Consumer responses to savings message framing

Despite the prevalent use of savings messages (e.g., “get $x off” and “save $x”), no previous tourism and hospitality research has examined their effect on consumer responses. To fill that void, this study investigates the joint effect of savings message type (gain-framed vs. nonloss-framed) and weather conditions (sunny vs. rainy) on consumer attitude. The results show that individuals in rainy weather respond more favorably to a gain-framed (vs. nonloss-framed) message, and this effect is attenuated among people in sunny weather. Furthermore, this study reveals a boundary condition. When the amount of savings is presented in percentage terms (e.g., “get x% off” and “save x%”), the superiority of a gain frame disappears. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.