Understanding the Cognitive Dissonance on Women Post-Purchase Behavior

Abstract

Consumer behavior study has become relevant in the present marketing and sociology studies. Several characteristics, specificities, and factors influence the customer, especially the woman in her decision-making process, preferences, buying behavior, the products she buys, and the stores or retailers where she goes. In addition, the cognitive dissonance theory is mostly used to explain consumer behavior, focusing on the dilemmas faced during various stages of purchasing behavior. Hence, the study aims to investigate the state of cognitive dissonance after a buying decision was made for Tunisian women. Specifically, it provides an overview of the decision-making patterns of women and the stage of their reaction after the buying process according to their psychographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral characteristics. For this research, a quantitative survey was used as a method to collect primary data in Tunisia from 402 women. This questionnaire was conducted among the women who had recently purchased a luxury apparel product. A multidimensional scale was used to measure the magnitude of dissonance for females, besides two other constructs were additionally added which are the impulsive buying and the purchasing decision involvement. The results show that there is no significant difference in the levels of cognitive dissonance due to demographic factors such as age, marital status, and employee status for all women, while it had a positive bearing on emotional dissonance amongst all women. There is also no significant effect for the impulse buying and the purchase decision on post-purchase dissonance. The findings of this research indicate that most of the women were satisfied with their last purchases and therefore, the level of cognitive dissonance is low. Hence, one key aim of this research is to demonstrate the harmony within cognitive and behavioral systems that can be adjudged as a part of the human condition.