Marketing to the Majority: Interactions among Conformity, Belonging, and Material Consumerism

Abstract

Current research on consumerism and marketing in Western cultures emphasizes thatindividuality sells, but little work has been done on how an individual who is neither completely individualistic nor completely collectivist chooses to consume. This thesis investigates the relationships among conformity, belonging, and material consumerism, hypothesizing that belonging will act as a mediator between conformity and purchasing interest in buying decisions, and that this effect will be stronger for females than for males. The results indicate that conformity to star-ratings and purchasing interest are correlated, and that a gender difference exists in consumer choice, but belong is not a mediator. Future research may generate strong real-world suggestions.