The Effect of Social Exclusion on Consumer Choice: The Moderating Role of Nostalgia and Mediating Role of Social Connectedness

Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology Subjects: Psychology >> Applied Psychology submitted time 2021-09-26

李斌 张淑颖 冯凯

Abstract： It is usual for individual to feel socially excluded. As an unpleasant experience, social exclusion results in adverse effect on individual’s cognitive, physical and psychological functions. Social exclusion refers to a feeling of being ignored, rejected or isolated by other individuals or social groups. Previous studies have shown that individuals generally resort to consumption to alleviate the negative effects of social exclusion, for example, they have a preference for unique products and anthropomorphic products after being socially excluded. van Boven & Gilovich (2003) classified purchases into two types: experiential purchase and material purchase. Experiential purchase refers to those made with the main purpose of obtaining life experience such as watching a movie and going to a concert while material purchase refers to those made with the main purpose of obtaining a tangible good such as buying accessories and clothes. However, so far there are few studies attempting to examine the effect of social exclusion on experiential purchase and material purchase. The current research aims to explore the effect of social exclusion on experiential purchase and material purchase. Meanwhile, this research also interested in investigating the factors that might moderates the effects of social exclusion on experiential purchase and material purchase and factors that might mediate the moderating effects. Study 1a and 1b respectively used a single-factor (social exclusion vs. social inclusion) between-subject design to explore the effect of social exclusion on consumer purchase. Participants were asked to take times to imagine that they were the protagonist of the story and reported which consumption activity (experiential purchase or material purchase) to get involved after reading the story. In study 2, a two-factor (social exclusion vs. social inclusion; nostalgia vs. control) between-subject design were employed to investigate the moderating role of nostalgia and mediating role of social connectedness. Participants were randomly assigned to the socially included group or the socially excluded group. Social exclusion and inclusion were manipulated in the same way as study 1. Right after the exclusion or inclusion manipulation there was another task requiring participants to recall a nostalgic event or an ordinary event in order to manipulate nostalgia. Participants were also randomly assigned to nostalgic group and control group. Then they were required to report their feelings of social connectedness and decide which purchase (experiential purchase or material purchase) to have. Our findings are as follows：(1) Compared with those who are socially included, socially excluded individuals are more likely to have experiential purchase over material purchase. (2) Nostalgia moderates the effect of social exclusion on purchase. Specifically, after being socially excluded, there is a significant difference on the purchase decision between nostalgic individuals and control ones. Participants in the control group prefer to choose experiential purchase more than nostalgic individuals. However, for those who are socially included, there is no significant difference on purchase decision between nostalgic group and control one. (3) Social connectedness mediates this moderation effect. Taken together, these findings indicate that socially excluded consumers have a tendency towards experiential purchase, which enriches the researches of the antecedent of experiential purchase and the consequence of social exclusion. Furthermore, it reveals an important underlying mechanism to cope with the negative influence of social exclusion.

Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review

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