The Impact of Gender Role Congruence on Consumers’ Purchase Intentions: A Chained Mediating Role of Warmth and Self-Brand Connection

The selection of brands by consumers is shaped not merely by the inherent attributes of the brand but also by the individual’s self-concept. This study, grounded in the Brands as Intentional Agents Framework and Self-Concept Congruence Theory, delves into the mechanism through which the congruence between consumers’ gender identity and the gender associated with a brand name impacts purchase intention. The experimental results reveal that gender role congruence has a significant positive effect on purchase intention. Warmth and self-brand connection mediate the influence of gender role congruence on purchase intention, and furthermore, they jointly function as a chained mediator in this process. Consequently, when devising brand names, businesses should take into account the gender identity of their target audience, ensuring that the gender essence embedded within the brand name resonates with the consumers’ psychological gender. This alignment not only fosters a perception of warmth from the enterprise among consumers but also strengthens their connection with the brand, ultimately enhancing purchase intentions and boosting corporate profits.