Why do upgrades worsen consumers’ experience with their possessions?
研究发现，产品升级意识会加速消费者对现有产品的享乐衰退，因为升级促使注意力从当前产品转移，为理解升级如何影响消费者体验提供了新视角。
Purpose This paper aims to investigate how product upgrades influence consumers’ hedonic responses to currently owned products, focusing on the underlying attentional mechanism. Design/methodology/approach Six experiments were conducted, including one pilot study and five main studies, employing various stimuli and methodologies. These experiments used longitudinal designs, manipulated upgrade awareness and measured hedonic decline over time. Mediation and moderation analyses were performed to test the proposed attentional mechanism. Findings The studies demonstrate that awareness of product upgrades induces consumers to experience a faster hedonic decline with their current possessions. This effect occurs because upgrades prompt consumers to shift their attention away from the currently owned product. The research provides both mediation-based and moderation-based evidence for this attentional mechanism. Research limitations/implications The study primarily focused on product upgrades, and future research could explore this effect in nonproduct domains and investigate potential boundary conditions. Practical implications The findings have implications for both consumers and companies in managing product enjoyment and upgrade cycles. Consumers can make more informed decisions about upgrades, while companies can develop strategies to maintain customer satisfaction with current products. Originality/value This work offers a novel perspective on the influence of upgrades on consumer behavior by introducing an attention-based account of hedonic adaptation and the consequent upgrade phenomenon, contrasting with previous research that relied on justifiability or contrast effects.