Journal of Retailing 85 (3, 2009) 308–320

Affect and Retail Shopping Behavior: Understanding the Role of Mood Regulation and Regulatory Focus
Mark J. Arnold a,∗ , Kristy E. Reynolds b,1 a Department of Marketing, John Cook School of Business, Saint Louis University, 3674 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108, United States b Department of Management and Marketing, The University of Alabama, Box 870225, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0225, United States

Abstract Two studies investigate the relationship between promotion and prevention focus, mood regulation, and retail marketplace evaluations and behaviors. Study 1, a laboratory experiment, finds that individuals high in promotion focus regulate their moods more than individuals low in promotion focus. Study 2, a field study, investigates the relationships between retail outcomes, regulatory focus, and the three core mood regulation constructs of mood monitoring, mood clarity, and mood repair. Results suggest that mood regulation is closely related to promotion and prevention focus, having both a direct influence on retail outcomes as well as mediating the influence of regulatory focus. Implications for theory and practice, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. © 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc on behalf of New York University.
Keywords: Mood regulation; Regulatory focus; Affect; Motivation; Shopping value

Research has made considerable progress in our understanding of affect, showing that moods, feelings, and emotions are related to nearly all aspects of consumption behavior.2 This is particularly evident in retail settings, where moods have been central in studies of environmental influences on consumption, such as retail atmospherics (e.g., Donovan et al. 1994), and have been shown to influence strategic variables such as spending, word of mouth, and repeat purchase intentions (e.g., Babin and Darden 1995; Dawson, Bloch, and Ridgway 1990). Individuals differ in the extent to which they attend