If at first you don't adopt - Investigating determinants of new product leapfrogging behavior

In times of rapid technological advancements, consumers often reject new products as they intentionally postpone their adoption until significant technology improvements are available. This phenomenon is commonly called consumer leapfrogging behavior. While previous studies have found vast empirical evidence for the occurrence and detrimental effects of such behavior, only a few studies have focused on investigating the nature and determinants of consumer leapfrogging. Hence, this article systematically explores and empirically validates potential determinants of consumer leapfrogging behavior by applying a multimethod approach. First, we conducted a systematic literature review to summarize the current research. Second, we applied a qualitative study to identify potential reasons for consumer leapfrogging behavior. The results show that known theoretical rationales for innovation rejection behavior tied to active and passive innovation resistance do not comprehensively account for the complex psychological processes of this behavior. Consequently, we introduce a new construct called “leap disposition” to explain consumers’ disposition to reject a new product and instead wait for a superior subsequent product generation. Third, we empirically validate and quantify the relative importance of both established constructs (i.e., active and passive innovation resistance), as well as the newly introduced leap disposition, for leapfrogging behavior within a large-scale study.