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Of the five characteristics Rogers (1995) suggests influence purchase decisions, relative advantage has received by far the most research attention (Gatignon & Robertson, 1991; Harmancioglu, Droge, & Calantone, 2009; Holak, Lehmann, & Sultan, 1987; Olshavsky & Spreng, 1996). Relative advantage reflects the perceived superiority of a product over an incumbent state and is based on new and/or improved capabilities and features, lower economic costs (price advantage), or the enhanced social prestige garnered from owning the product. For example, a consumer is more likely to purchase an iPad 2 than the original iPad because doing so will afford her a greater relative advantage (e.g., thinner, lighter, faster processing speed, etc.) and the attendant social prestige that results from owning the latest generation of a high tech product.
Such purchase actions, however, are at odds with other researchers who claim that the relative advantage expected from future products also influences purchase decisions (Bechwati & Qualls, 2001; Boone, Staelin, & Lemon, 2001; Dhar, 1997, 1996; Dhebar, 1994, 1996; Greenleaf & Lehman, 1995; Grenadier & Weiss, 1997; Holak, Lehman, & Sultan, 1987; Kunz, Schmitt, & Anton Meyer, 2011; Lowery, 1991; Ozer, 2011; Song & Chintagunta, 2003; Winer, 1985). Levinthal and Purohit (1989) and Bridges, Yim, and Briesch (1995) offer analytical and empirical support, respectively, that expectations regarding future product introductions influence current purchase behavior (Banerjee & Sarvary, 2009; Decker & Gnibba-Yukawa, 2010; Roy, Chan, & Cheema, 2007). Guiltinan (2010) combines prior research on economic- and behavioral-based research to model consumer purchase decisions for durable goods that incorporates both rational and irrational consumer behavior (e.g., price and expectations, respectively; Shih & Schau, 2011).