Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?

As a motivational factor, uniqueness drives individuals to seek and choose unique goods or experiences. The act of wearing masks obscures individuals’ facial features and influences their desire for uniqueness. This study aims to explore how wearing masks promotes individual uniqueness- seeking beha...

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Main Authors: Yiyuan Liang, Qiushui Peng, Yuqing Yang, Jiayu Wang, Tao Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1371820/full
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author Yiyuan Liang
Qiushui Peng
Yuqing Yang
Jiayu Wang
Tao Liu
author_facet Yiyuan Liang
Qiushui Peng
Yuqing Yang
Jiayu Wang
Tao Liu
author_sort Yiyuan Liang
collection DOAJ
description As a motivational factor, uniqueness drives individuals to seek and choose unique goods or experiences. The act of wearing masks obscures individuals’ facial features and influences their desire for uniqueness. This study aims to explore how wearing masks promotes individual uniqueness- seeking behavior. Three experiments were performed using various product categories (Starbucks coffee cups, sweatshirts, suitcases, and baseball caps) and sample types (college student and adult samples). Experiment results show that wearing masks obscures individuals’ facial features and weakens their self- perceived uniqueness, thereby increasing their willingness to actively purchase unique products. This study is the first to examine the effect of wearing masks on individuals’ choice of unique products. Practically, the results suggest that customized products can compensate for the lack of self-perceived uniqueness brought about by facial occlusion, thus providing valuable guidance for companies and retailers that offer customized services in formulating and designing marketing strategies.
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spelling doaj.art-4a72ad9c10f5476498732bb77836e9a92024-04-16T04:35:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-04-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.13718201371820Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?Yiyuan Liang0Qiushui Peng1Yuqing Yang2Jiayu Wang3Tao Liu4Center for Global Affairs, School of Professional Studies, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesSchool of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, ChinaAs a motivational factor, uniqueness drives individuals to seek and choose unique goods or experiences. The act of wearing masks obscures individuals’ facial features and influences their desire for uniqueness. This study aims to explore how wearing masks promotes individual uniqueness- seeking behavior. Three experiments were performed using various product categories (Starbucks coffee cups, sweatshirts, suitcases, and baseball caps) and sample types (college student and adult samples). Experiment results show that wearing masks obscures individuals’ facial features and weakens their self- perceived uniqueness, thereby increasing their willingness to actively purchase unique products. This study is the first to examine the effect of wearing masks on individuals’ choice of unique products. Practically, the results suggest that customized products can compensate for the lack of self-perceived uniqueness brought about by facial occlusion, thus providing valuable guidance for companies and retailers that offer customized services in formulating and designing marketing strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1371820/fullshopping behaviorself-perceived uniquenesscustomizationuniqueness seekingmarketing strategies
spellingShingle Yiyuan Liang
Qiushui Peng
Yuqing Yang
Jiayu Wang
Tao Liu
Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?
Frontiers in Psychology
shopping behavior
self-perceived uniqueness
customization
uniqueness seeking
marketing strategies
title Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?
title_full Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?
title_fullStr Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?
title_full_unstemmed Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?
title_short Does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking?
title_sort does wearing a mask promote consumer uniqueness seeking
topic shopping behavior
self-perceived uniqueness
customization
uniqueness seeking
marketing strategies
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1371820/full
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AT jiayuwang doeswearingamaskpromoteconsumeruniquenessseeking
AT taoliu doeswearingamaskpromoteconsumeruniquenessseeking