Sales Promotion Scepticism

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring consumer scepticism toward a specific sales promotion — the degree to which the promotion is perceived as deceptive, gimmicky, and designed to extract payment through hidden means. Items assess beliefs that the customer will ultimately pay in ways they are unaware of, that the promotion is misleading, that it is a marketing trick, and that there are ulterior motives behind the offer. The scale captures negative inferential responses to promotional framing and is applicable to research on consumer scepticism, price promotions, and retail marketing.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• The customers are probably paying for this _____ in a way they don't know.
• This promotion is deceiving.
• This promotion is a sales gimmick.
• There could be some reasons for the retailer to offer this promotion.

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

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: The blank in item 1 should be replaced with the focal promotional offer (e.g., 'free item', 'discount'). Single alpha: α = .80 — Koo & Suk (2020, Study 2A, n = 121 US MTurk). VALIDITY: Not discussed. Scale source not identified in original article — appears original to the authors. NOTE: Item 4 ('There could be some reasons for the retailer to offer this promotion') is somewhat ambiguous in tone — it could reflect either scepticism or neutral inference depending on participant interpretation. Researchers should consider whether this item reduces clarity.

Citation

Koo, Jieun and Kwanho Suk (2020). Is $0 better than free? Consumer response to '$0' versus 'free' framing of a free promotion. Journal of Retailing, 96(3), 383–396.

Keywords