Unlocking the power of less: From psychological insights to marketing implications

Abstract

In recent years, minimalism has evolved from an artistic approach to a popular market trend in recent years, attracting a growing number of consumers. Minimalism, as an emerging mode of consumption, promotes values such as quantity of possessions, aesthetic simplicity, and mindful curation. Given the relatively recent emergence of this phenomenon, research on the effects of a minimalist lifestyle on individuals' motivation and its role in facilitating informal customer communication is lacking. Ultimately, this dissertation aims to provide a well-rounded understanding of minimalist consumers and to equip marketers to meet their unique needs and values. The essays build on each other to advance the knowledge of this important emerging lifestyle movement from both psychological and managerial perspectives. Both viewpoints are treated in two separate studies (e.g., Essay 1, a purely psychological perspective, and Essay 2, a practical marketing perspective) with different objectives, methodologies, and implications in the retailing context, drawing upon self-determination theory. Essay 1 provides psychological insights into consumer minimalism. To bridge the gap of the ultimate goal that consumers pursue when consumers integrate minimalistic values into their consumption, this essay aims to reveal the motivational goal (what), intrinsic (how), and extrinsic (under which conditions) motives that underlie minimalistic consumption. Using a cross-sectional survey of 529 shoppers by systematic random sampling and the mall intercept technique, this study examined the relationship between minimalism and perceived transcendence, along with the mediating and moderating roles of moral identity and descriptive norms, respectively. Essay 2 presents an approach in which marketers can react to consumer minimalists. Using experimental scenarios, this study aimed to understand how the goal pursuit of meaning versus pleasure can affect consumers’ perceived transcendence and sequentially engage in PWOM. Based on the unique psychological insight of minimalists, as reflected in the introspective question, “Does this thing add value to my life?”, I further explore how marketers strategically evoke the purchasing goal of indirectly spurring a higher positive word of mouth (PWOM) among high-minimalistic consumers. Through a series of five experimental studies (i.e., two online UK Prolific platforms, three offline lab settings), conducted across diverse products and services (i.e., laptops, trips, and books), and employing various stimuli formats (i.e., PR article, advertisement, text-based scenario), the research examines novel predictions that show how goal pursuit affects perceived transcendence, sequentially spread PWOM, and boundary conditions of consumer minimalism. Drawing on the self-determination theory, the findings support the moderated mediation model. Additionally, this study delineates the academic significance of the profound nature of human motives (i.e., meaning-seeking) and its impact on consumer experience towards sustainability (i.e., perceived transcendence) and actionable marketing outcomes (i.e., PWOM). The two essays in this dissertation explore independent but complementary aspects of the emerging trend in consumer minimalism. Essay 1 delves into consumers’ psychology, aiming to understand the motivations, outcomes, and boundary conditions that underpin the adoption of minimalist consumption values. This lays the critical groundwork for Essay 2, which takes a more practical, marketer-oriented perspective. Given that a growing segment of consumers embraces minimalism as a lifestyle and a set of consumption values, how should brands react and adjust their strategies to resonate with this audience? Essay 2 examines how marketers and brands can effectively respond to and engage with consumers who incorporate minimalism as a core value. If in Essay 1, consumer minimalism plays a vital role as an antecedent in the model, Essay 2 looks at consumer minimalism as a critical moderator in navigating the impact of goal pursuit (meaning versus pleasure) on perceived transcendence and positive word-of-mouth. Collectively, these two studies provide a comprehensive portrayal of the increasing trend of minimalism consumerism. Given the findings of both studies, this study offers novel theoretical and practical insights. This research elaborates on the self-determination theory by elucidating the motivational mechanisms that underpin minimalism and its impact on perceived transcendence. This study highlights moral identity as a mediator and identifies descriptive norms as moderators of the relationship between consumer minimalism and transcendence. Moreover, it illustrates how the pursuit of meaning rather than the quest for pleasure amplifies perceived transcendence and fosters PWOM, particularly among those who value minimalism. The results will benefit marketers with actionable strategies to proficiently engage the expanding minimalist consumer segment. The findings underscore solutions that decision makers, institutions, and individuals can implement to promote minimalism, thus improving sustainability and well-being. The two essays offer a comprehensive examination of minimalist consumer phenomena, encompassing both theoretical and practical dimensions, and establish a foundation for future investigation and application in this emerging area of study.