Abstract: Gift promotion is one of the common ways for merchants to improve sales performances. Based on the Agentic-Communal Model of sense of power, this research investigates the impact mechanism and boundary conditions of the effects of consumers' sense of power on consumers' preferences for gift promotion. The research finds that consumers' sense of power affects consumers' preferences for the types of gift promotion, and consumers with high ( vs. low) sense of power prefer alternative (vs. complementary) gifts (Experiment 1) ； thinking style (holistic vs. analytic) mediates this effect (Experiment 2)； whether or not there is a choice for gift plays a moderating role. Under the condition that gifts can be chosen, consumers with high and low sense of power both prefer alternative gifts ( Experiment 3 ) . The research conclusions not only enrich and expand the literature in the field of sense of power and promotion, but also have important reference value for enterprises to design gift promotion strategies in a targeted manner.

Key words: sense of power , complementary gifts , alternative gifts , thinking style , choice