How Regulatory Focus Affects Perceptions of Online Limited-Time Promotions

Prior research on online limited-time promotions has not yet examined the role of regulatory focus and culture. As e-tailers expand across the globe, they need to understand how customers with a different regulatory focus across cultures react to online limited-time promotions. This study, using the lens of regulatory focus, examines the impact of time constraints and framing of online limited-time promotions on different culture customers’ price and product judgments. Through analyzing previous literature and identifying relevant insights from that work, we found that different combinations of time constraints and message framing should be used for customers who are prevention- (e.g., East Asian) versus promotion- (e.g., Caucasian) focused. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.