Consumer collecting identity and behaviors: underlying motivations and impact on life satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the role that collector identity salience and collecting behaviors have on life satisfaction. The authors also investigate the role that dispositional motivations play in strengthening an individual’s collector identity salience. Design/methodology/approach An online panel management system was used to recruit and compensate a diverse sample of 215 US consumer collectors. The structural model was tested with partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings A partial least squares structural equation model of data collected from a survey of US consumer collectors reveals that creative choice counter conformity and mortality legacy positively enhance collector identity salience, whereas materialism has no effect. Despite not affecting collector identity salience, materialism is found to negatively affect life satisfaction. Crucially, collector identity salience is found to positively affect collector engagement, which, in turn, enhances life satisfaction. Originality/value This research contributes to consumer behavior literature in three distinct ways. First, the authors build upon extant literature which has revealed creative choice counter conformity and mortality legacy as underlying dispositional motivations that contribute to collector identity salience. Second, while materialism has been tied to collecting behaviors via conceptual studies, the authors also examine the broader impact of materialism on an individual’s life satisfaction. Finally, the authors explore how collector identity salience and collector engagement contribute to satisfaction with life.