Regret (Anticipated Inaction to the Sale)

What it measures

The scale measures anticipated regret over failing to act on a limited-time sale — the sense that missing the opportunity now would mean regretting it or paying more later. Items were developed to test how visual design cues, such as right-slanted fonts implying urgency, influence consumers' response to promotional retail advertising.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• If I don’t act now, I will miss out on a good sale.
• If I don’t get this sale promotion now, I will regret it later.
• If I don’t act now, I may have to spend more later to purchase products I want.
• I would be making a mistake if I don’t get this sale now.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Mead, Richerson, and Li (2020) adapted one item from a measure by Tsiros and Hardesty (2010) and appear to have created the remaining two themselves; used with MTurk participants. Reliability was strong (α = .93). Validity wasn't formally discussed, though a supporting factor analysis was conducted.

Citation

Mead, J.A., Richerson, R., & Li, W. (2020). Dynamic Right-Slanted Fonts Increase the Effectiveness of Promotional Retail Advertising. Journal of Retailing, 96(2), 282-296.

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