Dining alone? Solo consumers’ self-esteem and incidental similarity

Abstract

Purpose Though social trends are driving consumers toward solo consumption of various services, many are reluctant to do so. There is little guidance for service providers as to how to effectively induce solo consumption. This study aims to examine the joint effect of self-esteem and an incidental similarity cue (e.g. a person’s initials) on anticipated satisfaction with with a solo consumption experience to fill this gap. Design/methodology/approach This study used a two-factor (incidental similarity cue and self-esteem) quasi-experimental design to test the hypotheses. The respondents read a scenario depicting a solo service consumption experience and completed scales that measured perceived fit with the service context and anticipated satisfaction with the experience. Findings Results indicate that, in the absence of an incidental similarity cue, self-esteem has a positive effect on solo consumers’ perceived fit. In the presence of such a cue, however, self-esteem has a minimal impact on perceived fit. Furthermore, perceived fit mediates the effect of self-esteem on anticipated satisfaction when the cue is absent. Originality/value The authors’ findings suggest that promoting incidental similarities with consumers may not be an efficient strategy to attract solo consumers. Conversely, service providers wishing to induce solo consumption may benefit from situationally increasing self-esteem among potential solo consumers. The current research advances the authors’ understanding of the effect of an incidental similarity cue and self-esteem in the context of a growing social trend of solo consumption.

Solo dining in Chinese restaurants: A mixed-method study in Macao

“…Eating alone in a private space has been widely investigated in sociology and nutrition literature ( Lahad and May, 2017 ; Takeda and Melby, 2017 ; Tani et al, 2015 ), while solo dining in restaurants has only begun to gain attention in recent years ( Heimtun, 2010 ; Her and Seo, 2018 ; Hwang et al, 2018 ; Shin et al, 2018 ). Within this growing stream of research, researchers have highlighted the needs to study solo dining motivation and how it impacts on experience ( Hwang et al, 2018 ).…”

The interplay between social crowding and power on solo diners’ attitudes toward menus with popularity and scarcity cues

“…Finally, this study contributes to the solo consumption literature in the restaurant context (Goodwin and Lockshin, 1992;Her and Seo, 2018;Hwang et al, 2018;Ratner and Hamilton, 2015;Shin et al, 2018). In this stream of literature, the impact of spatial crowding (Hwang et al, 2018) and social crowding (Her and Seo, 2018) was examined.…”

“…Other types of social influence were also discussed in the solo consumption setting. For instance, Shin et al (2018) examined the impact of an incidental similarity between a focal solo diner and a restaurant owner in terms of shared initials. Her and Seo (2018) and Hwang et al (2018) examined the composition of other consumers (in-group vs out-group) during solo dining.…”

A Model of Sustainable Consumer Behaviour, Personal Development, and Attitudes Toward Marketing

“…However, once attaining high levels of self-esteem, consumers enjoy very positive influences. Coping in the varying marketplaces by the modern consumer is helped with high self-esteem (Machin, et al, 2019), and high self-esteem increases consumers' likelihood of engaging in certain marketing activities by themselves (Shin, et al, 2018). Self-esteem is linked to a more positive view of globally-positioned advertising (Jun, et al, 2017).…”