We contend that some encounters that do not involve deliberate choice are more enjoyable because the way they happen generates feelings of serendipity. Serendipity in the marketplace is the set of feelings resulting from a product, service, or experience that is positive, unexpected, and attributed to some degree of chance. The presence of serendipity in the product experience positively influenced satisfaction, enjoyment, meaningfulness, willingness to pay, willing to recommend, and interest. This effect was enhanced with a high degree of randomness and attenuated when the product encounter was negative.

1. Serendipity
Chance Encounters in the Marketplace
Enhance Consumer Satisfaction
From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)

2. The Nature of Serendipity
From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)
Not Chosen
Positive Unexpected
Attributed to
Chance Not Chosen

3. Serendipity Leads to Enjoyment
Participants encountered new art in a serendipitous condition,
personal choice condition, or baseline condition.
[Baseline Condition]
“You will see and rate a
painting on the next page.”
[Personal Choice Condition]
“Please select one of these two
paintings to view.”
[Serendipity Condition]
“Two of the paintings in the
gallery appear below.”
From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)
Serendipity led to
more enjoyment for
positive art
And did not affect
enjoyment of
negative art

4. The Role of Randomness
From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)
[Low Randomness in the Final Selection]
“We have examined your preferences based on these
trailers and have carefully selected one movie
trailer that you may enjoy.”
[Low Randomness in the Initial Selection]
“Based on your profile, we have curated a selection
of 10 movie trailers that match your preferences.”
[High Randomness in the Initial Selection]
“Based on your profile, we have a curated selection
of 100 movie trailers that match your preferences.”
[High Randomness in the Final Selection]
“We have examined your preferences based on these
trailers and have randomly selected one movie trailer
that you may enjoy.”
Participants saw one of the movie trailers.

5. From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)
68.28
57.69
78.10
56.56
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
High Final Selection Randomness
(Random Selection)
Low Final Selection Randomness
(Careful Selection)
Enjoyment
Low Initial Selection
Randomness (Out of 10
Movie Trailers)
High Initial Selection
Randomness (Out of 100
Movie Trailers)
Serendipity effect was enhanced with a high degree of
randomness
p < .01

6. The Role of Product Knowledge
Participants in the diagnostic
(nondiagnostic) condition had been
presented (not presented) with
information about which attribute
values made a song highly
functional.
From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)
Educating the consumer on
a product or service
eliminates the serendipity
effect.
Participants in the personal choice
condition listened to the song they
chose, and participants in the
serendipity condition listened to a
song randomly selected.

7. Conclusions
• Serendipity arises when a marketplace encounter is positive,
unexpected, and attributed to some degree of chance.
• Serendipity improves consumer satisfaction, enjoyment,
perceptions of meaningfulness of an experience, and likelihood of
recommending a company.
• Serendipity effect increases when consumers perceive
randomness in an event, and decreases when (1) the encounter
is negative, (2) the encounter occurs deterministically (i.e.,
planned by marketers to target consumers), and (3) consumers
perceive that they have enough knowledge to make their own
choices.
From: Kim, Affonso, Laran, and Durante (2021)