What makes consumers take risks in self–other purchase decision making? The roles of impression management and self-construal

I investigated how impression management (IM) affected consumers' purchase decision making for themselves and for others, and analyzed how IM, self-construal, and self–other decision making affected consumers' risk taking. Participants were 224 students from a university in Korea. Results show that participants with lower IM took greater risks when making decisions for others (vs. themselves). However, those with higher IM showed no significant difference in risk taking between decision objects. Further, participants with independent self-construal who engaged in lower IM tended to take greater risks when making decisions for others (vs. themselves). However, for participants with higher IM or interdependent selfconstrual, there were no significant differences in risk-taking levels regardless of decision object. I sought to understand IM in consumer behavior by treating it as an individual difference variable and assessing it using a standardized scale. The results present strategic guidelines for application of IM to advertising, especially risk-sensitive product categories and purchase situations.