Is non-variety boring? The perception of consumers who incorporate variety or non-variety in their consumer choices

Abstract

Previous research has shown that self-presentation could be a relevant motive in explaining variety-seeking behavior. Individuals anticipate that sticking to a limited range of one’s favorites would make a negative impression on others, and others might conclude that they are boring or narrow-minded (Ariely and Levav Journal of Consumer Research, 27, 279–290, 2000; Ratner and Kahn The Journal of Consumer Research, 29, 246–257, 2002). In our research, we wanted to investigate this lay assumption. We also hypothesized the moderating role of a consumer’s gender. The results of study 1 (N = 211) confirmed that incorporating variety in consumer behavior may be a cue for social perception. Consumers who preferred non-variety in consumer choices were evaluated as less socially attractive than those who preferred variety. However, female consumers who preferred variety were evaluated as less responsible. These results were replicated in study 2 (N = 276). The study also revealed the mediational role of the evaluation of a consumer’s predictability in the relationship between her variety seeking and social attractiveness. Study 2 also showed the moderating role of participant gender in the evaluation of a consumer’s responsibility. The female consumer who incorporated variety in her consumer choices was evaluated as less responsible, but only when she was described as a mother and wife and only by female participants.