Table 6 Summary of findings and... | Emerald Publishing

Table 6

Summary of findings and recommendations of the study

Attribute type	Product attributes	Impact on switching from non-assertive to assertive OPRB		Implications and practical recommendations
Attribute type	Product attributes	Expected relationship	Found relationship
Search intrinsic	Physical appearance	Negative	Weakly impact (Electronics) Strongly positive (Fashion items) (H1a is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact on (non)-assertive OPRB of electronics Single effect: Product fitting has been proved as a main driver for fashion in previous research. Hence, customers strongly display assertive OPRB as it directly impacts their personal appearance. Sellers can improve their virtual try-out functions through many advanced technologies such as virtual or augmented reality
	Primary features	Negative	Weakly impact (Electronics) Strongly positive (Grocery) (H1b is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact on OPRB of electronics Single effect on grocery category: Sourcing from reliable suppliers while being transparent in any product ingredient changes may suppress assertive OPRB.
	Secondary features	Negative	Weakly impact (H1c is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact
Experience intrinsic	Performance	Positive	Moderately positive (H2a is supported)	Single effect: Besides improving product performance, which is for long-term, offering upgrading services or products not only can address the upward counterfactual thought and suppressing OPRB assertiveness but also improve sales for the other products or services Joint effect with selling price: Since customers has higher OPRB assertiveness for low-price products (≤$20) with performance issues, sellers can highlight the superior performance features of their product compared to competitors’. This strategy encourages customers to imagine their alternative products could have been worse, which reduces any conflicting thoughts they might have and ultimately prevents buyer’s remorse
	Durability	Positive	Strongly heterogeneous (H2b is partially supported)	Single effect: Besides improving the product durability, which is for long-term, a cost-benefit analysis of improving product durability information reveals a favourable outcome for sellers. Maintaining transparency in durability information on websites is a low-cost, pre-emptive approach (Martínez-López et al., 2022b) that prevents misconceptions and reduces non-assertive OPRB by ensuring consumers have realistic expectations about product longevity. This can help decrease unnecessary returns caused by misinterpretation of durability claims Joint effect with secondary features: Addressing concerns related to secondary features is particularly important, as customers exhibit stronger OPRB non-assertiveness when durability issues arise from these components. Sellers should focus on enhancing quality assurance of secondary items and emphasising the value proposition of the multifunctional product by showcasing how durable secondary features contribute to overall longevity. Yoo (2014) found that in a contemporary business environment, rising return requests – particularly for high-end products such as smartphones and tablets – make quality assurance a priority. This demonstrates that the long-term benefits – such as reduced return rates, fewer warranty claims, and higher customer satisfaction – outweigh the costs of quality assurance. Furthermore, durable components and materials reduce the need for replacements, minimising returns and warranty claims if the product outlasts the return period. Additionally, enhancing secondary feature durability is more cost-effective than improving primary features
	Reliability	Positive	Moderately positive (H2c is supported)	Single effect: Customers tend to make assertive OPRB since product defects are severe. Besides improving product reliability, increasing the level of personalisation before purchase would increase personal attachment and arouse product retention Joint effect with after-sales services: Many reliabilities issues stem from the user-unfriendly interface. Sellers can upgrade their after-sales services such as 24/7 helpline, frequent responses, training staff would potentially help customers troubleshoot issues, avoiding unnecessary product returns
	Ease of use	Positive	None (H2d is not supported)	This attribute has no impact
Extrinsic	Product information mismatch	Positive	Strongly negative (H3a is not supported)	Single effect and joint effect with selling price: Product information mismatch strongly drives non-assertive OPRB, especially for low-priced products (≤$20). Subscription-based products, whether digital (e.g. Kindle, Prime) or physical (e.g. subscription boxes), demonstrate how accurate information can reduce OPRB. Subscription-based products often have lower return rates due to their focus on long-term customer relationships. Sellers offer lower initial prices, incentivising them to ensure quality and accurate information to build trust. This dynamic foster enduring relationships and lower return rates. While focusing on quality assurance for information display is ideal, some retailers may be tempted to embellish product information to boost sales, potentially triggering OPRB through false advertising. A purchase-risk notices – a pre-emptive approach – uses expectancy-lowering communication to align customer expectations with the actual product, thereby reducing the likelihood of returns (Martínez-López et al., 2022b). When compared to the expenses associated with handling returns and issuing refunds, this method presents a favourable cost-benefit ratio, offering a “cost-friendly” solution to mitigate return rates
Extrinsic	After-sales services	Positive	Weakly impact (H3b is supported only when interacting with reliability)	This attribute has a limited individual impact but has a positive impact when interacting with reliability
	Warranty	Positive	Strongly positive (H3c is supported)	Single effect: Sellers should focus on improving warranty services since its’ substandard trigger assertive OPRB. Sellers often overlook the importance of warranty services, treating them as separate from regular product returns, which leads to inefficiencies in retail operations. However, both processes share similar steps like problem identification and reverse logistics, differing only in the final step – warranty repairs are delivered back to customers, while returns result in refunds (ReturnLogic, n.d.). Improving warranty services can help minimise costs by reducing the gap between refund expenses and delivery costs, prevent redundant expenses, and enhance customer satisfaction, ultimately reducing the assertive OPRB due to dissatisfaction with warranty outcomes Joint effect with reliability: From seller’s perspective, warranty entails a risk of having extra costs (e.g. return shipping, repair, and replacement). Sellers should prioritise the reliability improvement among intrinsic attributes. It would alleviate/avoid the extra cost and hassle for warranty later
	Logistics service quality	Negative	Weakly impact (H4 is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact
	Selling price	Positive	Moderately positive (H5 is supported)	Single Effect: For low-priced products (≤$20), a stricter return policy can be effective, as non-assertive customers may find the process too cumbersome, reducing the likelihood of them initiating a return. On the other hand, high-priced items (e.g. MacBooks, TVs) can benefit from a hassle-free return policy (e.g. full refund), as this encourages customer confidence and can boost sales. Customers are generally more motivated to return these higher-priced items if quality issues arise, and the seller is likely to recover a higher salvage value compared to lower-priced products
	Sales rank	Positive	Moderately negative (H6 is not supported)	Single effect and joint effect with reliability: It is unsurprising that less well-known, defective products are associated with higher levels of OPRB assertiveness, as customers often stereotype them as being of poor quality due to their low popularity. For those sellers, they have to improve their product quality and brand image simultaneously

Attribute type	Product attributes	Impact on switching from non-assertive to assertive OPRB		Implications and practical recommendations
Attribute type	Product attributes	Expected relationship	Found relationship
Search intrinsic	Physical appearance	Negative	Weakly impact (Electronics)Strongly positive (Fashion items)(H1a is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact on (non)-assertive OPRB of electronicsSingle effect: Product fitting has been proved as a main driver for fashion in previous research. Hence, customers strongly display assertive OPRB as it directly impacts their personal appearance. Sellers can improve their virtual try-out functions through many advanced technologies such as virtual or augmented reality
	Primary features	Negative	Weakly impact (Electronics)Strongly positive (Grocery)(H1b is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact on OPRB of electronicsSingle effect on grocery category: Sourcing from reliable suppliers while being transparent in any product ingredient changes may suppress assertive OPRB.
	Secondary features	Negative	Weakly impact (H1c is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact
Experience intrinsic	Performance	Positive	Moderately positive (H2a is supported)	Single effect: Besides improving product performance, which is for long-term, offering upgrading services or products not only can address the upward counterfactual thought and suppressing OPRB assertiveness but also improve sales for the other products or servicesJoint effect with selling price: Since customers has higher OPRB assertiveness for low-price products (≤$20) with performance issues, sellers can highlight the superior performance features of their product compared to competitors’. This strategy encourages customers to imagine their alternative products could have been worse, which reduces any conflicting thoughts they might have and ultimately prevents buyer’s remorse
	Durability	Positive	Strongly heterogeneous (H2b is partially supported)	Single effect: Besides improving the product durability, which is for long-term, a cost-benefit analysis of improving product durability information reveals a favourable outcome for sellers. Maintaining transparency in durability information on websites is a low-cost, pre-emptive approach (Martínez-López et al., 2022b) that prevents misconceptions and reduces non-assertive OPRB by ensuring consumers have realistic expectations about product longevity. This can help decrease unnecessary returns caused by misinterpretation of durability claimsJoint effect with secondary features: Addressing concerns related to secondary features is particularly important, as customers exhibit stronger OPRB non-assertiveness when durability issues arise from these components. Sellers should focus on enhancing quality assurance of secondary items and emphasising the value proposition of the multifunctional product by showcasing how durable secondary features contribute to overall longevity. Yoo (2014) found that in a contemporary business environment, rising return requests – particularly for high-end products such as smartphones and tablets – make quality assurance a priority. This demonstrates that the long-term benefits – such as reduced return rates, fewer warranty claims, and higher customer satisfaction – outweigh the costs of quality assurance. Furthermore, durable components and materials reduce the need for replacements, minimising returns and warranty claims if the product outlasts the return period. Additionally, enhancing secondary feature durability is more cost-effective than improving primary features
	Reliability	Positive	Moderately positive (H2c is supported)	Single effect: Customers tend to make assertive OPRB since product defects are severe. Besides improving product reliability, increasing the level of personalisation before purchase would increase personal attachment and arouse product retentionJoint effect with after-sales services: Many reliabilities issues stem from the user-unfriendly interface. Sellers can upgrade their after-sales services such as 24/7 helpline, frequent responses, training staff would potentially help customers troubleshoot issues, avoiding unnecessary product returns
	Ease of use	Positive	None (H2d is not supported)	This attribute has no impact
Extrinsic	Product information mismatch	Positive	Strongly negative (H3a is not supported)	Single effect and joint effect with selling price: Product information mismatch strongly drives non-assertive OPRB, especially for low-priced products (≤$20). Subscription-based products, whether digital (e.g. Kindle, Prime) or physical (e.g. subscription boxes), demonstrate how accurate information can reduce OPRB. Subscription-based products often have lower return rates due to their focus on long-term customer relationships. Sellers offer lower initial prices, incentivising them to ensure quality and accurate information to build trust. This dynamic foster enduring relationships and lower return rates. While focusing on quality assurance for information display is ideal, some retailers may be tempted to embellish product information to boost sales, potentially triggering OPRB through false advertising. A purchase-risk notices – a pre-emptive approach – uses expectancy-lowering communication to align customer expectations with the actual product, thereby reducing the likelihood of returns (Martínez-López et al., 2022b). When compared to the expenses associated with handling returns and issuing refunds, this method presents a favourable cost-benefit ratio, offering a “cost-friendly” solution to mitigate return rates
Extrinsic	After-sales services	Positive	Weakly impact (H3b is supported only when interacting with reliability)	This attribute has a limited individual impact but has a positive impact when interacting with reliability
	Warranty	Positive	Strongly positive (H3c is supported)	Single effect: Sellers should focus on improving warranty services since its’ substandard trigger assertive OPRB. Sellers often overlook the importance of warranty services, treating them as separate from regular product returns, which leads to inefficiencies in retail operations. However, both processes share similar steps like problem identification and reverse logistics, differing only in the final step – warranty repairs are delivered back to customers, while returns result in refunds (ReturnLogic, n.d.). Improving warranty services can help minimise costs by reducing the gap between refund expenses and delivery costs, prevent redundant expenses, and enhance customer satisfaction, ultimately reducing the assertive OPRB due to dissatisfaction with warranty outcomesJoint effect with reliability: From seller’s perspective, warranty entails a risk of having extra costs (e.g. return shipping, repair, and replacement). Sellers should prioritise the reliability improvement among intrinsic attributes. It would alleviate/avoid the extra cost and hassle for warranty later
	Logistics service quality	Negative	Weakly impact (H4 is not supported)	This attribute has a limited impact
	Selling price	Positive	Moderately positive (H5 is supported)	Single Effect: For low-priced products (≤$20), a stricter return policy can be effective, as non-assertive customers may find the process too cumbersome, reducing the likelihood of them initiating a return. On the other hand, high-priced items (e.g. MacBooks, TVs) can benefit from a hassle-free return policy (e.g. full refund), as this encourages customer confidence and can boost sales. Customers are generally more motivated to return these higher-priced items if quality issues arise, and the seller is likely to recover a higher salvage value compared to lower-priced products
	Sales rank	Positive	Moderately negative (H6 is not supported)	Single effect and joint effect with reliability: It is unsurprising that less well-known, defective products are associated with higher levels of OPRB assertiveness, as customers often stereotype them as being of poor quality due to their low popularity. For those sellers, they have to improve their product quality and brand image simultaneously

Source(s): Authors’ own creation