When Social Sharing Increases Pride in Customized Products

Abstract

In the marketplace, customers often customize products. Enabled by technological advances, companies can encourage customers to share these customization experiences (e.g., via social sharing buttons) with others, such as friends. Across six studies with mixed methods (field, lab, online) and in various product domains (food, fitness trackers, jewelry, bikes), the current study documents positive effects of sharing customization experiences, such that customers who share their experiences report greater feelings of pride toward their customized product (Studies 1–5). This heightened pride also translates into more favorable responses toward the customized product, such as higher satisfaction and better taste perceptions (pilot study), as well as increased purchasing intentions (Study 1). In line with the theoretically derived boundary conditions, this effect is specific to self-expressive customization tasks (Studies 3 and 5) and more pronounced for customers with a high need for uniqueness (Studies 4 and 5). The theoretical contributions of these insights advance the literature on product customization and social sharing and provide practical implications for companies that offer product customization options.