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Together or alone on the prosocial path amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: the partitioning effect in experiential consumption

Yoon-Na Cho (Department of Marketing, Hongik University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Ha Eun Kim (Department of Art and Cultural Management, Hongik University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Nara Youn (Department of Marketing, Hongik University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing

ISSN: 2040-7122

Article publication date: 28 October 2021

Issue publication date: 24 February 2022

447

Abstract

Purpose

During these unprecedented times, acts of charity are deemed essential to help individuals in need and support the social safety net. Given the importance of prosocial behavior for survival through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, the authors investigate the effects of partitioning experiential consumption and self-construal on consumer responses.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the literature on partitioning and self-construal, the findings across three experimental studies provide novel insights into the interplay between partitioning and self-construal, and offer psychological processes on prosocial and behavioral intention.

Findings

Individuals with predominantly independent (vs. interdependent) self-construals and those primed with independent (vs. interdependent) self-construals showed higher prosocial intention when the experiential product ad was in an aggregated (vs. partitioned) format. The fit between the type of format and self-construal leads to the high control coping mechanism, and ultimately prosocial intention.

Originality/value

Partitioning experiential consumption has not been directly examined using self-construal, providing novel insights into consumer reactions during the pandemic. This paper provides practical implications to practitioners and researchers to better understand and adapt to shifting digital consumption patterns.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This paper forms part of a special section “Pandemic Aftershock - The challenges of rapid technology adoption and social distancing for interactive marketing practice”, guest edited by Paul Baines, Mairead Brady and Shailendra Pratap Jain.

Citation

Cho, Y.-N., Kim, H.E. and Youn, N. (2022), "Together or alone on the prosocial path amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: the partitioning effect in experiential consumption", Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 64-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-01-2021-0022

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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