“Could You Imagine That?” Usage Imagery in Access-Based Consumption

Access-based consumption is a convenient form of consumption that allows customers to use goods that they would be unable to purchase and/or own. Favored by the development of online commerce and the fluctuation of consumers’ economic conditions, this consumption mode is likely to grow in the near future. With this form of consumption, consumers do not merely aim to obtain material benefits (e.g., using a high-quality accessory), but also some experiential benefits (e.g., fulfilling their aspiration to wear a designer accessory that they like) and this latter aspect may weigh more in their decision to enact it. Based on this consideration, the present research used an experimental approach to tests whether priming consumers to think about their personal experience with a product engenders greater anticipated satisfaction and stronger intention to use it. These effects are tested both in an access-based and a purchase consumption mode. While inducing consumers to foreshadow their usage experience increases anticipated satisfaction in both consumption modes, results revealed the highest satisfaction and the strongest behavioral intentions when consumers foreshadowed their product experience in an access-based consumption mode. These findings contribute to the literature on consumer satisfaction with access-based consumption experiences and have practical implications for marketers in this emerging business area.