Hedonic Consumption Research Articles

Does variety in hedonic spending improve happiness? Testing alternative causal mechanisms between hedonic variety and subjective well-being

Previous research has found only a small, inconsistent association between hedonic consumption and subjective well-being, often attributed to individuals adapting to the happiness gains from their purchases. Given that diverse experiences can reduce or avert hedonic adaptation, we hypothesized that variety in hedonic spending would be associated with greater well-being. This hypothesis was tested in four studies (total N = 2,920), using both self-reported and objective bank-reported spending data. In our correlational analyses, hedonic spending variety was uniquely associated with well-being, even after controlling for total hedonic spending and other financial variables. Our investigation also explored the directional relationship between hedonic spending variety and well-being, yielding mixed results for both causal pathways in two time-lagged panel studies. Additionally, in two parallel experiments, participants reported that varied hedonic spending contributed more to happiness than uniform hedonic spending. These findings have implications for basic well-being science by testing how varied consumption behaviors and well-being are interrelated.

Unveiling the impact of consumer animosity and risk perception on tourists’ decision-making

This study examines the impact of diplomatic tensions between South Korea and Japan on tourist decision-making, with a focus on consumer animosity and risk perception. The results indicate that both factors significantly influence attitudes toward visiting Japan, with consumer animosity and avoidance having a direct negative and positive effect, respectively. Consistent with previous research, this study emphasizes the critical role of consumer animosity within the theory of planned behavior framework, highlighting the influential roles of travel attitudes and perceived behavioral control. Specifically, it stresses the importance of considering both cognitive and affective risk perceptions in the context of consumer boycotts and the political instability of destinations. Furthermore, it highlights the key role of tourists’ attitudes toward traveling to Japan, suggesting the need for Japan to prioritize risk management amid the ongoing boycott movement. The study reveals the nuanced role of perceived behavioral control, which has a stronger effect on avoidance intentions than on visit intentions due to anti-purchase movements and negative sentiments at the destination in scenarios of hedonic consumption with high risk and uncertainty.

Консюмеризм и просюмеризм: идеологии и практики потребления

The focus of the paper is to understand the phenomena of consumerism and prosumerism in the socio-cultural and philosophical domains. The paper deals with the etymology, definitions, some essential characteristics and types of consumerism and prosumerism. The scientific novelty that the author proposes here is the typology of prosumer practices. The analysis of consumerism and prosumerism is carried out by studying consumer practices (conspicuous consumption, hedonic consumption) and prosumer practices (DIY, digital prosumption). The author comes to the conclusion that prosumerism is the current consumption ideology and it plays a key role in sustaining the national economy and culture as well as helps to form a creative personal identity. It is also indicated that the Russian, post-Soviet consumption ideology is of a prosumerist nature.

A Study on the Influence of Temporal Landmarks on Consumers’ Experiential Decision-Making Style and Hedonic Consumption Preference

A Study on the Influence of Temporal Landmarks on Consumers’ Experiential Decision-Making Style and Hedonic Consumption Preference

For those who wash less dishes, please buy flowers: Couple’s contribution imbalance and family hedonic consumption

For those who wash less dishes, please buy flowers: Couple’s contribution imbalance and family hedonic consumption

Is There a Place for Hedonic Consumption in On-Line Shopping Addiction?

Is There a Place for Hedonic Consumption in On-Line Shopping Addiction?

Being Alone or Together: How Frontline Anthropomorphized Robots Affect Solo (vs. Joint) Service Consumption

Solo consumption has become an emerging trend in recent years. However, the service experiences of solo customers with the growing adoption of frontline humanlike robots remain unclear, particularly in direct comparison with joint customers. Building on the literature of anthropomorphism and information processing theory, this study examines whether and how frontline anthropomorphized robots (FAR) might improve the service experiences of solo customers relative to their joint counterparts. Data from four studies, including field and online experiments, reveal that solo customers are more likely than joint customers to perceive FAR as offering rapport but also as being eerie, leading to different service evaluations (both attitudinal and behavioral outcomes). Nevertheless, as parallel mechanisms, these levels of social rapport and eeriness are contingent on features of the FAR, the service delivery process, and customers’ consumption goals. The rapport (eeriness) mechanism is strengthened (weakened) when the robot is of in-group favoritism, the service process deprives customers of control, and customers have a hedonic consumption goal. With the boom in adopting frontline humanlike robots in hospitality services, this study offers managerially relevant implications for serving solo customers as an emerging segment along with the traditional segment of joint customers.

Exploring personal savings versus hedonic consumption in the new normal

PurposeConsumers can spend their disposable income on hedonic consumption or save for the future. Their preferences were altered by the prolonged life and livelihood-threatening experiences of the pandemic. This paper aims to study the spillover effect of the pandemic experience on consumer savings attitudes and hedonic purchase preferences in the new normal.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted 35 in-depth interviews with consumers in India. The data were analysed thematically.FindingsThe results showed that when fear of life and negative emotions of the pandemic persisted, consumers became short-term focused, moved towards materialism and increased hedonic spending. Alternatively, individuals who faced substantial financial hardships resorted to an increased preference for savings. The relationship between changes in savings orientation and hedonic consumption was found to be moderated by consumer's individual differences in financial vulnerability and life history strategies.Practical implicationsAs the trend towards increased hedonic consumption and preference for luxury products continues, the study findings can be used to devise effective marketing strategies to tap the emerging segment of mass luxury consumption.Originality/valueDespite ample work being conducted in the hedonic consumption domain, it has not been studied in conjunction with savings orientation, a significant determinant. This research links personal savings orientation with hedonic spending and substantiates that purchase decisions are cognitively weighted as a choice of discretionary spending against the opportunity to save.

Influences of Hedonic Consumption on Business and Individuals Quality of Life

With the improvement of peoples living standard, hedonic consumption gradually prevails in the society. In life, in addition to utilitarian and practical consumption, people will also pursue hedonic consumption that brings a variety of senses, emotions and pleasure. Hedonic consumption is peoples consumption to satisfy their own sensory experience. It values material satisfaction and ignores spiritual satisfaction. Over the years, researchers have studied hedonic consumption and found that the popularity of hedonic consumption has an impact on businesses and individuals. By using the methods of literature search and data collection, on the basis of examining the definition and development of contemporary hedonic consumption, this paper explores the reasons for the breeding and spreading of contemporary hedonic consumption, analyzes the characteristics and manifestations of hedonic consumption, and analyzes the stimulation of hedonic consumption on businesses and the negative impact of hedonic consumption on individuals. Social and business levels suggest how to deal with hedonic consumption.

The Effect of Death Anxiety on Hedonistic and Utilitarian Consumer Behaviours During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The aim of the research is to determine how the death anxiety felt by individuals during the Covid-19 process affects hedonic consumption and utilitarian consumption.. The original aspect of this research is that it covers the period of the Covid-19 epidemic processively and includes psychology,socioalology,religion and marketing of sciences. Death anxiety, which has been widely reported to have an effect on consumer behavior in the literature, has generally been interpreted later or examined retrospectively in disaster studies. This research was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic process. Although there are many studies in the literature affecting utilitarian and hedonic consumption, it is thought that its contribution to the literature is to focus on the effect of death anxiety. E-survey with Google forms was used as the research method. Three different measurement tools were used for the data, namely “Hedonistic Consumption Scale”, “Utilitarian Consumption Scale”, and “Death Anxiety Scale” with demographic variables. In the research, an electronic questionnaire was applied to 403 people in the 18-64 age group residing in Istanbul using the "Snowball Sampling Method" and the data obtained were analyzed and interpreted with licensed SPSS 24 and AMOS 27 statistical programs. According to the results of the structural equation modeling used in the research, the 1st dimension of death anxiety affects (Uncertainty of Death) the 5 dimensions of hedonic consumption( hedonic effect, hedonic adaptation, passiveness, impulsive tendency and the reflection of identity) negatively, and the 2nd dimension affects(Thinking of and Witnessing Death) the 5 dimensions of hedonic consumption (hedonic effect, hedonic adaptation, passiveness, impulsive tendency and the reflection of identity) in a positive way. On the other hand, while the 1st dimension of death anxiety (Uncertainty of Death) is ineffective in 2 dimensions of utilitarian consumption(goal orientation and control orientation), the 2nd dimension( Thinking of and Witnessing Death) negatively affects 2 dimensions of utilitarian consumption (goal orientation and control orientation).

Sporda Hedonik Tüketim Tutum Ölçeğinin (SHTÖ) Geliştirilmesi; Geçerlilik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması

The study aims to develop a measurement tool with proven validity and reliability to measure the hedonic consumption levels of shopping habits made by shopping enthusiasts interested in sports. The research, which has a methodological research type, was carried out with the participation of 1530 participants consisting of adult individuals over the age of 18 who are interested in sports to develop the hedonic consumption attitude scale in sports. 1224 participants were reached for exploratory factor analysis and 306 participants for confirmatory factor analysis. As a result of exploratory factor analysis, the KMO value of the scale was determined as .886, the total announced variance was 61.144 and the overall Cronbach's alpha value was .896. Explanatory factor analysis was performed using SPSS 24 and the item factor structure and scale items of the scale were determined. Afterward, the IBM AMOS program performed a confirmatory factor analysis of the appropriate scale items. The appropriateness of the scale's factor structure was determined by the goodness of fit indices of the scale. As a result of the analysis, a hedonic consumption attitude scale in sports consisting of 18 items and 3 sub-dimensions with proven validity and reliability was developed.

Unveiling the Impact of Sustainable Interior Design Criteria on Hotel’s Operational Performance Effectiveness and User’s Hedonic Consumption

Performance effectiveness in the hotel’s operational stage is significant for hotel industry as the industry relies on customer satisfaction towards the service. Fulfilling the customer’s satisfaction and users’ hedonic on the aesthetic appearance, interiors, room decorations, and furnishings is crucial for hotel's operational and facilities management concept. However, awareness the management of tangible interiors and aesthetic performance on sustainable interiors products are still lacking in the hotel's operational performance. This study aims to close the loop between the sustainable interior design (SID) and facilities management, by identifying the criteria of SID relating to hotel’s operational performance and user’s hedonic consumption. A semi-structured interview was carried out this study involving three professionals; architect, interior designer, GBI facilitator, in various green hotels project. The data is analysed using ATLAS.ti9© qualitative software. The findings revealed that there are seven (7) sustainable ID criteria consists of biophilic, energy efficiency, water consumption, health and social flexibility, environmental comfort, ergonomics, and green awareness. This study is significant for the hoteliers in identifying critical elements contributed to the successful performance in hotel’s operational stage using sustainable interiors.

The effect of consumption goals on review helpfulness: Behavioral and eye-tracking research

Through utilizing behavioral methodology and integrating eye-tracking technology, we investigate the effect of consumption goals on review helpfulness during online shopping. Behaviorally, consumption goals (hedonic vs. utilitarian) can influence relative review (attribute-based vs. experience-based) helpfulness and this effect is mediated by review-goal congruity. Compared with those with hedonic consumption goals, consumers with utilitarian consumption goals perceive attribute-based reviews (vs. experience-based reviews) as more consistent with expectations, which makes the former of reviews more helpful for shopping decisions. In the study of eye-tracking, we found the attention-based cognitive process underlying the behavioral effect of consumption goals. Consumers have longer fixation duration and more fixation counts for attribute-based reviews when they have utilitarian consumption goals rather than hedonic consumption goals. These results show that by different types of consumption goals, consumers evaluate the review helpfulness and meantime allocate attentional resources. This research extends our current understanding of the relationship between consumption goals and online review helpfulness, and provides guidelines on the utilization of online reviews to facilitate the development of the marketing strategy for online retailers.

Pandemic exposure and long‐run psychological well‐being

AbstractUsing individuals' life history information from a large‐scale national survey (N = 13,044), we causally evaluate how exposure to SARS‐Cov‐1, the first global pandemic in the 21st century, affects long‐term psychological well‐being. We find that exposure to local pandemic risk, that is, local deaths due to the pandemic, significantly reduced people's mental health 12 years later. Consistent with the belief‐based account of depression, exposure to pandemic risk resulted in more pessimistic beliefs about the future and survival probability. People reduced savings and increased hedonic consumption, suggesting a “carpe diem” effect of the pandemic exposure.

‘Should I Go or Should I Stay?’ Why Do Romanians Choose the Bulgarian Seaside for Their Summer Holiday?

Until 2020, sea and sun destinations all over the world experienced a surge in the number of tourists, including those in Central and Eastern European countries. During and after the pandemic period, changes in the main source markets took place. Consequently, this paper aims to analyze the main reasons Romanian tourists choose a destination on the Romanian or Bulgarian seaside for their holiday, using semi-structured interviews with tourists and subsequently the narrative analysis technique. The results indicate that their reasons fall into four categories, namely: (i) hedonistic consumption (available products and services, amenities, and the physical environment); (ii) functional value (value for money, subsidies, quality of services, accessibility, and convenience); (iii) tourist hesitation (situational constraints and perceived risks); and (iv) social value. Additionally, based on their choices, we identified five main categories of tourists—two of them include tourists who travel to the Bulgarian resorts either due to the perceived higher quality of services or because it is the cheapest option, while the remaining three categories refer to tourists choosing the Romanian seaside. Implications for Romanian stakeholders are also discussed.

Hedonic Consumers’ Privacy in Online Shopping: A Systematic Literature Review

The article aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the extant literature on online hedonic consumers’ privacy. Further, the authors attempt to identify a gap in online hedonic consumer behaviour focusing on their privacy. The authors systematically reviewed the extant literature on online hedonic consumers and their various privacy-related issues. The discussion on ‘privacy’, ‘online shopping’, ‘hedonic consumption’ and ‘hedonic-motivation system (HMS)’ elucidated any confusion held by the researchers and readers. This review offered insight into the current status of research in this field and recognized the factor ‘privacy’ as a gap in the existing model of online hedonic consumer behaviour that could be properly explored in further scholarly empirical research. The exclusion of non-English language articles and the lack of inclusion of different kinds of hedonic products or services other than ‘online shopping’ were the limitations of this article. Managers and e-commerce vendors could utilize the findings of this review to address their hedonic consumers’ privacy for the growth of their online businesses. This review lays the groundwork to explore online hedonic consumers’ privacy in detail. To address the gaps identified through this study, the development of a new overarching model of online hedonic consumer behaviour is suggested for future researchers, which might provide a theoretical framework for scholars to further examine the effect of privacy on online hedonic consumers.

Self-Transcendence Values Influence Meaningful Sports Consumption Behavior: The Chain Mediator of Team Identification and Eudaimonic Motivation

With the improvement of people’s material conditions and the change of their values, sports consumption has shifted from hedonistic consumption, which simply pursues pleasurable experiences, to meaningful consumption, which seeks self-growth and life values. Meaningful sports consumption behavior has also received attention from scholars. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the mechanisms of meaningful sports consumption behavior from the perspective of individual values. Using self-transcendence values as the independent variable, team identification, and eudaimonic motivation as mediators, and introducing subjective on-field performance and hypo-egoic mindset as moderating variables, this study explores how self-transcendence values influence meaningful sports consumption behavior. The empirical analysis based on 910 questionnaire data in China revealed that self-transcendence values have a significant positive impact on meaningful sports consumption behavior through the chain mediating role of team identification and eudaimonic motivation. Subjective on-field performance and hypo-egoic mindset play a moderating role in this influence. This study enriches the study of sports consumption behavior, deepens the research on meaningful sports consumption behavior, and introduces a new research perspective to sports consumption behavior. The results of this study provide new management ideas for sports marketers to attract and increase consumer stickiness.

Influences of mental accounting on consumption decisions: asymmetric effect of a scarcity mindset.

A scarcity mindset is considered to impact consumer behaviors. Our research aimed to examine the moderating effect of the scarcity mindset on the relationship between mental accounting and hedonic (vs. utilitarian) consumption. We conducted an online experimental design (mental accounting: windfall gains vs. hard-earning gains; consumption: hedonic products vs. utilitarian products) and verified our hypotheses in two distinct samples: a student sample and an adult sample. Our results showed that consumers who received windfall gains tended to use it for hedonic consumption rather than utilitarian consumption. Intriguingly, such an effect was insignificant under a high level of a scarcity mindset but significant under a low level of the scarcity mindset. Moreover, consumers who received hard-earning gains tended to spend the money on utilitarian (vs. hedonic) consumption. However, we did not detect the impact of the scarcity mindset on such effects. Our research suggested an asymmetric effect of the scarcity mindset on hedonic (vs. utilitarian) consumption under two different mental accounts. It highlights the important role of the scarcity mindset in consumer behaviors, which leaves avenues for future research to understand marketing promotion strategies for distinct products.

Shopping Center Design in The Context of Generation Z Consumer Perception

From the Greek Agora, where we saw the first examples of shopping venues, to the present day, human beings' shopping action and the need for a place to perform this action have always been there. The quality of these shopping places has had to change and transform over time with the changing lifestyle, spatial needs, and consumption styles from generation to generation. The consumer society, which has come to the point of purchasing everything, today's shopping centers are not only needed goods; We can say that they consider these as complexes where recreational activities, where they can maintain their social relations and enjoy, are also purchased. When considered in the context of consumption, hedonic consumption, which is the consumption understanding of the new generation, has begun to replace the utilitarian consumption that was dominant in previous generations. It has also been seen in the studies that the Z generation constitutes an important part of today's shopping malls. For this reason, the existing shopping center design parameters were examined and a synthesis shopping center design criteria table was created. On the other hand, the criteria in the current table were examined, and the examples of shopping malls that entered the literature as 'new generation' shopping centers were examined and the priority design criteria sought by the Z generation in shopping centers were reached.

How showing others' ideas influences consumer creativity: The moderating role of participation motivation

Organizations increasingly believe in the value of engaging consumers actively in innovation, and knowledge and creativity are widely recognized as key competitive factors. This study considers consumers' utilitarian and hedonic motivations in a research model based on goal-setting theory and explores the effect of consumer knowledge acquisition on creativity—specifically, the mediating role of knowledge acquisition on consumer creativity in the context of whether or not to show others' ideas—and discusses the moderating role of consumer engagement motivations in the context of the relationship between whether or not to show others' ideas and knowledge acquisition. The results show that consumers reported higher levels of creativity in the context of presenting others' ideas; utilitarian consumers had a higher willingness to acquire knowledge and thus reported higher levels of creativity than hedonistic consumers.