Damned if they do, damned if they don’t: Material buyers are not happier from material or experiential consumption

To have in order to do: Exploring the effects of consuming experiential products on well‐being

“…A second future direction that has already been undertaken in recent studies is determining the purchase (Bhattacharjee & Mogilner, 2014; Caprariello & Reis, 2013; Nicolao et al, 2009) and person (Hill & Howell, 2014; Zhang et al, 2014) moderators of the experiential advantage. For example, the experiential advantage is moderated by the valence (Nicolao et al, 2009), socialness (Caprariello & Reis, 2013), and extraordinariness (Bhattacharjee & Mogilner, 2014) of the purchase as well as the habitual buying tendencies of the consumer (Howell, Pchelin, & Iyer, 2012; Zhang et al, 2014). Zhang et al (2014) found that those who are less likely to habitually buy life experiences, compared to those who are more likely to habitually buy them, are not as happy with their experiential purchases.…”

“…Similar to previous studies (see Pchelin & Howell, 2014; Zhang et al, 2014), we measured the extent the purchase expressed a person's identity or “true self” as a proxy for the need for autonomy. Participants answered three questions (e.g., “ To what extent did this purchase reflect your true identity?…”

“…Unfortunately, by testing linear models or focusing on material items and life experiences, we know very little about the well‐being effects of purchases that people make “to have in order to do.” This is detrimental to understanding the connection between expenditures and happiness because many purchases embody qualities of both material items and life experiences (Hellén & Gummerus, 2013; Lovelock & Gummesson, 2004). Further, the experience recommendation is more nuanced than originally proposed as there are specific purchase (Bhattacharjee & Mogilner, 2014; Nicolao et al, 2009) and consumer characteristics (Zhang, Howell, Caprariello, & Guevarra, 2014) that moderate the experiential advantage. Thus, our solution to this gap in the literature is simple – directly examine the effects of consuming experiential products on well‐being.…”

Places as authentic consumption contexts

“…Life comprises a string of experiences, but not all reward or offer substantive gratification derived from passing through a point in time performing some particular action within some defined space (i.e., experience). For researchers, focus on experience deemphasizes value creation through possession (Etkin & Sela, ; Pchelin & Howell, ; Zhang, Howell, Caprariello, & Guevarra, ). One way that consumers seek out rewarding experiences is by immersing themselves in places such as cultural destinations, theme parks, museums, sporting venues, and even ancient villages where time seems to stand still (Buzova, Sanz‐Blas, & Cervera‐Taulet, ; Zhang & Gao, ).…”

We’ll Always Have Paris

“…One would certainly expect people with more materialistic values to be less inclined to pursue experiential purchases and perhaps get less enjoyment from doing so even when they do. Indeed, Zhang, Howell, Caprariello, and Guevarra (2014) administered the Experiential Buying Tendency Scale (Howell, Pchelin, & Iyer, 2012) to a large sample of respondents and found that those who tend to opt for material goods over experiences do not derive more satisfaction from experiential purchases. Instead, they experience similar levels of happiness from both types of purchases in part because both types contribute equally to their sense of identity.…”