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Retail customers' self-awareness: The deindividuation effects of others

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  • Uhrich, Sebastian
  • Tombs, Alastair

Abstract

The presence of others often affects retail shopping behavior. Other customers tend to increase one's self-awareness and cause negative self-conscious emotions. This research's findings suggest fellow customers also mitigate focal customers' evaluative concerns. Deindividuation theory, which posits that other customers create anonymity and reduce self-awareness, helps explain this phenomenon. A laboratory experiment and a quasi-experimental field study in a retail setting support the notion that the presence of other customers creates a deindividuation effect on a focal customer during unwanted social evaluation from salespeople. Results show a small group of other customers resulted in lower levels of emotional discomfort and behavioral inhibition than either an empty store or a larger group size, suggesting a U shape relationship.

Suggested Citation

  • Uhrich, Sebastian & Tombs, Alastair, 2014. "Retail customers' self-awareness: The deindividuation effects of others," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1439-1446.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:67:y:2014:i:7:p:1439-1446
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.07.023
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jennifer J. Argo & Darren W. Dahl & Rajesh V. Manchanda, 2005. "The Influence of a Mere Social Presence in a Retail Context," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(2), pages 207-212, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Majid Ghorbani & Liyan Xuan, 2018. "Challenging Ingrained Thoughts? The Joint Effect of Stereotypes and Awareness of Related Information on Pro-Environmental Behavior in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Argo, Jennifer J. & Dahl, Darren W., 2020. "Social Influence in the Retail Context: A Contemporary Review of the Literature," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 25-39.
    3. Albrecht, Kathrin, 2016. "Understanding the effects of the presence of others in the service environment: A literature review," jbm - Journal of Business Market Management, Free University Berlin, Marketing Department, vol. 9(1), pages 541-563.
    4. Carmen-Maria Albrecht & Stefan Hattula & Donald R. Lehmann, 2017. "The relationship between consumer shopping stress and purchase abandonment in task-oriented and recreation-oriented consumers," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(5), pages 720-740, September.
    5. Cavusgil, Erin & Yayla, Serdar & Cem Kutlubay, Omer & Yeniyurt, Sengun, 2022. "The impact of demographic similarity on customers in a service setting," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 145-160.

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