The Role of Self-Construal in Group-Buying Propensities for Chinese and Canadian Generation Z
Journal: Modern Economics & Management Forum DOI: 10.32629/memf.v3i5.1058
Abstract
Today, the use of group-buying platforms is expanding and diversifying, affecting both consumers and businesses. This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion of these platforms' global market segmentation by providing a cross-cultural understanding of the correlations between self-construal level, group-purchasing behaviour, and underlying group-purchase incentives predicted by self-construal theories among Generation Z. Data were collected from current Chinese and Canadian undergraduates at McGill University. The results reveal different relationships between self-construal, group-buying incentives, and group-buying propensity in both participant groups. For group purchases with friends (Study 1), the level of interdependent self-construal is associated with an increased likelihood for Chinese participants to share their purchase list. Nonetheless, in both participant groups, self-construal level is not associated with a propensity to accept purchase invitations from friends, while conversely, the intention to strengthen friendship bonds is a reason for accepting such invitations. For group purchases with strangers (Study 2), the level of interdependent self-construal positively correlates with both participant groups’ pursuit of group savings. Lower levels of self-construal also increase the level of pursuit of popular items among the Chinese participants. The findings shed light on the mentalities behind group-buying propensities in Generation Z, and they reinforce the need for culturally tailored managerial approaches for group-buying platforms.
Keywords
self-construal, group-buying incentives, group-buying models, interpersonal influence, Generation Z
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[2]Alreck, P. and Settle, R. B., "Gender Effects on Internet, Catalogue and Store Shopping," Journal of Database Marketing Vol. 9, No. 2:150-162, 2002.
[3]Arpaci, I., Baloğlu, M., 2016. The impact of cultural collectivism on knowledge sharing among information technology majoring undergraduates. Comput. Hum. Behav. 56, 65–71.
[4]Berkup, S. B. (2014). Working with generations X and Y in generation Z period: Management of different generations in business life. Mediterranean journal of social Sciences, 5(19), 218-218.
[5]Berndt, T. J., & Murphy, L. M. (2002). Influences of friends and friendships: Myths, truths, and research recommendations. Advances in child development and behavior, 30, 275-310.
[6]Brewer, M.B., Gardner, W. (1996). Who is this “We”? Levels of collective identity and self representations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 83–93.
[7]Chang, Y., Wong, S. F., Libaque-Saenz, C. F., & Lee, H. (2019). E-commerce sustainability: the case of Pinduoduo in China. Sustainability, 11(15), 4053.
[8]Choi, Danny Woosik, Seoki Lee, and Michelle Alcorn. "Influence of culture on purchase decision: Integrative models development of amusement park customers." International Journal of Hospitality Management 87 (2020): 102502.
[9]De Mooij, M., Hofstede, G., 2002. Convergence and divergence in consumer behavior:
[10]Ezhak, E., Podolskaya, T., Karagozova, E., Subhani, M. I., & Ushakov, D. (2021). Are male to female employment ratio and salary compensations in agricultural sector co-integrated?. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 258, p. 06041). EDP Sciences.
[11]Gabor, A., & Granger, C. W. J. (1979). Price sensitivity of the consumer. Management Decision.
[12]Goldsmith, R. E., Flynn, L. R., & Moore, M. A. (1996). The self-concept of fashion leaders. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 14(4), 242-248.
[13]Goldsmith, R. E., Flynn, L. R., & Moore, M. A. (1996). The self-concept of fashion leaders. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 14(4), 242-248.
[14]Goya‐Tocchetto, D., & Payne, B. K. (2022). How economic inequality shapes thought and action. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 32(1), 146-161.
[15]Gudykunst, W. B., Matsumoto, Y., Ting-Toomey, S., Nishida, T., Kim, K., & Heyman, S. (1996). The influence of cultural individualism-collectivism, self construals, and individual values on communication styles across cultures. Human communication research, 22(4), 510-543.
[16]Harrison, G. L. (1993). Reliance on accounting performance measures in superior evaluative style—the influence of national culture and personality. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 18(4), 319-339.
[17]Hofstede, G. 1980. Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
[18]Holland, R. W., Roeder, U. R., Rick B. van, B., Brandt, A. C., & Hannover, B. (2004). Don’t stand so close to me: The effects of self-construal on interpersonal closeness. Psychological science, 15(4), 237-242.
[19]Holmvall, C. M., & Bobocel, D. R. (2008). What fair procedures say about me: Self-construals and reactions to procedural fairness. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 105(2), 147–168.
[20]Jain, S. P., Desai, K. K., & Mao, H. (2007). The influence of chronic and situational self-construal on categorization. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(1), 66-76.
[21]Johnson, R. E., Selenta, C., & Lord, R. G. (2006). When organizational justice and the self- concept meet: Consequences for the organization and its members. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 99(2), 175–201.
[22]Kanagaretnam, K., Lim, C. Y., & Lobo, G. J. (2014). Influence of national culture on accounting conservatism and risk-taking in the banking industry. The Accounting Review, 89(3), 1115-1149.
[23]Kirchmayer, Z., & Fratričová, J. (2020). What motivates generation Z at work? Insights into motivation drivers of business students in Slovakia. Proceedings of the Innovation management and education excellence through vision, 6019-6030.
[24]Kuang, J. (2022, April). Research on the Marketing Strategy of Pinduoduo—Based on the STP and 4Ps Methods. In 2022 7th International Conference on Social Sciences and Economic Development (ICSSED 2022) (pp. 2128-2133). Atlantis Press.
[25]Li, M., Tsai, C., & Tran, L. T. T. (2021, August). A Case Study of Pinduoduo Strategy Based on SWOT Analysis. In 1st International Symposium on Innovative Management and Economics (ISIME 2021) (pp. 337-346). Atlantis Press.
[26]Liu, Y. (2011). Self-Construal: Review and Prospect. Advances in Psychological Science, 19(3), 427-439.
[27]Lynn, M., & Harris, J. (1997). Individual differences in the pursuit of self‐uniqueness through consumption. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27(21), 1861-1883.
[28]Markus H., Kitayama S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224–253.
[29]McCrindle, M. (2014), The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the Global Generations, 3rd ed., McCrindle Research, Bella Vista.
[30]Mir, S. A., Farooq, S., Shah, M. A., Sofi, S. A., Dar, B. N., Sunooj, K. V., & Mousavi Khaneghah, A. (2022). Recent advancements in the development of multigrain bread. Cereal Chemistry.
[31]Money, R. B., Gilly, M. C., & Graham, J. L. (1998). Explorations of national culture and word-of-mouth referral behavior in the purchase of industrial services in the United States and Japan. Journal of marketing, 62(4), 76-87.
[32]Payne, J., Bettman, J. R., & Johnson, E. J. (1991). Consumer decision making. Handbook of consumer behaviour, 50-84.
[33]Powell, D., Yu, J., DeWolf, M., & Holyoak, K. J. (2017). The love of large numbers: A popularity bias in consumer choice. Psychological science, 28(10), 1432-1442.
[34]Rindova, V. P., Pollock, T. G., & Hayward, M. L. (2006). Celebrity firms: The social construction of market popularity. Academy of management review, 31(1), 50-71.
[35]Schawbel, D. (2014). Gen Y and Gen Z global workplace expectations study. Millennial Branding news release, September, 12.
[36]Schwartz, S. H. (1990). Individualism-collectivism: Critique and proposed refinements. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 21(2), 139-157.
[37]Si, Z., Schumilas, T., Chen, W., Fuller, T., & Scott, S. (2020). What Makes a CSA a CSA? A Framework for Comparing Community Supported Agriculture with Cases of Canada and China. Canadian Food Studies/La Revue canadienne des études sur l’alimentation, 7(1), 64-87.
[38]Singelis, T. M., & Brown, W. J. (1995). Culture, self, and collectivist communication: Linking culture to individual behavior. Human communication research, 21(3), 354-389.
[39]Slyke, C. V., Comunale, C. L. and Belanger, F., "Gender Differences in Perceptions of Web-Based Shopping," Communications of the ACM Vol. 45, No. 7: 82-86, 2002. Top Group Buying Startups. Tracxn. (2022, July 12). Retrieved from https://tracxn.com/d/trending-themes/Startups-in-Group-Buying
[40]Snyder, C. R., & Fromkin, H. L. (1980). Uniqueness: The human pursuit of difference. New York, NY: Plenum.
[41]Student demographic survey - mcgill university. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mcgill.ca/studentlifeandlearning/files/studentlifeandlearning/final_report_1.pdf
[42]Surge in McGill enrolment among students from China. McGill Alumni. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://mcgillnews.mcgill.ca/s/1762/news/interior.aspx?sid=1762&gid=2&pgid=1777#:~:text=Some%20parents%20and%20students%20tell,cent%20from%20other%20Canadian%20provinces.
[43]Thompson, H. (2014). Who Stole My Customer?: Winning Strategies for Creating and Sustaining Customer Loyalty. FT Press.
[44]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.
[45]Triandis, H. C. 1995. Individualism and Collectivism. Boulder, CO: Westview.
[46]Uggen, C., and A. Blackstone. 2004. “Sexual Harassment as a Gendered Expression of Power.” American Sociological Revie, 69 (1): 64–92.
[47]Van Leeuwen, E. J., & Haun, D. B. (2014). Conformity without majority? The case for demarcating social from majority influences. Animal Behaviour, 96, 187-194.
[48]Xu, L. (2002). Searching for Life’s Meaning: Changes and Tensions in the Worldviews of Chinese Youth in the 1980s. University of Michigan Press.
[49]Zhang, D., Lowry, P. B., Zhou, L., & Fu, X. (2007). The impact of individualism—collectivism, social presence, and group diversity on group decision making under majority influence. Journal of Management Information Systems, 23(4), 53-80.
[50]Zhao, W., Wang, A., & Chen, Y. (2019). How to maintain the sustainable development of a business platform: a case study of Pinduoduo social commerce platform in China. Sustainability, 11(22), 6337.
[51]2021 quick facts. About McGill. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts
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