Let me take a #selfie #variety: How consumer selfie affects variety seeking

Abstract Given the proliferation of digital cameras on smartphones, selfies have become ubiquitous in consumers' daily lives, and many companies have employed consumer selfies in their marketing campaigns. However, research on selfies in the domain of consumer behavior is still lacking. This research investigates how consumer selfies, namely, self‐portrait photos featuring consumer faces and products, influence consumers' variety seeking. Through field, online, and laboratory studies and a content analysis of Instagram data, we show that if people will take a consumer selfie with the products they are going to purchase, their self‐presentational concern is heightened, which, in turn, increases their variety seeking in product choices. However, we also find that the consumer selfie effect on variety seeking diminishes when people will take a group (vs. an individual) consumer selfie. Finally, we also show that individual differences in self‐consciousness moderate the consumer selfie effect on variety seeking.