Testing Antecedents and Moderators in Product Evaluation: Towards a New Model of Consumer Satisfaction

The present research illustrates a preliminary version of the Knowledge-Hope Model of consumer satisfaction and reports the results obtained from two studies that supported its predictions. The proposed model is based on a conceptual re-formulation of the traditional disconfirmation paradigm and hypothesizes that satisfaction judgments are determined by either the schematic knowledge consumers hold about a product or their personal hopes associated with its consumption, depending on specific contextual factors, such as motivational dominance and involvement. Theoretical and marketing implications are discussed.