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Consumers’ decision-making self-efficacy for service purchases: construct conceptualization and scale

Dena Hale (Centurion Sales Program, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida, USA)
Ramendra Thakur (Department of Marketing, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA)
John Riggs (Centurion Sales Program, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida, USA)
Suzanne Altobello (Department of Marketing, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina, USA)

Journal of Services Marketing

ISSN: 0887-6045

Article publication date: 22 September 2021

Issue publication date: 29 June 2022

1271

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a scale to determine the consumer’s level of decision-making self-efficacy for a high-involved service purchase, specifically the purchase of medical insurance. One question to ask is how service providers can help consumers purchase the services that best meet their needs? Before interventions can occur, it is necessary to benchmark consumers’ perceptions of their own decision-making control and abilities.

Design/methodology/approach

A scale that measures consumers’ service decision-making self-efficacy was developed using the principles established for scale development validation. A four-study approach was used to reach the research objective.

Findings

The research consisted of four studies designed to: generate items to measure consumer service decision-making self-efficacy (CSDMSE); purify the scale and assess its dimensionality (second-order structure); establish the reliability and validity of the scale; and establish norms to provide details on its usefulness for aiding consumers with service purchases. The scale was found to be a higher-order construct, comprising three lower-order constructs.

Originality/value

Research suggests that consumer self-efficacy may affect their decision-making. The greater the consumer’s self-efficacy for decision-making tasks, the more efficient the decision-making process strategies are expected to be. This is the purpose for which the CSDMSE scale measure was created: to understand how, where and when service professionals can assist consumers with making appropriate service-related decisions and purchases.

Keywords

Citation

Hale, D., Thakur, R., Riggs, J. and Altobello, S. (2022), "Consumers’ decision-making self-efficacy for service purchases: construct conceptualization and scale", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 637-657. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-12-2020-0505

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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