Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of self-construal and uncertainty on status-quo bias in subscription choices. Specifically, this study is to identify how self-construal and uncertainty jointly influence status-quo bias on the basis of self-concept literature. The research findings show that participants with an interdependent self-construal are more inclined to stay with the current state. On the other hand, participants with an independent self-construal tend to switch from the status quo. The results indicate that people with an interdependent self-construal are more likely to keep unused subscriptions than those with an independent self-construal. In addition, the relationship between self- construal and status-quo bias is moderated by primed uncertainty. When certainty is primed, people with an independent self-construal are less likely to retain, but more likely to acquire a subscription service. Also, people with an interdependent self-construal are less likely to subscribe to a new service compared to those with an independent self-construal. However, uncertainty leads people to continue to subscribe to a service regardless of whether one’s self-construal is independent or interdependent. These findings provide implications for decision-making research and for practitioners who wish to increase the retention of subscriptions.