How Experience Variety Shapes Postpurchase Product Evaluation

Product usage experiences have a significant impact on postpurchase evaluation and subsequent behavior. Consumers look to their own experiences, as well as those of others, when deciding what to buy and what to recommend. Contrary to the intuition that varied experiences should enhance evaluation, five studies demonstrate that in some situations, perceiving usage experiences as less—not more—varied improves postpurchase product evaluation. Less varied usage experiences make consumers think that products are used more frequently. As a result, perceiving usage experiences as less varied makes consumers more satisfied with their purchase, more likely to buy it again, and more likely to recommend it. In addition to their practical implications, the findings make important theoretical contributions to the variety literature and toward understanding frequency and numerosity judgments.