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To Be or Not to Be Unique? The Effect of Social Exclusion on Consumer Choice

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  • Echo Wen Wan
  • Jing Xu
  • Ying Ding

Abstract

This research proposes that after an experience of being excluded, consumers may strategically choose products to differentiate themselves from the majority of others as a result of their appraisal of the exclusion situation. Experiments 1 and 2 show that when excluded individuals perceive that the cause of social exclusion is stable (vs. unstable), they exhibit greater preference for distinctive products than do included individuals. Experiment 3 documents that excluded individuals prefer distinctive products when their self-view is enhanced through self-affirmation. Moreover, these effects are driven by a strengthened perception of uniqueness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Echo Wen Wan & Jing Xu & Ying Ding, 2014. "To Be or Not to Be Unique? The Effect of Social Exclusion on Consumer Choice," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(6), pages 1109-1122.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/674197
    DOI: 10.1086/674197
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    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Chihling & Hogg, Margaret K., 2018. "Using attachment theory to understand consumers' tensions between their sense of self and goal-pursuits in relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 197-209.
    2. Defeng Yang & Xi Lei & Liang Hu & Yu Sun & Xiaodan Yang, 2023. "Brand stigmatization: how do new brand users influence original brand users?," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 30(1), pages 77-94, January.
    3. Carol Kaufman-Scarborough, 2019. "Publicly-Researchable Accessibility Information: Problems, Prospects and Recommendations for Inclusion," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 164-172.
    4. Meredith E. David & James A. Roberts, 2020. "Developing and Testing a Scale Designed to Measure Perceived Phubbing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-15, November.
    5. Lu Yang & Yuhuang Zheng & Rui Chen, 2021. "Who has a cushion? The interactive effect of social exclusion and gender on fixed savings," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(4), pages 1398-1415, December.
    6. Ping Dong & Chen-Bo Zhong & Darren DahlEditor & Jennifer ArgoAssociate Editor, 2017. "Retracted: Witnessing Moral Violations Increases Conformity in Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(4), pages 778-793.
    7. Christopher L. Newman & Melissa D. Cinelli & Douglas Vorhies & Judith Anne Garretson Folse, 2019. "Benefitting a few at the expense of many? Exclusive promotions and their impact on untargeted customers," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 76-96, January.
    8. Wang, Wangshuai & Raghunathan, Rajagopal & Gauri, Dinesh K., 2022. "Powerlessness, variety-seeking, and the mediating role of need for autonomy," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(4), pages 706-723.
    9. Xie, Yi & Chen, Ke & Guo, Xiaoling, 2020. "Online anthropomorphism and consumers’ privacy concern: Moderating roles of need for interaction and social exclusion," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    10. Qin, Yao & Wang, Xuehua, 2023. "Power distance belief and the desire for uniqueness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    11. Aghakhani, Hamed & Main, Kelley J., 2019. "Can two negatives make a positive? Social exclusion prevents carryover effects from deceptive advertising," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 206-214.
    12. Darren W Dahl & Eileen Fischer & Gita V Johar & Vicki G Morwitz, 2017. "Making Sense from (Apparent) Senselessness: The JCR Lens," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(4), pages 719-723.
    13. Madhubalan Viswanathan & Robert Alfonso Arias & Arun Sreekumar, 2021. "Extreme exclusion and relative deprivation in subsistence marketplaces: A study in a refugee settlement in Nakivale, Uganda," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 87-117, March.
    14. Yixing Lisa Gao & Anna S. Mattila, 2016. "The Impact of Option Popularity, Social Inclusion/Exclusion, and Self-affirmation on Consumers’ Propensity to Choose Green Hotels," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(3), pages 575-585, July.
    15. Gong, Xiushuang & Wang, Hanwen & Zhang, Xiadan & Tian, Hui, 2022. "Why does service inclusion matter? The effect of service exclusion on customer indirect misbehavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    16. Gong, Xiushuang & Zhang, Honghong & Fan, Yafeng, 2021. "To conform or deviate? The effect of resource scarcity on consumer preference for minority-endorsed options," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 437-446.
    17. Xiaoming Fan, 2024. "The coldness of machines vs. the warmth of humans: social exclusion and compensatory consumption of handmade products," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2024(3), pages 267-285, September.
    18. Jiang, Xia & Deng, Fengyi & Yang, Defeng & Yao, Qing, 2024. "The effects of residential mobility on consumers’ preference for paradox brands," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    19. Wang, Jiawei, 2023. "The relationship between loneliness and consumer shopping channel choice: Evidence from China," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    20. Hsieh, Meng-Hua & Li, Xingbo (Bo) & Jain, Shailendra Pratap & Swaminathan, Vanitha, 2021. "Self-construal drives preference for partner and servant brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 183-192.
    21. Liu, Fu & Wei, Haiying & Zhu, Zhenzhong & Chen, Haipeng (Allan), 2022. "Warmth or competence: Brand anthropomorphism, social exclusion, and advertisement effectiveness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    22. Xun (Irene) Huang & Zhongqiang (Tak) Huang & Robert S WyerJr & Darren DahlEditor & JoAndrea HoeggAssociate Editor, 2018. "The Influence of Social Crowding on Brand Attachment," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(5), pages 1068-1084.
    23. Ahyoung Yu & Seunghee Han, 2021. "Social Exclusion and Effectiveness of Self-Benefit versus Other-Benefit Marketing Appeals for Eco-Friendly Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-11, April.

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