The Tao of consumption: private self in a collective culture
Journal of Service Theory and Practice
ISSN: 2055-6225
Article publication date: 18 May 2021
Issue publication date: 17 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Collectivism in service research is so bound with Asian cultures as to risk being overly deterministic. Contesting this stereotype, this paper surfaces the individualistic consumption facets of consumers within a collectivist cultural setting, describing the compensating role servicescapes may play and the service marketing opportunities they present.
Design/methodology/approach
Within a Chinese cultural research frame, a qualitative grounded approach is adopted that surfaces subconscious metaphors of private consumption through photo elicitation, deep psychological metaphor elicitation and triangulated with field observation.
Findings
Individuals within a collectivist culture do actively seek private psychic space to regenerate the self and prepare for social obligations heavily influenced by Confucian norms. Servicescapes play an important role in private consumption as they provide both a physical and mental oasis of privacy not easily obtainable in regular life and work.
Practical implications
Service providers could offer East Asian consumers a package that includes the individual aspect of their value system, whenever and however they see suitable. More specifically, servicescapes can be designed to provide services that facilitate consumer restoration by implementing the mental metaphors consumers of have this process.
Social implications
A stereotype of a consumption has grown around Chinese consumers that while not totally false, misses a vital aspect of human values and risks missing profitable market niches. Consideration of the whole person's collective-individualistic cycle benefits both the consumer and the business.
Originality/value
Moving beyond a one-dimensional description of East Asian consumer behavior, focused on collective values, we show the key role servicescapes play in private consumption. A psychological renewal of the self, in preparation to re-enter the collective, show the multiple aspects of Asian consumers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the input and data collection of Norm Lambert and thank the informants for their assistance as well as the numerous retail establishment managers across Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai who cooperated in data collection. The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.
Citation
Warden, C.A., Huang, S.C.-T., Yen, W.-H. and Chen, J.F. (2021), "The Tao of consumption: private self in a collective culture", Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 756-782. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-06-2020-0135
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited