Furthermore, consumer regret can result in unfavorable
outcomes for marketers. To prevent regret, many retailers
promise to refund money to consumers who discover lower
prices after purchase. Dutta et al (2011) research study
shows that a refund’s effect on felt regret depends on how
consumers view these promises. If consumers mainly view
them as protective tools (i.e., adopt a protection focus), postrefund
regret is minimal. If consumers primarily view such
promises as sources of information about the retailer’s price
status (i.e., adopt an information focus), regret persists even
after refund. Dutta et eal (2011) also demonstrated that regret persists with these consumers because finding a lower price
results in a perception of trust violation. They find that subject
to boundary conditions, using a disclaimer that states that the
retailer does not claim to offer the lowest prices helps avoid
this negative outcome for information-focused consumers