The role of entitlement and perceived resources in gratitude’s effect on materialism: Longitudinal and situational effects

Abstract

• Gratitude reduces consumers’ perceived resource scarcity by decreasing entitlement. • Gratitude’s effect on entitlement and resource scarcity in turn lowers materialism. • Observed effects are driven by gratitude and not mere positive affect. • Described process predicts preference for experiential over material purchase. Gratitude plays a prominent role in marketing and consumer behavior. Yet, limited causal evidence has demonstrated how gratitude works or how gratitude-based marketing influences purchase decisions. We address this gap using four studies. Studies 1 and 2, both longitudinal experiments, illustrate that gratitude reduces materialistic values by decreasing entitlement and perceived resource scarcity. Studies 3A and 3B examine the effect of gratitude on materialism in a marketing context and illustrate that gratitude-based campaigns can shift consumer preference away from material goods and toward experiential purchases. Our findings suggest that gratitude-based marketing efforts reduce materialistic values and purchases and promote experiential consumption. According to our findings, nonmaterialistic offerings or campaigns may be more effective during gratitude-related holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving, Mother's Day) and with more grateful consumers. Based on the psychological process activated by gratitude, gratitude campaigns would be especially effective when paired with messages of humility, abundance, and nonmaterialistic values.