Person vs. purchase comparison: how material and experiential purchases evoke consumption-related envy in others

Abstract

Consumers feel envious of others more frequently than ever as they are constantly exposed to the purchases of others through social media. The extant literature is divided on whether consumers are more likely to envy the experiential purchases or material purchases of others. The current research identifies a moderator delineating when experiential vs. material purchases elicit greater feelings of envy. Specifically, we show that in a natural state when people compare the well-being of the purchaser to their own well-being, experiential purchases elicit greater envy than material purchases. In contrast, when people are prompted to compare the purchase to their own comparable purchase, material purchases elicit greater envy than experiential purchases. We further demonstrate the implications of understanding the psychology of consumption-related envy for marketers who seek to increase consumer engagement and purchase intention.