How innovative attributes influence consumers’ willingness to buy new products: an empirical study in the context of online preorder

Purpose This study aims to examine the mechanisms and boundary conditions of the product innovative attributes on consumer purchase intention when an online preorder strategy is adopted. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes a conceptual framework to discuss the relationships among innovative attributes, perceived value (PV), anticipated regret (AR), purchase intention, time pressure (TP) and new product preannouncement (NPP). By combining a questionnaire survey with a 2×2 experimental design, the hypotheses were then verified based on the data of 478 respondents. Findings Consumers are more likely to adopt new products with higher relative advantages, compatibility or less complexity. The serial mediation effects of PV and AR were significant. TP will cause a higher AR but negatively moderated the relationship between PV and AR. NPP positively moderate the relationship between PV and purchase intention. Originality/value Our results are conducive to understanding online consumers’ consumption behavior and provide insights to develop accurate preorder strategies.