Effects of Warning Explicitness on Consumer Product Purchase Intentions

Abstract

Two studies examined the relationship between the explicitness of hazard consequences described by a warning label and purchase intentions. Subjects indicated buying preferences for consumer products displaying explicit and nonexplicit warning labels. A total of 6 common consumer products was used in Experiment 1. Subjects were shown a questionnaire containing information about products varying in price, quality and warning label explicitness. Sixty-six subjects rated 2 products and ranked 2 products based on which they would be most likely to purchase. Results of the rating and ranking tasks suggest that products containing nonexplicit warnings were significantly more likely to be purchased. In Experiment 2, both explicit and nonexplicit warning labels were simultaneously presented for each of nine products and subjects rated with which warning they would prefer to buy the product. Results of Experiment 2 indicate one product was rated significantly more likely to be purchased with an explicit warning label; whereas, two products were rated more likely to be bought with nonexplicit warnings. There were no significant differences for the remaining six products. Overall, nonexplicit warnings were preferred to explicit warnings. However, this trend was reversed for one product, and for many products the detail with which a warning describes potential consequences had little effect on anticipated purchase decisions.