Friends of the Behavioral Economics Club, this week we present the paper “Mobile Shopping Durin Covid-19: The Effect of Hedonic Experience on Brand Conspicuousness, Brand Identity and Associated Behavior” by Jiang, W. and Song, Y. (2022), in which authors carry out a study to know how the Generation Z people have been affected by the pandemic regarding their shopping habits, and how are these now. 

One of the measures adopted to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 was social distancing, which we still try to maintain today.

During the pandemic, the Internet has been particularly important, as people have increased their online activity for multiple reasons, resulting in, among other things, an extreme growth of online shopping. Only in China (this work’s context) 70% of consumers increased their online purchases during the pandemic.

The ease with which members of Generation Z make use of technologies is what has had the most impact on the e-commerce strategies of companies around the world. Brand efforts have increasingly focused on developing followers within this demographic group in the context of the Internet, for example, trying to identify the factors that make purchases to be made through mobiles or computers, and not face-to-face. 

One of the points that has caught the attention of the experts has been the identity of the brand and the identity of the consumers. In other words, consumers have a desire to express their personal identity through their brand choices. In terms of self-expression, it seems that the key factor is the perceived uniqueness of a brand.

Furthermore, because they have been born into the digital era, members of Generation Z have never known life without the internet or smartphones. It is often argued that, as a result, these individuals are more comfortable presenting a “public self” than members of previous generations. Proof of this would be the regular use of smartphones to model their identity and narrate their lives online, strengthening their sense of uniqueness.

All this is related to the so-called “hedonic experience”. This theory is based on the notions that consumption is driven by the pleasure consumers experience in using a product, and that the criteria for successful consumption are obviously aesthetic in nature. Much of the current literature on the hedonic experience suggests that the buying process itself is often a source of even greater pleasure than the actual purchase of products.

Furthermore, consumers pay a lot of attention to the design and appearance of products apart from their functional aspects.

On the other hand, we have already mentioned brand identity. Distinction and prestige tend to strengthen it, making certain brands more attractive than others.

Similarly, brands seen as especially distinctive tend to be seen as especially trustworthy, as consumers perceive them to care about protecting their reputation, and are more likely to meet customer expectations.

It should also be mentioned that, according to the social identity theory, individuals define themselves as members of certain social groups, and brand identity works in the same direction, facilitating the social identification of an individual within a group.

To test whether all of the above is true for Generation Z after the Covid-19 pandemic, authors conducted a research to assess the effects of hedonic experience on brand notoriety, product aesthetics, the brand’s identity and the attitude towards the product.

A total of 293 young people born between 1995 and 2010 and living in China took the survey.

Authors find that hedonic experience plays an essential role in brand visibility and product aesthetics, which in turn affects brand identity and associated behavioral reactions of consumers.

As expected, a favorable attitude toward the product encouraged repeat purchases of the same brand’s products. As people advance in age and careers, they tend to prefer products from well-known brands. Members of Generation Z, in addition, prefer to communicate through social networks using electronic devices and, in the same way, make much or most of their purchases online.

Because these consumers are well-informed and eager to learn new information, and to control their lives and futures, they are less loyal customers to retailers compared to other generations, such as Millennials.

On the other hand, China has the largest population of Gen Z members. Most are likely to achieve higher levels of education and income than members of previous generations, and thus are more likely to consume brands with international and stable reputations.

One way that future researchers can take advantage of this information is by testing it in other developed countries, and making comparisons to contribute form a universal theory of the brand, considering consumer behavior.

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