The Role of Serendipity in Narratives: How Serendipitous Story Promotes Product Interest

ABSTRACT Origin stories have been extensively discussed in storytelling, but it is unclear how presenting a story of an unexpected discovery would impact consumer behavior. This article proposes that marketers telling serendipitous stories could capture consumers' interest. Using four experiments, we found that a serendipitous story increased consumer interest in the focal product (Study 1). This was because the serendipitous story would awaken their positive emotions (Studies 2a and 2b). Furthermore, we identified a boundary condition of the device types. When consumers read a serendipitous story on a fixed device (vs. a mobile device), this serendipity effect was attenuated (Study 3). Our findings not only extend the serendipity and storytelling literature but also provide management guidance for businesses and marketers.