Explaining the impact of scarcity appeals in advertising - The mediating role of perceptions of susceptibility

Scarcity appeals in advertising enhance value perception, which in turn impacts purchase intentions. This study suggests that the impact of perceived value on purchase intention is mediated by consumers' perceptions of personal susceptibility and the susceptibility of others. Results of an experimental study support a mediating effect where enhanced value perception leads to increases in perceived influence on self relative to others, and therefore enhances purchase intention. The results confirm the impact of perceptual biases as suggested by the "third-person effect," thus providing some interesting theoretical contributions for advertising research as well as for managerial implications.