Will recalling a purchase increase your well‐being? The sequential mediating roles of postpurchase sharing and relatedness need satisfaction

Abstract

To shed light on the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between purchase type and well-being (including hedonic and eudaimonic well-being), this study explored the mediating roles of both postpurchase sharing and relatedness need satisfaction in a Chinese sample. In the current study, participants were required to recall an impressive past purchase and report the level of postpurchase sharing, relatedness need satisfaction, and well-being experienced after the purchase. The results indicated that (a) participants in the experiential purchase group reported higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being than did those in the material purchase group, and (b) postpurchase sharing and relatedness need satisfaction sequentially mediated the relationship between purchase type and well-being. Specifically, individuals were more willing to share with others after experiential purchases than after material ones. Therefore, in turn, they experienced higher levels of relatedness need satisfaction, which was conducive to higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.

Expanding the experiential advantage model: exploring the mediating roles of a sense of meaning and moderating effects of motivational autonomy

“…Prioritizing value may encourage people to prefer material items instead of life experiences Kumar and Gilovich (2015) Experiential purchases, storytelling, anticipation 102 US participants/imagining and recalling method People talk more about their experiences than their possessions and derive more value from doing so both in prospect and in retrospect Participants assigned to the experiential condition rated their purchase higher in well-being than participants in the material condition. Purchases perceived as more experiential also predicted higher levels of satisfaction of the IRFs (identity relational functions) of distinctiveness, effectiveness and relatedness Sun et al (2019) Experiential purchases, material purchases, post-purchase sharing, hedonic well-being, eudaimonic well-being 236 Chinese participants/recalling method Participants in the experiential purchase group reported higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being than did those in the material purchase group. Post-purchase sharing and relatedness need satisfaction sequentially mediated the relationship between the purchase type and well-being: individuals were more willing to share with others after experiential purchases than after material ones.…”

Leveraging the Power of Gamification in Consumer Decision Making: Hedonism vs. Utilitarianism

“…The task orientation of hedonic purchasing incentives, such as enjoyment, fun, imagination, and sensory stimulation, is similar to that of utilitarian buying reasons (Babin et al, 1994). Since hedonic feelings are enhanced by experience purchasing, gamification may play a significant role in the development of hedonic impulses (Sun et al, 2019). The transformation of the gamification process into purchase intentions has been linked to utilitarian shopping motivations (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and, similarly, the experience of playing a game has been linked to hedonic shopping motivations (Ryan & Deci, 2000) in terms of intrinsic motivations (Huotari & Hamari, 2012).…”

Would Travel Experiences or Possessions Make People Happier?

“…Inconsistency in experiential superiority has also been observed in eudaimonia generation. Some scholars have shown that experiential consumption generates a stronger sense of meaningfulness and is more likely to satisfy the three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) as crucial determinants of eudaimonia (Sun et al 2019; Van Boven and Gilovich 2003). People were also found more likely to anticipate eudaimonia-related outcomes from experiences than possessions (Pchelin and Howell 2014).…”

“…For example, one line of exploration postulates the perceived abstractedness (experiences being abstract vs. possessions being concrete) likely leads to a stronger association of experiences (vs. possessions) with the big-picture-oriented eudaimonia (Trope and Liberman 2003; Van Boven and Gilovich 2003). Others have proposed the social comparability of consumptions as a potential mechanism, wherein experiences are often less susceptible to social comparisons that compromise happiness (Gilovich, Kumar, and Jampol 2015; Sun et al 2019; Yang, Zhang, and So 2021). Interestingly, when material goods are imbued with humanlike features (e.g., AI-empowered chatbots), such experiential advance disappears, suggesting consumption sociality as another potential rationale (Lee, Kim, and Wang 2021).…”