Abstract: The date of expiration for sales promotion will force consumers to achieve the cognitive closure in a short period of time. While the model excludes subjective time pressure (perception of opportunity cost), both individual time constrains and promotion time restrictions (objective time pressure) will cause consumers to depend on heuristics. Under this condition, promotion time restrictions will affect information searching for promotion decision making even stronger. The reference dependent points of consumers will generally focus on the brand experience and product price knowledge in order to meet their needs for cognitive closure. While the model includes subjective time pressure and selects it as a mediator, the manners of information searching for consumers will split. Under this condition, consumers will not only depend on heuristics, but also take necessary information searching and learning (rational thinking) into account. To a great extent, the study has testified that there is an internal relation between time pressure and information searching for promotion decision making, i.e., the information searching by consumers will prefer heuristics for meeting a demand for cognitive closure.

Key words: promotion decision making, time pressure, information searching, heuristics, need for cognitive closure