Conservative When Crowded: Social Crowding and Consumer Choice

Does the mere crowdedness of the environment affect people's choices and preferences? In six studies, the authors show that social crowdedness not only leads to greater accessibility of safety-related constructs but also results in greater preference for safety-oriented options (e.g., preferrin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marketing research 2013-12, Vol.50 (6), p.739-752
Main Authors: MAENG, AHREUM, TANNER, ROBIN J., SOMAN, DILIP
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertising restrictions
Commercial regulation
Consumer research
Crowds
Marketing
Motivation
Personal space
Personality psychology
Pharmacies
Preferences
Product choice
Psychology
Social psychology
Studies
Tanneries
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Summary:Does the mere crowdedness of the environment affect people's choices and preferences? In six studies, the authors show that social crowdedness not only leads to greater accessibility of safety-related constructs but also results in greater preference for safety-oriented options (e.g., preferring to visit a pharmacy to a convenience store), being more receptive to prevention-(rather than promotion-) framed messages, and being more risk averse with real money gambles. In support of the authors' underlying avoidance motivation perspective, these effects are mediated by participants' net prevention focus and are attenuated when the crowd in question consists of in-group members. The authors close by discussing the practical and theoretical implications of the results.
ISSN:0022-2437
1547-7193
DOI:10.1509/jmr.12.0118