Together We Stand: The Solidarity Effect of Personized Sellers on Essential Workers

Abstract

The current research examines how products from personized sellers operate as a source of social support and solidarity for essential workers who are experiencing elevated levels of occupational stress since the advent of COVID-19. A series of experiments show that consumers who view themselves as essential workers prefer products from personized sellers (e.g., Etsy) as compared to non-personized sellers (e.g., Amazon). These effects are driven by higher feelings of solidarity made salient by the personized seller. Our findings document a novel way by which consumers who are experiencing significantly high levels of occupational stress during the COVID-19 pandemic may seek social support and solidarity to help cope with this elevated stress, i.e. purchasing products from personized sellers. Our findings offer valuable avenues for future research and provide important implications for policy makers during the pandemic.

Made by her vs. him: Gender influences in product preferences and the role of individual action efficacy in restoring social equalities

“…First, our findings are directly relevant to the growing literature on market personization (van Osselaer et al, 2020). While extant literature has been mainly studying the potential benefits of personized market offerings (Fuchs et al, 2021; Kulow et al, 2021), we shift the focus on whether knowing who made the product can influence consumer behavior. In this context, we investigate consumers' preferences for products made by women versus men.…”

Disruptions and General Distress for Essential and Nonessential Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, the definitions of what essential work entails expanded to include postal delivery, food distribution, and internet and communication services (Benhamou & Piedra, 2020). The definitions used by the Dutch government, and many others, describe essential work as all work that is crucial to keep the economy and society running (Kulow et al, 2020), including "care; youth aid and social support; … transportation and production of medicine and medical devices; teachers and school staff, required for online learning, exams and childcare; public transportation; food production and distribution, such as supermarkets, food production and food transportation, farmers, and farmworkers; transportation of fuel, coal, diesel, and so forth; transportation of waste and garbage; daycare; media and communications; emergency services such as fire department, ambulance, and regional medical organizations; and necessary administrative services on the provincial and municipal levels. In addition, about 100 companies have been identified as necessary to sustain public life, operating in sectors such as gas and fuel production, distribution and transportation, communication and online services, water supply, securities trading, and infrastructure."…”