To Each His Own? How Comparisons with Others Influence Consumers' Evaluations of Their Self-Designed Products

The vast majority of consumer behavior research has examined how consumers respond to products that are offered on a "take it or leave it" basis by the manufacturer. Self-design changes the rules substantially, allowing consumers to have much more control over the product's characteristics. This research examines the factors influencing consumers' evaluations of self-designed products. Three studies demonstrate that a superior fit between consumers' underlying preferences and their customized products cannot fully explain self-design evaluations. Comparisons with designers of comparable products can significantly influence evaluations as well. The first two experiments examine how social comparisons with the designers of similar "off-the-rack" products influence evaluations, identifying two key moderators useful in overcoming the negative effects of an upward comparison. A third study uses a real online design task to gain understanding of how the timing of the social comparison moderates the direction of the comparison ( upward vs. equivalent) to influence evaluations.