Variety-Seeking and Time of Day: Why Leader Brands Hope Young Adults Shop in the Afternoon,but Follower Brands Hope for Morning

The relationship between variety-seeking behaviors and the time of day at which choices are made is investigated. It is proposed that more variety-seeking will typically occur during times of day when people are experiencing arousal lows rather than arousal peaks. Two studies support this view. Moreover, it is also shown that the incidence of choice is greater for follower brands during day periods when variety-seeking is heightened, whereas leader brands fare better in periods when variety-seeking is relatively minimal.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with a corrected cover date.