The Revised-Is-Quality Heuristic: Why Consumers Prefer Products Labeled as Revised

From downloading never-ending updates to tracking ever-newer releases, consumers today are surrounded by revised products that purport to have improved upon their predecessors. Seven experiments examine when and why consumers rely on a “revised-is-quality” heuristic. Study 1 establishes the basic effect: labeling a product as revised increases consumers’ preference for it (holding constant the product itself). Although consumers’ reliance on revision labels may sometimes be reasonable, and even helpful, it can also lead consumers astray, as when revised products are not actually of higher quality. Studies 2A-B test such a case, showing that relying on a “revised-is-quality” heuristic can lead consumers to make sub-optimal choices. Studies 3A-B adopt a mediation approach, showing that consumers think a product labeled as revised is of higher quality, and in turn, they enjoy it more. Studies 4-5 adopt a moderation approach, showing that consumers are especially likely to rely on a revised-is-quality heuristic when it is hard (vs. easy) to evaluate the product. Together, these findings advance research on heuristics, quality inferences, and consumer choice. They also have practical implications, such as for the responsible marketing of product revisions.