When Maria Rodriguez's beloved stand mixer broke last year, she faced a choice: spend money fixing it or buy a new one. Like many Americans, she almost chose the replacement. But new research from Penn State suggests brands can help customers like Rodriguez make the repair choice — and keep them coming back.
Researchers found that when companies certify outside repair shops to fix their products, customers are far more likely to get things fixed instead of thrown away. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, shows this benefits everyone: brands keep their customers, repair shops get more business, and fewer items end up in landfills.
"We found that third-party certification helps the brand reap the same benefits as having an in-house repair service, seem more sustainable and keep customers satisfied with their purchases," said Karen Winterich, a marketing professor at Penn State's Smeal College of Business.
The researchers — many raised with what they call a "fix it" mindset — noticed how consumption had shifted toward the throwaway over recent decades. They wanted to test whether brand-approved repair services could reverse this trend without costing companies too much.
To find out, the team ran six experiments. In one, they worked with third-party computer repair companies and showed 2,056 American consumers social media posts about laptop repairs. When the ads mentioned brand-certified technicians, consumers were nearly twice as likely to book a repair. A second test found over 700% more repair requests when certification was highlighted.
Another experiment asked 501 people to imagine their headphones broke after two years. Those shown brand-certified repair ads were more likely to consider fixing the product. But here's the kicker: among participants who said they would replace instead of repair, 76% planned to switch to a different brand entirely.
"When a product breaks and consumers don't intend to repair it, more than two-thirds of consumers are more likely to replace the broken product with a different brand," Winterich said. "This means that a brand is losing market share when they don't have a repair service or certify a third-party repair service."
The research also found that brand certification helped most with people who knew little about repairs — the brand name gave them confidence their product still had life left. Products with sentimental value, like wedding gifts, got repaired more often regardless of who fixed them.
The findings offer a simple path forward: by opening repairs to certified outside shops, brands can compete with the convenience of buying new while keeping their customers, their profits, and their environmental footprint smaller.