.,;!uatir.en prows Ls cnicial to
-

decode the role of emotions in satisfaction cipcncnccd In customers and their influence on the post-
purchase. action. Comumption emotions arc extremcly rc::-.41atmg the Nhawyr of coruumers.
and as such they are significant fm the matkctcrs. The orvitirmal at;aczt &vows stoxfic.mt fin. pniducu
exhibiting complex buyilig behavior like alitumolnics. The stud,. 'cavils the glorious consumption motions
that play a dominant role in the autornobile Nectar, and that int:WI on the post.purchase 34:11foction
level and post-purchase action like wold-of-mouth anA coirr411.;:nt iyhaysvr.

Introduction
Emotions have always played an in.ii ,pciisal%le role in the varioti% :i•prcts c mnrketing,
and one such crucial dimension is the relationship between cmotioni and satisfaction
level in the post-purchase stage. Various scholars have stated that rise-purchase
evaluation process involves cognitive activities as well as emotional component, and as
such it is important to address both dimensions (V'estbrook, 19S7; Dub a al., 1991;
Loudon and Della Bitta, 1993, p. 580; and Giese and Cote, 20N). Thus, while studying
post-purchase behavior the cognitive aspect of post-purchase evaluation and the
emotional experience related to product ownership and usage needs to be considered.
Consumer satisfaction is viewed as a focal element in retaining customers, complaint
behavior of consumers and word-of-mouth promotion (Myer, 1997; Bno=i et al., 1999;
and Han, 2000). The emotional experience consumers have after consumption is of
utmost importance because the emotional ex-perience can have an impact on post-
purchase behavior like repeat purchase, word-of-mouth promotion, complaint behavior,
etc. Nowadays, the most important aspect of the product sell is the relationship that the
consumer establishes with the brand and the emotions that the product/service
communicates (Deshwal, 2015). Thus, the emotional quotient of consumers which urges
* Research Scholar, Department of Management, Nianirarn Dewan School of Management, KKHSOU, Khananapara, Guwahati,
India. Email: sikhabaishyaSS@gmail.com

Assistant Professor, Department of Nianagement, Maniram Dewan School of Management, KKHSOU,
3

Khananapara, Guwahati, India; and is the corresponding author. E-mail: smritichoulhury@kichsou.in

C 2022 IIJP All Rights Reserved.

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. . . 1
. P 7 -
'
them to connect with a product and stay loyal to a brand h as become signific
for marketers. The e motional aspect becomes significant for product s exha _. antly (41.
ance and the expected perfnr,„
witinn
positive constini n

sac::
buying behavior like automobiles.
't-i,
perform
The consumers compare the actual
satisfaction arises when actual performance meets or exceeds exp ecte d '''ance
Perform '
dissatisfaction occurs otherwise (Kotler et al., 2010).
___„ i pernt i o1n
generate brand loyalty, and positive along with negative consumption em • ° --
otions inn 4.4
consumers' word-of-mouth promotion (Richin5, 200S). Atutler,
kt
The knowledge of the impact of consumption emotions on post-purchas e evai ua
can help marketers to decode the emotional parameters that influence satisfictint\l'
az.41
post-purchase action and make strategic rlannine.
Consumption Emotions and Post-Purchase Behavior
nu
Consumers experience emotions when they putchatc or acquire a new rnxh a
, the ict
emotions are strong and vivid when the product is in c' an.' involv es a com , ,
buying process (Maim and Oli ver, 1993). llie experience a buyer ha %vitae drivin g p,a
purchased car or moving into a new houte or enjoying a vacation in a luxury Iwo, gencuto
emotions, which arc termed as (c n Emotions. V'estbruok aid Oliver (190
defined consumption emotions as a ,,ct e m o t i o n : a i c v o t t • c s ev ol:•d f r o m t h e
consumption experience or product usage. %dm li may dr‘cnked Er' skstinctiv• categotics
of emotions (like joy, happiness, anger. kn. oc.) or 1•y the structimil dimensions und cflonel
emotional categories such as pleasantries‘imple_asantricss, relaxatonlaction, or calmness'
excitement (Westbrook and Oliv•L 1991). Phillips (1999) defined consumption emotion as
"the set of valenced, directed affective responses that the con.unier experiences as a result
of engaging in consumption of a product or •rvice • (Philter:, 1999). Scholars have
researched on the origination of the consumption emotion., an,' it is stated that when
the consumer perceives the product performance to t good, it generates positive
emotions and vice versa (Westbrook, 1987; and Oliver and Westbrook, 1993). Nyer (19971
stated that high goal relevance and high goal congruence result in positive emotions,
whereas high goal relevance and lo•goal congruence result in negative emotion!.
Consumption emotions are an important aspect of consumers' poct-purchase respowe and
they have a crucial role in influencing the level of customer satisfaction (Westbrook, 1937;
Mano and Oliver, 1993; Oliver, 1993 and 1997; Han, 2CX.'2; and Phillips and Baumgartna
2002). Another dimension of post-purchase behavior is the post-purchase action which
depicts the way the consumer acts after the purchase. The satisfaction level of customer;
results in post-purchase actions like word of mouth promotion, repeat purchase r a
- -

complaint behavior. Thus, there exists an inevitable relationship between consumP a iii
emotion, customer satisfaction and post-purchase action. It is immensely iniP°gant rif
• v

marketers to understand the relationship among these variables to decode the unif4 ` .

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 various categories of consumption emotions on satisfaction level and W r- Pu rcha 'eal'
action. For instance, anger and dn ers tn
sadness ess are both negative emotions, but custom
44
The IUP journal of Brand Management' VoL 19,
 •

:n the post-purcriase. action under both the emotions. Similarly, all

cmonoru rrtav not result in the same level of sati.s - faction. As such.
kr marketers to investpt e the impact of various positive and negative emotions on
it is cnicial
satitfiCtiOn and post-plachase action. This ctudv t o clarify the retie of
ms to the sal:Isl.:L:6.pin level of C07:_zIrrneTS and tO cor.z.likie how they impact 1 s
rurc" r, 25e action. In this study, two elem:-:s of post..pur c ,s e act3n have been studied;

they are complaint behavior and word-cf-77::ith promotion.

In the Indian autornobde scenario. one factor that has been identified to be a dominant
factor infiuencinz EJring behavior is the influence of personal sow; cep, i.c., inends and
fitmily (Kandaswami and Tiwari. 2014). The existing customers play an etential role in
eridorsinz the company's product, and as SLIC.11, it is important to know the mar; emotions
that dominate the section of consumers 'rho play the role of brand ambassadors for the
company.
Another important aspect of post -purchase action is the complaint Echavior cif
consumers. Complaint behavior may be a formal complaint to retailers or manufacturers.
or hidden complaint behavior like boycott of the particular brand, nog tive word-of-
mouth. less favorable ptjrchaie attituie, svatchuig to other brands. etc. Nvcr (1997) stated
that complaint behavior is one of the coping mechanism consumers wk.. to cle2I T.sith
uniavoralle consumer situations. According to Nor (1997). althougii two cuttotricrs may
be equally dissatisfied with a product, their post-purchase action may V2 TY consiaerablk
i.e., different emotions have different action tendencies. In order to unierstarkl the
complaint behavior of consumers in the post-purclase stage of the aut. 7: . Ale sector, it
is essential to know the discrete emotions associated with the cot:'.; a nt behavior of
consumers and the influence of po s itive ani ne;_..itive emotions on the complaint behavior
of consumers.

Literature Review
kX 7 throok (1937) is one of the first studies to investizate consumer emotional responses
to product/consumption experiences and their relationship to several central aspects of
post-purchaseprocesses. The study was conducted using DES (10 discrete
emotions), on automobiles and cable TV. It concluded that consumers have a positive
affect and negative affect from the product and emotions are simificantly associated -xith
post-purchase behavior. Positive and negative emotions can independently impact a
consumer's impression of a consumption experience. Moreover the study proved that
Po si t i v e c on s u mp t i o n em ot i o n s po s i t iv e l y i nf lu e n c e sat i sf a ct i on , w h i l e n e g a t i v e
consumption emotions negatively impact satisfaction.
Westbrook and Oliver (1991) studied the interrelationship between consumption
emotions and satisfaction judgments using Izard's DES scale in automobiles and found that
satisfied customers reported frequent occurrences of jcri and interest and infrequent
recurrences of surprise and negative emotions, whereas dissatisfied customers reported
extremely elevated frequency of negative emotion, especially disgust and content along
• ■ -•; •
hr.; .1..? (iGirJosump!vin Emotions i,/.!-Purci.35t
*• Si •••
45
w 01 AuffetvPive Custimiers

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with some frequency of surprise and interest. It recognized that affect was an it nNitl...
part of the satisfaction judgment by attempting to measure the impact of aff ect or e "
customer satisfaction.
Mano and Oliver (1993) examined the role of consumption emotions in satisfacti ott
In their study, a model was proposed in which positive affect was derived from arousal an4
 preliminary
•appraisal about the hedonic value of product. According to their tindi ai.
positive affect positively impacted satisfaction. and negative affect was derived f rom owl
arousal and negatively impacted satisfaction•
Nye: (1997) examined the ;ipi-.7:1;_:;$1,z of relevance. go,il congruence and copi ni
potential as determinant!. of cowl:m-11;11n •-hiness, joy and KItisfaction)
and btudied whetlict tbcy docrrnmc (ow;;: :ton khavior (word-oituouth
promotion, etc.). The temiltt !brewed tilzt c;r.‘:141% ;;;C. t11 roult of goal relevance, go al
; ,.:;
c; )
congruence and wring potcntml v.-11c;c ce.;1:11;c:14:e TC3:11tCki 111 r■kSttiVC aid
li; c;ot: ;Z r on iy i t e l e V il l i c e , t h e
g0;11 111C0111:1UCTICC TC1-1111ed in Dc;::It-eve
emotions V'CIC felt with light.; mtcw;tv s.c::.1 1: Ato!t,i-At-.1 that consume' with
WI; het goal relevance and }:ttal k - 0 ;1.:1: 1.141:enttal will show mot e
1

anger. It :Aso found tivit tnroit on post-purchase

behaviol. The tit tidy inov•d siLA Leval.: aid 44,4"::%: 11Ve ilpiiiiii5:11illltl these
;I: •
9

emotions play a mediatmv, :01.c I: I 1:• c . : f r k t (t-f-1;IBimt..11 anti post-putchase

behavior.
lian(2003) invemigatcd the t::: 9 8•;. ■ ••■;■ c ; : CL:4:410 , r e iili Mn us on customer
satisfaction and rivat putchaNe m •1:LI of cginustription emotions
in the formation of repeat vp-it Intent: 0m. TtIc th.tt rolitive consumption
emotions have a isi,tsificant patitsvc dic‘t t.ittti.iction and repeat visit
intentions, and that n cgatirc comuntrtion etnattuth L.&i,c a ligruttcant r.egative effect on
customer satisfaction and rep visit intcnnum. The autiw: cited !hum (1992), Mano
(1999), and Menon and Kahn (2001) and mentioned that Niitivc emotions lead to higher
purchase intentions, yet negative emotions may also enhance purchase intentions
depending on activation or shopping-environment quality. The study also found that
consumption emotions exert an impact on customer satisfaction judgments and post'
purchase behaviors.
Richins (200S) aimed at studying the emotions evoked fromproduct ownership and
usage. The author defined consumption emotion as emotional reaction to product
consumption situation. The author stated that consumption emotions are fundamental co
understand consumer buying behavior andpost-purchase action.
Kandaswami and Tics ari (2014) studied the relevant attributes in car purchase an d
concluded that Indian consumers act rationally in the procs of car purchase. The PurchIl e
is backed by practical reasons, and once need is generated, they look for quality scrvicc•
product reliability and resale value- The study also concluded that buyers genera)* IL 3'
predetermined price point withi n which they lcok for available options for purchasc.
•
The ILT journal ci Ecali Vul 14♦ Kt:
 6
 Niathur a al. (2018) studied the buying behavior of cars in India and found that the
ma j o r attributes relevant in car purchase were brand imam along with engine type and

efficiency. And advertising was found to be the most influential factor.

Dhanabalan ct al. (2018) studied the factors intluencinecar purchase and found that
brand, price, quality, design, utility, technical consideration are the major influential
parameters that drive car purchase decision.

Gap in Existing Literature

Thus, the review of studies conducted to examine the dimensions of consumption
emotions shows that emotions play a dominant tole in the N.q-rurchase evaluation
process. The review of the literature on the Indian auto:1101121e ecto: .1iows that the main
focus has been on the rational aTect, %%limas the cm9tional dunewion has not been
explored to the fullest. Thus, it i% cm.ential to deco ie the unictlymg consumption
e motions that have an impact in the Indian automnl•dc !mos anti the level of impact on

the post-purchase evaltiation process.

Objective
The following two objectives have been :.et fin study:
lb identify the positive and negative comurnittson emotions expaience.1 by the
consumer of automobiles in the poA-rutchase t.tagr.
lb examine the impact of positive and negative comumption emotions on
satisfaction level and the post-purchase action (word.of-mouth :trii complaint
behavior) of automobile consumer.

Methodology
The research study is based on both primary and secondary sources of data. The research
method is survey method. Primary data was collected by administering a structured
questionnaire (Appendix).
Research Design: The research design is descriptive as it aims at identifying the emotional
variables in the post-purchase stage of buying.
Research Approach: Quantitative research
Sampling Frame: To conduct this study, the market leader of passenger vehicle in India,
Maruti Suzuki, is selected as they dominate the market in the passenger vehicle segment
with a market share of nearly 50% in the year 2020 and nearly 48% in 2021 (Source:
statista).
The universe of the study is Guwahati city. The sampling frame includes the consumers
of Maruti Suzuki cars in Guwahati city. As the study aims to analyze emotional parameters
in the prepurchase and purchase stage, customers who are a year old are taken into
consideration. Guwahati area is selected as the customer base of Maruti Suzuki in
Guwahati city is the highest.
Imp-At Consumption Emotions on Post•Purchase Satisfaction of Autimultive Customrt$
47
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Sample Size: Thc sample size for the study is 100 consumers of Maruti Suzuki i n t h z
passenger vehicle segment.
Sampling •Design: Stratified random sampling is used for the study as a sp ec ifi c
geographical location has already been selected for the study. The population is divid ed
into subgroups based on the classification of vehicle of Maruti Suzuki, as shown in Tabl e
1. Then by using simple random sampling technique the sample: are selected.

•
Table 1: Classification of Passenger ‘'ehieles of Maruti Su:uki

Car Car Niclkicl ContNtition

Price of
Sources of Segment
Data: The research Type and secondary sources of
Caris conducted using both primary
data. A I htchl (Lc 7.: th:In AI:0 KV. Alto i:10 Tan-Nano
Z4.6 I ilu:Iiii.1.64x%
Method of Data Collection: Primary data was collected by administering the structured
questionnaire.
A The questionnaire included both open-ended and closed-ended
I latchhacl.i. (Lcm. liwn_ht.questions. Citantl i.10
1 data collectionthan
Besides these, was also done by qualitative methods like interviews, focus
group discussion, personal observation, etc. Secondary data was collected from cornPan )
20, •ata Bolt
A2 Iktwycli 1:►1.1►
professionals of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and from
channel partners of Maruti
Van!. Suzuki.  a. I.
•variouspersonnelemployedatthe

Questionnaire Development: In order to develop the questionnaire, a preliminary stud) .

II2 U PV T A L I inuov.i Malli t t tlta Boleti)
.

was conducted to analr.e the post- purchase buying behavior aspect Tals Sint g t the
. . ► passe1 1 1 1

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IUP Journal
SX4 of Brand Managctrecnt. Volv...i
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19.ANo. t, Foul Fiesta
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__________________________ if.tu:dAt \'cit ► a; I loncla City
1)1 Sedans leas than Z20 lai ►
_ .

112um.1.41 Elmira, Chevrolet

D2 L:u:c, Renault Fluence,
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„ c hi c l e segment. Interviews were conducted with Mani ti •Strzuki officials •andafew
cu sioinc r I identify the key aspects in the post-purchase evaluation stage. Also, prior

crudies conducted on the buying behavior of automobile customers were referred to in

order to develop the questionnaire for the study.
The first section of the questionnaire covers the demographic profile of the
customers.
The second section of the questionnaire includesquestions on consumption
e motions, satisfaction level and post•purchase action, i.e., ‘•ord-01-mouth and
complaint behavior.
The emotional scale of Laws ct al. (2035)- 1 1-her:Itchy of consumer emotions'
is used to measute the emotions in buying behavior of automobile. This scale
is Selected because it is the refined version of the Shaver c: (19S7)'. list of
discrete emotions, which is the most commonly used scale in marketing. The
Laws and Steenkamil's Iiieratchy Of consumer emotions (Figure 1) has two
super•ordinate levels of negative and positive emotions, eight basic emotions
and 41 subordinate emotions (Lilo• •t 2005).

Figure Seale of Emotion

Negative Affect Affect

A •
Conic:lune:I
•
Anger Fear Sadnemt Shame I lappi nes> Low Pride
t
Angry Scald Dcivose limbarrasx Sexy Pride
‘i
axitcntc.1 EnzouraeN Romantic
Frustrated Afraid d
Irritated Panicky Sad Atliamed d Paisianate
Peacclul
UnfulfilIM hIiserabl Lo.•ng
liarry  ntime
Nervous e Pleased ntal
Discontented worried Helpless Joyful Wannik..-uted
Envious Tense Relievei
Thrilled
SOUT:C: L.-Tos (2C1,5)

Results and Discussion

The findings related to objective 1:
Positive Consumption Emotions in Post-Purchase Stage
Respondents Under the Basic Emotion Category 'Love'
Figure 2 depicts the respondents who were passionate about their cars in the post-purchase
stage. It was found that a majority of the respondents (35%) were very sentimental about
their product, whereas next to the highest (33%) were the responses of respondents who
felt extremely passionate about their cars. Figure 3 depicts the respondents who were
sentimental about their cars in the post-purchase stage; it was found that majority of the
respondents (39%) were very sentimental about their cars.

Impact of Consumption Emotions on Post-Purchase Satisfaction 49

of Automotive Customers
 Figure 3: Respondents Who W eN
Figure 2: Respondents Who Were
Sentimental About Their Car
Passionate About Their Car
i

;
.
4 4

t
Z
s
_

Respondents for the Basic Emotion Category '1-happiness'

Figure 1 illustrates the number of it•To:dents who were enthusiastic about their cars,
and it \‘'as fount that A majority of customers (41%) %%ere very enthusiastic about their
cars in the post-purchase stage. hgut• 5 deinct• the r•sivnients who were thrilled about
their cars, and it M•as 1 - 0t1Ild that a majority of the reqvidettb (3S'X) were very thrilled,
whe reas next t o the h ig h es t wa s mo J era t e ex peri en ce (2 8%) o f thr il l a b out t h ei r

Figure 4: Respondents Who Were Figure 5: Respondents Who Were

Enthusiastic About Their Car Thrilled About Their Car

45% 1,
41%
4a -
.33% -

25%
25%15%-

b%-

5%-

50
" , • Ito
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l ox . rigutc () depicts the customers who were
lac •optimistic about their cars, and it was
1101111.1 that 0 majority of the respondents •(42%) were very optimistic about their cars.
rout 7 j r ricts the respondent s wh o were joyful about their car, and it was found that
.., moi(ii it ;
,

.," o f th e tespondents (39%) wcrc very joyful, whereas the next to hichest was
icciondents w h o were cxtreanily joyful (33%) about their purchac.
Figure (I: Itcspondcnts Wh o were
Optimistic About near Car Figure 7: Respondents Who Felt
Joyful Atvut Their Car

Respondents for the Basic Emotion Category Vuntanmene

Figure liepicts the responses of seFpondents h t' ue:e content with titrir rurcluse. and
it vas found that a majority if lelVildentS (4 .i) we:e contcnt with clic::
♦ Figure
9 depicts the respoilso of i•lsondents %%lio %% etc pc.icciul with their cars, and it
\vas found that a majority of customers (41')) %%etc pc.icelut %%a11 their rurcita.te.

Figure 8: Respondents Who Were Figure 9: Itcsponients Who Were

Content mitt% Their Car Feeling Peazeful with Their Car

41

1:1 `

CA4t-suulptian Enimans Post-Purchzse Sati=i3;ti'a 5

CutLiztrn
 1

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Respondents for the Basic Emotion Fig,urt 10: Respondents Who Were
Category 'Pride' Feeling Pride About Their Car
Figure 10 depicts the responses of
resNndents who were feeling pride about 3.:*‘)

their cars, and it was found that a majority

of them were mo3crately (33%) experiencing 1%

Pride in the post-purchase stage.

Negative Consumption Emotions in

Post-Purchase State
Respondents Under the Basic Emotion
Category 'Shame'
Figure 11 depicts the number of respondents
who were embarra5wd with their cars and it
was found that a majority of the respondents
(92%) were not at all embarrassed with
their cars. Figure 12 represents the number

Figure 11: Respondents Who Felt

Embarrassed with Their Car

of
respondents who were humiliated by the
purchase, and it was found that a majority of
the
respondents (9Lros) were not at all
humiliated by the product.

Figure 12: Respondents Who Felt

Humiliated with Their Car
 90,1)
Respondents for the Basic Emotion
Category 'Sadness'
Figure 13 depicts the respondents who were
feeling miserable with the possession of their
car, and it was found that a majority of the
respondents (92%) were not at all feeling
miserable with the possession of their car.
Figure 14 depicts the respondents who were
not
sad because of their car and it was found z
that a majority of the respondents

5 The IUPJournal of Brand Management, Vol_ 19, No. 2, 2°22

2
not at all sad about the product.

Respondents Under the Category of the

Basic Emotion 'Fear' (92%) Were

Figure 15 depicts the number of
respondents who were worried because of
the car and
it was found that a majority of the
respondents (92%) were not at all worried
about,
their car. Figure 16 depicts the number of
respondents who were nervous because °I