The Role of The Need For Uniqueness In Choosing Between Conventional / Unconventional Customization: The Case Of Gen Z

Öz

Social sciences such as economics and marketing has growing interest on consumer behavior and the underlying psychological factors. In particular, Consumer Need for Uniqueness (CNfU) receives notable attention from scholars. However, the literature lacks focus on how customization is related with CNfU. Moreover, Gen Z, the highest population of consumers are neglected in previous studies. The main objective of this study is to understand the impact of CNfU on Gen Z consumers’ choice between conventional and unconventional customization options for technology products. The paper uses survey-based data and uses a combination of statistical techniques, such as EFA, CFA, and structural equation modeling (SEM). It is revealed that CNfU has no influence on choosing between conventional and unconventional customization options. The results have significant implications for researchers and practitioners.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Consumer Need for Uniqueness
• Customer Behavior
• Customer Experience

Kaynakça

1. Abosag, I., Ramadan, Z. B., Baker, T., & Jin, Z. (2020). Customers' need for uniqueness theory versus brand congruence theory: The impact on satisfaction with social network sites. Journal of Business Research, 117, 862-872.
2. Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological bulletin, 103(3), 411.
3. Asch, S. E. (1956). Studies of independence and conformity: I. A minority of one against a unanimous majority. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 70(9), 1-70.
4. Asshidin, N. H., Abidin, N., & Borhan, H. B. (2016). Consumer Attitude and Uniqueness towards International Products. Procedia Economics and Finance, 35, 632 – 638.
5. Belk, R. W., Wallendorf, M., & Sherry Jr, J. F. (1989). The sacred and the profane in consumer behavior: Theodicy on the odyssey. Journal of consumer research, 16(1), 1-38.
6. Bellezza, S., Gino, F., & Keinan, A. (2014). The Red Sneakers Effect: Inferring Status and Competence from Signals of Nonconformity. Journal of Consumer Research, 41, 35-54.
7. Berger, J., & Heath, C. (2007). Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signaling and Product Domains. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(2), 121-134.
8. Bian, Q., & Forsythe, S. (2012). Purchase intention for luxury brands: A cross cultural comparison. Journal of Business Research, 65, 1443-1451.

9. Brewer, M. B. (1991). The Social Self: On being the same and different at the same time. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 17(5), 475-482.
10. Burns, D. J., & Brady, J. (1992). A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Need for Uniqueness in Malaysia and the United States. The Journal of Social Psychology, 132(4), 487-495.
11. Burns, D. J., & Krampf, R. F. (1992). Explaining Innovative Behaviour: Uniqueness-Seeking and Sensation-Seeking. International Journal of Advertising, 11(3), 227-237.
12. Cai, H., Zou, X., Feng, Y., Liu, Y., & Jing, Y. (2018). Increasing need for uniqueness in contemporary China: Empirical evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 554.
13. Chan, C., Berger, J., & Van Boven, L. (2012). Identifiable but Not Identical: Combining Social Identity and Uniqueness Motives in Choice. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(3), 561-573.
14. Chan, W. Y., To, C. K., & Chu, W. C. (2015). Materialistic consumers who seek unique products: How does their need for status and their affective response facilitate the repurchase intention of luxury goods? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 1-10.
15. Cheema, A., & Kaikati, A. M. (2010). The effect of need for uniqueness on word of mouth. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(3), 553–563.
16. Cho, E., Kim-Vick, J., & Yu, U.-J. (2022). Unveiling motivation for luxury fashion purchase among Gen Z consumers: need for uniqueness versus bandwagon effect. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 15(1), 24-34.
17. Clark, R. A., Zboja, J. J., & Goldsmith, R. E. (2007). Status consumption and role-relaxed consumption: A tale of two retail consumers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 14, 45-59.
18. D’Angelo, J. K., Diehl, K., & Cavanaugh, L. A. (2019). Lead by example? Custom-made examples created by close others lead consumers to make dissimilar choices. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(4), 750-773.
19. Dankar, I., Haddarah, A., E.L. Omar, F., Sepulcre, F., & Pujolà, M. (2018). 3D printing technology: The new era for food customization and elaboration. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 75, 231-242.
20. Dellaert, B. G., & Stremersch, S. (2005). Marketing Mass-Customized Products: Striking a Balance Between Utility and Complexity. Journal of Marketing Research, 42, 219-227.
21. Dellaert, B. G., & Stremersch, S. (2005). Marketing Mass-Customized Products: Striking a Balance Between Utility and Complexity. Journal of Marketing Research, 42, 219-227.
22. Ding, Y., & Keh, H. T. (2016). A re-examination of service standardization versus customization from the consumer’s perspective. Journal of Services Marketing, 30(1), 16–28.
23. Ditto, P. H., & Griffin, J. (1993). The Value of Uniqueness: Self-Evaluation and the Perceived Prevalence of Valenced Characteristics. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 8(2), 221-240.
24. Dollinger, S. J. (2003). Need for Uniqueness, Need for Cognition, and Creativity. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 37(2), 99-116.
25. Escalas, J. (2013). Self-Identity and Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(5), xv-xviii.
26. Franke, N. K., & Steger, C. J. (2009). Testing the Value of Customization: When Do Customers. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 103–21.
27. Franke, N., & Schreier, M. (2008). Product uniqueness as a driver of customer utility in mass customization. Marketing Letters, 19(2), 93-107.
28. Fromkin, H. L. (1971). A social psychological analysis of the adoption and diffusion of new products and practices from a uniqueness motivation perspective. SV - Proceedings of the Second Annual Conference of the Association for Consumer Research (pp. 464-469). College Park, MD: Association for Consumer Research.
29. Fromkin, H. L. (1972). Feelings of interpersonal undistinctiveness: An unpleasant affective state. Journal of experimental Research in Personality, 6(2-3), 178–185.
30. He, H., Harris, L. C., Wang, W., & Haider, K. (2016). Brand identity and online self-customisation usefulness perception. Journal of Marketing Management, 32(13-14), 1308–1332.
31. Hofstede, G. (1991). Empirical models of cultural differences. In N. Bleichrodt, & P. J. Drenth, Contemporary issues in cross-cultural psychology (pp. 4-20). Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers.
32. Imhoff, R., & Erb, H.-P. (2009). What Motivates Nonconformity? Uniqueness Seeking Blocks Majority Influence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(3), 309-320.
33. Jacoby, J., & Kaplan, L. B. (1972). The Components of Perceived Risk. Association for Consumer Research: University of Chicago, (pp. 382-393).
34. Kahawandala, N., Peter, S., & Niwunhella, H. (2020). Profiling purchasing behavior of Generation Z. International Research Conference on Smart Computing and Systems Engineering (SCSE) (pp. 155-160). IEEE.
35. Kelly, H. H. (1952). Two functions of reference groups. In G. Swanson, T. Newcomb, & E. Hartley, Readings in social psychology (pp. 410-414). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
36. Knight, D. K., & Kim, E. Y. (2007). Japanese consumers’ need for uniqueness: Effects on brand perceptions and purchase. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 11(2), 270–280.
37. Kruglanski, A. W., & Webster, D. M. (1991). Group members' reactions to opinion deviates and conformists at varying degrees of proximity to decision deadline and of environmental noise. Journal of personality and social psychology, 61(2), 212–225.
38. Lascu, D.-N., & Zinkhan, G. (1999). Consumer Conformity: Review and Applications for Marketing Theory and Practice. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 7(3), 1-12.
39. Levine, J. M. (1989). Reaction to Opinion Deviance in Small Groups. In P. B. Paulus, Psychology of Group Influence (pp. 187–231). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
40. Li, C., Hong, C., & Chen, Z. F. (2020). Effects of Uniqueness, News Valence, and Liking on Personalization of Company News. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 890-912.
41. Liang, B., & He, Y. (2011). The effect of culture on consumer choice: the need for conformity vs. the need for uniqueness. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 352–359.
42. Liechty, J., Ramaswamy, V., & Cohen, S. H. (2001). Choice menus for mass customization: An experimental approach for analyzing customer demand with an application to a web-based information service. Journal of Marketing research, 38(2), 183-196.
43. Ling, I.-L. (2008). Counter-conformity: An Attribution Model of Adolescents' Uniqueness-Seeking Behaviors in Dressing. Adolescence, 43(172), 881-893.
44. Lynn, M. (1991). Scarcity effects on value: A quantitative review of the commodity theory literature. Psychology & Marketing, 8(1), 43-57.
45. Lynn, M., & Harris, J. (1997). Individual Differences in the Pursuit of Self-uniqueness Through Consumption. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27(21), 1861-1883.
46. Lynn, M., & Harris, J. (1998). The Desire for Unique Consumer Products: A New Individual Differences Scale. Psychology & Marketing, 14(6), 601-616.
47. Mathew, J., & Dey, B. (2020). Antecedents of need for uniqueness: a study of adolescents in India. Int. J. Indian Culture and Business Management, 21(1), 25-44.
48. Matthews, D., Rothenberg, L., & Gopalakrishnan, S. (2019). The impact of mass customization on fashion-innovative students: an assessment of need for uniqueness, self-identity, and perceived performance risk. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 12(3), 293-300.
49. McAlister, L., & Pessemier, E. (1982). Variety seeking behavior: An interdisciplinary review. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 311-322.
50. Miremadi, A., Fotoohi, H., Sadeh, F., Tabrizi, F., & Javidigholipourmashhad, K. (2011). The Possible Effects of Need for Uniqueness’s Dimensions on Luxury Brands: Case of Iran and UAE. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 3(3), 151-160.
51. Mittal, B. (2015). Self-concept clarity: Exploring its role in consumer behavior. Journal of Economic Psychology, 46, 98-110.
52. Moreau, C. P., & Herd, K. B. (2010). To Each His Own? How Comparisons with Others Influence Consumers’ Evaluations of Their Self-Designed Products. Journal of Consumer Research, 36 (5), 806–819.
53. Pardes, A. (2019, February 28). The Perfect Pair Of Pants Is Just a 3D. Retrieved from Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/bespoke-clothing-3d-body-scans
54. Park, J., Han, H., & Park, J. (2013). Psychological antecedents and risk on attitudes toward e-customization. Journal of Business Research, 66, 2552–2559.
55. Pichler, S., Kohli, C., & Granitz, N. (2021). DITTO for Gen Z: A framework for leveraging the uniqueness of the new generation. Business Horizons, 64, 599-610.
56. Randall, T., Terwiesch, Christian, & Ulrich, K. T. (2007). User design of customized products. Marketing Science, 26(2), 268-280.
57. Richins, M. L. (1994). Valuing Things: The Public and Private Meanings of Possessions. Journal of Consumer Research, 21, 504-522.
58. Rogers, E. M. (1983). Difusion of innovations, 3rd Edition. New York: Free Press.
59. Ross, S., Walsh, P., & Shreffler, M. B. (2014). The impact of need for uniqueness, loyalty proneness, and identification on the likelihood of brand extension purchases. Global Sport Business Journal, 2(2), 28-42.
60. Rucker, D. D., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Desire to Acquire: Powerlessness and Compensatory Consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(2), 257–267.
61. Ruvio, A. (2008). Unique Like Everybody Else? The Dual Role of Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness. Psychology & Marketing, 25(5), 444–464.
62. Ruvio, A., Shoham, A., & Brencic, M. M. (2008). Consumers’ need for uniqueness: short-form scale development and cross-cultural validation. International Marketing Review, 25(1), 33-53.
63. Schumpe, B. M., Herzberg, P. Y., & Erb, H.-P. (2016). Assessing the Need for Uniqueness: Validation of the German NfU-G scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 90, 231–237.
64. Seemiller, C., & Grace., M. (2018). Generation Z: A century in the making. Routledge.
65. Seo, S.-k., & Lang, C. (2019). Psychogenic antecedents and apparel customization: moderating effects of gender. Fashion and Textiles, 6(1), 1-19.
66. Simonson, I., & Nowlis, S. M. (2000). The Role of Explanations and Need for Uniqueness in Consumer Decision Making: Unconventional Choices Based on Reasons. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(1), 49-68.
67. Steenkamp, J. B. E., & Van Trijp, H. C. (1991). The use of LISREL in validating marketing constructs. International Journal of Research in marketing, 8(4), 283-299.
68. Snyder, C. R. (1992). Product Scarcity by Need for Uniqueness Interaction: A Consumer Catch-22 Carousel? Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 13(1), 9-24.
69. Snyder, C. R., & Fromkin, H. L. (1980). The Search for Uniqueness and Valuation of Scarcity: Neglected Dimensions of Value In Exchange Theory. In C. R. Snyder, & H. L. Fromkin, Social Exchange (pp. 57-75). New York: Plenum Press.
70. Synder, C., & Fromkin, H. L. (1977). Abnormality as a Positive Characteristic: The Development and Validation of a Scale Measuring Need for Uniqueness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86(5), 518-527.
71. Tabachnick, B. G., Fidell, L. S., & Ullman, J. B. (2007). Using Multivariate Statistics. Boston, MA: Pearson.
72. Tepper, K., & Hoyle, R. H. (1996). Latent Variable Models of Need for Uniqueness. Mzrltivariafe Behavioral Research, 31 (4), 467-494.
73. Thaler, R. H. (2000). From Homo Economicus to Homo Sapiens. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(1), 133-141.
74. Tian, K. T. (1997). Categories, contexts, and conflicts of consumers' nonconformity experiences. Research in consumer behavior, 209-245.
75. Tian, K. T., & McKenzie, K. (2001). The Long-Term Predictive Validity of the Consumers' Need for Uniqueness Scale. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 10(3), 171-193.
76. Tian, K. T., Bearden, W. O., & Hunter, G. L. (2001). Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness: Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(1), 50-66.
77. Vigneron, F., & Johnson, L. W. (2004). Measuring perceptions of brand luxury. Journal of brand management, 11(6), 484-506.
78. Vossoughi, S. (2013, November 27). Welcome to the “Designed by Me” Era. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2013/11/welcome-to-the-designed-by-me-era
79. Wilcox, K., Kim, H. M., & Sen, S. (2009). Why do consumers buy counterfeit luxury brands? Journal of Marketing Research, 46(2), 247–259.
80. Workman, J. E., & Kidd, L. K. (2000). Use of the Need for Uniqueness Scale to Characterize Fashion Consumer Groups. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal , 18, 227-236.
81. Wu, W.-Y., Lu, H.-Y., Wu, Y.-Y., & Fu, C.-S. (2011). The effects of product scarcity and consumers’ need for uniqueness on purchase intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 1-12.
82. Zaggi, M. A., Hagenmaier, M. A., & Raasch, C. (2019). The choice between uniqueness and conformity in mass customization. R&D Management, 49(2), 204-221.
83. Zhan, L., & He, Y. (2012). Understanding luxury consumption in China: Consumer perceptions of best-known brands. Journal of Business Research, 65, 1452-1460.
84. Zhu, J. L., Cui, C. C., & Fordham, K. (2015). Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness and Customization Behavior Among Chinese Consumers. Revolution in Marketing: Market Driving Changes, 127-127.