Need for control may motivate consumers to approach digital products: a social media advertising study

A salient characteristic of the current digital economy is the prevalence of digital products. It may be largely attributed to the rapid growth of digital media which grant users tremendous control over various digital content. However, a number of studies in consumer psychology reported that digital products may lead to reduced perceptions of control as the virtual format inhibits sense of ownership. Noticing this conflict in scholarship, this study examines to what extent consumers’ need for control influences their responses to digital versus physical products in a common E-Commerce situation—viewing product advertisements on social media. The results indicated that consumers with high need for control evaluated digital products more positively than physical products and also preferred the advertisements featuring digital products. Moreover, these consumers were also willing to pay more for digital rather than physical products. Such results provided some preliminary evidence to indicate that the experience of using digital products may satisfy online shoppers’ need for control. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.