The Impact of Post-Data Breach Anger and Fear on Consumer Behaviors in E-Commerce: The Moderating Role of Data Type and Compensation

Author : Nur Buyukyoruk, Assoc. Prof. Dicle Yurdakul

Abstract :This study examined how consumer anger and fear after data breach – an escalating concern with technological progress – influence falsifying information, negative word-of-mouth (NWOM), and switching. It also explored moderating effect of breached data (personally vs. non-personally identifiable information, PII/NPII), and whether the company offers compensation. Unlike previous studies analyze breaches from economic, technical, and legal perspectives, this research focused on consumer behavior. Using 9-point Likert scale and a posttest-only scenario-based moderator manipulation, 371 e-commerce users participated through convenience sampling. Anger and fear significantly influence behaviors (p<0,05), with anger being the dominant emotion (p<0,001). Age negatively, income positively correlates with falsifying information. Switching is positively correlated with education and brand trust. Compensation mitigates emotional effects only on switching, renders fear’s impact insignificant when PII is breached (p>0,05). Fear’s effect on falsifying information intensifies when PII is compromised, while its influence on NWOM strengthens when PII is breached and compensation – contrary to company intentions – is provided. Findings highlight anger’s direct, fear’s complex behavioral patterns; falsifying information and NWOM’s reactive, switching’s rational nature, PII’s stronger emotional impact, and need for customer sentiment analysis to personalize compensation strategies wisely for post-breach customer retention.

Keywords :Consumer Behavior, E-Commerce, Consumption Emotion, Data Breach.

Conference Name :International Conference on Business, Economics and Management (BEM-25)

Conference Place Athens, Greece

Conference Date 17th Mar 2025