Mindful Consumption: Three Consumer Segment Views

Abstract

As consumers are moving away from mindless consumerism, a mindful consumption literature has emerged that is based on Buddhist and psychological perspectives of mindfulness. While the idea of mindful consumption has great potential, there is little empirical research to date that comprehensively examines the consumer perspective on the role of mindfulness on consumption. To provide a grounded consumer perspective, the authors segment mindful consumption views from open-end text using a mixed method of clustering and text mining. By analyzing the segmentation structure, the authors discover various consumer views of mindful consumption, such as careful economic based consumption, monitoring activities of firms, and being informed about the impact of consumption choices. The authors compare the empirical results with the academic literature to provide directions for future research.

The Way Forward in Mindfulness and Sustainability: a Critical Review and Research Agenda

“…In a qualitative study of more than 500 essays about consumers' understanding of 'mindful consumption', researchers examined if the engagement in mindfulness practices comes with a shift in consumer values and priorities (Milne et al 2019). Milne et al (2019) identified three segments of 'mindful' consumers: those with a (1) consumer first view, a (2) firm observer view and (3) an informed consumer view. While the first consumer segment included the smallest number of mindful practitioners, it stands for a mostly economic and qualityoriented perspective on mindful shopping.…”

“…While the first consumer segment included the smallest number of mindful practitioners, it stands for a mostly economic and qualityoriented perspective on mindful shopping. The other views, where mindfulness practitioners were more frequently represented, showed greater involvement with sustainability issues and the monitoring of company practices (Milne et al 2019).…”

Mindful Consumption, Ego-Involvement, and Social Norms Impact on Buying SHC: Role of Platform Trust and Impulsive Buying Tendency

“…There is also an intangible facet of the mentality about the behaviors, beliefs, and perceptions underlying consumption actions (Dhandra, 2019). The mentality matters in two crucial ways: attitudes and values affect consumer preferences, and they also decide how the impact from consumption is perceived, thus increasing or decreasing the probability of a related nature's further consumption (Milne et al, 2020). To address the issue of over-consumption effectively, both actions and attitudes need to change.…”

“…Literature circumscribed the motivating factors influencing the intention to buy SHC; however, it still does not understand why and how such factors contribute to buying intentions (Luo et al, 2020). Recent developments in psychology and neuroscience believe mindful consumption will open new pathways to sustainability (Milne et al, 2020). However, the role of mindful consumption in environmental mitigation has been overlooked, and related academic studies barely emerged.…”

“…Chu et al (2019) work unwraps this issue. It presents an interconnecting viewpoint that mindful consumption affects Chinese consumers, a characteristic of Chinese culture based on Confucius belief, which is associated with the Chinese form of Buddhism (Milne et al, 2020). Our work focuses on the idea that people are actively engaged with the physical world (Gupta & Ogden, 2006), care about natural, economic, and social sustainability, and demonstrate behavior that reduces damage to nature.…”