Awe, consumer conformity and social connectedness

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of the feeling awe on individuals' endorsement of conformist attitudes in consumption choices and the mediating role of social connectedness in generating this effect.

Design/methodology/approach

We test our hypotheses across three studies. Study 1 used an online survey. Study 2 and 3 conducted two laboratory experiments to induce awe and measured consumer conformity in two consumption choice tasks.

Findings

This research shows that both dispositional awe and induced awe can increase individuals' preferences for majority-endorsed vs. minority-endorsed choice alternatives in subsequently unrelated consumption situations, and this effect is mediated by perceptions of social connectedness with other decision-makers.

Practical implications

Marketers can promote the sales of mass-market products through inducing awe.

Social implications

Public regulators could utilize people's incidental awe as an effective policy intervention to nudge individual cooperation in some cases.

Originality/value

The research is the first to demonstrate a novel consequence of awe on consumer decision-making. It also highlights the significance of desire for social connectedness that explains why the feeling of awe develops conformity to the opinions of unknown people.

Citation

Yang, Y., Hu, J. and Nguyen, B. (2021), "Awe, consumer conformity and social connectedness", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 39 No. 7, pp. 893-908. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-01-2021-0017