Awe, consumer conformity and social connectedness
Marketing Intelligence & Planning
ISSN: 0263-4503
Article publication date: 23 June 2021
Issue publication date: 30 September 2021
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.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71772064).
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
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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