Consumers Complain More Fiercely Through Small-Screen Devices: The Role of Spatial Crowding Perception

Previous research has mainly focused on the determinants of consumers’ complaint channel choices. Little attention has been paid to the behavioral consequences of different complaint channels, particularly different complaint devices. Drawing on spatial crowding perception theory, this study finds that in an online complaint context, consumers’ complaint intensity is shaped by complaint devices that differ in screen size. Crowding perception produced by visually restrictive tension mediates the relationship between the screen size of the complaint device and the complaint intensity. The results of secondary data confirm that consumers’ complaint intensity is higher while complaining through a small-screen device (as opposed to a large-screen one). Three scenario-based experiments are conducted to examine the role of perceived spatial crowding in producing a more intense complaint behavior when complaints are submitted through smaller screen devices (as opposed to larger screen devices). The fourth experiment reveals that crowding perception can be lessened by adjusting certain design elements of the interface, ultimately mitigating the intensity of the complaint submitted through a small-screen device. Our research identifies the specific causality and underlying mechanism of the influence of device type on consumers’ postconsumption behavior, thus contributing to clarify some ambiguities in the literature.