Understanding gender differences in online protective products purchases through an impression management perspective: Evidence from a natural experiment

The emergence of various health crises has led to a surge in purchases of protective products, which have been crucial in the post-pandemic era. Meanwhile, significant gender-based differences have emerged in the purchases of various protective products. Drawn on impression management theory, this study posits that individuals' impression management concerns regarding their gender identity can help explain these differences. To examine our hypotheses, we leveraged multiple waves of COVID-19 as external shocks and analyzed transaction records on medical goods before and after the shocks using a natural experiment approach. Using data from a leading pharmaceutical e-commerce platform in China, our findings indicate that, after the pandemic outbreak, gender gaps in purchases of protective products intended for public settings become more prominent compared to those intended for private settings. Additionally, such differences are amplified for the products with higher levels of protection intensity or among individuals with infrequent coupon usage or customer service consultation. Our findings contribute to the understanding of impression management theory in explaining individuals' responses toward protective measures during health crises. Our study also provides important practical implications for public health policies and communication strategies on contagious pandemics.