The role of crowding and decision comfort during sales periods

Purpose Sales periods simultaneously attract consumers through price reductions and trigger avoidance behaviors: a paradox this study addresses by examining decision comfort as a potential mediator of the effects of human and spatial crowding on visit postponement and store-switching. Gender is also examined as a moderator of these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was adopted, with data collected from 378 consumers in France during official sales periods across several retail locations. The conceptual model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine relationships among perceived crowding, decision comfort, visit postponement, and store-switching. Multi-group analysis assessed gender differences. Findings Both human and spatial crowding were negatively associated with decision comfort. Lower decision comfort was associated with higher levels of visit postponement and, less robustly, with store-switching. The indirect effect of spatial crowding on visit postponement through decision comfort was supported; the indirect effects of human crowding on both avoidance behaviors were also supported but modest in magnitude, whereas the indirect effect of spatial crowding on store-switching was not supported. Gender differences were detected in the crowding–decision comfort relationships, whereas no gender differences were detected in the decision comfort–avoidance paths. Originality/value This research contributes to the marketing literature by showing that the mediating role of decision comfort depends on the form of crowding and the avoidance response considered. It extends the application of decision comfort as an emerging construct in the retail context, offering new insights into how crowding shapes consumer decision-making. The study also identifies gender differences in the crowding–decision comfort relationships and provides managerial implications for improving retail experiences during sales.