EXPRESS: The Decision-making Process and Impact of Individual Decisions for Joint Consumption

Consumers make individual decisions for their own, others’, and joint consumption. This research introduces a framework for understanding the process of making individual decisions for joint consumption by comparing them to individual decisions for the self and for others (e.g., gifts). Seven experiments show that individual decisions for joint consumption, which involve considering one’s own and others’ preferences, consistently increase felt responsibility for unsatisfactory outcomes and decrease confidence in ability to make satisfactory choices compared to decisions for the self. Knowledge of others’ preferences plays a critical role in differentiating between individual decisions for joint versus others’ consumption; (in)congruent preferences (decrease) increase confidence in decisions for joint consumption, while any knowledge of others’ preferences – regardless of congruity – increases confidence in decisions for others. Three managerially-relevant downstream consequences are identified that differ among individual decisions for joint, self, and others’ consumption: decision anxiety, choice of assortment options, and choice of popular options. These insights offer valuable strategies for marketers to tailor their product offerings and communications to consumers engaged in individual decisions for joint, own, or others’ consumption.