Consumer Perceptions of Sales Pressure Scale

What it measures

The POSP scale measures a consumer's perception of being pressured by a salesperson to purchase within an artificially urgent timeframe or being directed toward different or additional products than originally intended. Developed using an updated Churchill (1979) procedure, the scale emerged from qualitative exploration of retail pressure incidents and five stages of quantitative purification. Two distinct factors were identified and confirmed via CFA: Aggressive Sales Pressure, reflecting coercive or manipulative tactics that position the consumer as a persuasion sentry guarding against unwanted influence; and Directive Sales Pressure, reflecting redirection toward alternative products where the consumer may act as a goal seeker using the salesperson to find a better match. The two factors are correlated but empirically distinct, and only aggressive pressure produces significant negative effects on satisfaction and trust.

Response format

7-point Likert (1 = Strongly Disagree, 7 = Strongly Agree). All items positively worded; higher scores indicate higher perceived pressure.

Scale items

Aggressive Sales Pressure (4 items). Instructions: Think about your most recent shopping episode for a specific product that required the help of a salesperson and at least a moderate level of thought and effort on your part.

• The salesperson used high pressure sales tactics.
• The salesperson forced me to make a decision before I was ready.
• The salesperson attempted to close the sale before all of my concerns were addressed.
• I felt like I had been played by the salesperson.

Directive Sales Pressure (3 items).

• The salesperson kept pushing me toward one product when I was interested in another.
• I felt pressure to buy what the salesperson insisted on, as opposed to what I originally wanted.
• The salesperson was more interested in selling me his or her recommendation than the product I wanted.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Validated using a quota sample of adult consumers (n = 275) in a structural model including antecedents (salesperson product knowledge, time pressure, persuasion knowledge self-confidence) and outcomes (satisfaction and trust with the salesperson). Aggressive pressure significantly reduced both satisfaction and trust; directive pressure had no significant effect on either outcome, suggesting it is perceived as less harmful and potentially benign. The scale treats the consumer as an active participant in the persuasion episode, consistent with the Persuasion Knowledge Model. Respondents were asked to think of their most recent shopping episode requiring salesperson assistance and moderate decision effort.

Citation

Zboja, J. J., Clark, R. A., & Haytko, D. L. (2016). An offer you can't refuse: Consumer perceptions of sales pressure. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(6), 806-821. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0468-z

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