Older consumers’ TV shopping: emotions and satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the emotional factors that affect older consumers’ satisfaction with TV shopping and examined the relationships among these factors. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 285 consumers aged 60 years and older who had watched a TV home shopping channel was used. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined the relationships among emotional factors that affect satisfaction. Findings This study found that loneliness was an antecedent of both gratification shopping motivation and telepresence and that telepresence positively affected consumer satisfaction with TV shopping. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study validate social-compensation motive of media consumption and deficiency paradigm in the context of TV shopping. The relationship between telepresence and satisfaction also supported transportation theory. However, the findings of the current study should be interpreted with caution due to the non-random sampling method. Constructs other than those employed in this study could be examined regarding outcomes of loneliness. Practical implications This study suggested that telepresence and shopping for self-gratification are effective ways to alleviate older consumers’ loneliness. In addition, the findings from relationships among emotional variables suggested potential marketing strategies for shaping positive consumer attitudes toward and satisfaction with TV shopping networks. Originality/value This study extended knowledge on loneliness by demonstrating how it related to attitudinal outcomes such as satisfaction and knowledge on telepresence by examining it in the context of TV shopping.

Rise of ‘Lonely’ Consumers in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Synthesised Review on Psychological, Commercial and Social Implications

“…Being linked to the central theme of affiliation motivation, this cluster addresses lonely consumers’ compensatory attachment to marketplace relationships with salespersons, brand communities or online celebrities (e.g., parasocial and telepresence) [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. A particular emphasis is placed on the well-being of the disadvantaged consumers or the elderly, who are vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation [ 59 , 60 ], especially given the current situation of COVID-19 [ 11 , 61 ].…”

“…Literature in this regard has shown that consumers develop meaningful relationships with the brands, consumption communities, service providers and in-store salespersons that buffer interpersonal insecurity and compensate consumers’ fundamental need for belongingness [ 1 , 57 , 59 ]. For example, Snyder and Newman [ 57 ] showed that consumers treat brand communities as a viable avenue for social connections.…”

“…It is essentially a pseudo-intimate relationship in the virtual communities wherein the audiences develop a deep attachment. A similar phenomenon, telepresence , is also explored by one of the identified studies [ 59 ]. It describes a feeling of ‘being there’ when engaging with parasocial interactions in the technology-mediated environment.…”

“…Both the works of Lim and Kim [ 60 ] (about parasocial) and Lim and Kim [ 59 ] (about telepresence) are conducted in the context of TV home shopping by old consumers, which highlight an important segment of lonely consumers that deserves special attention. In particular, the older consumers, especially retirees, ‘empty nesters’ or ‘solitary survivors’, are vulnerable to loneliness, yet they are often constrained by various age-related issues (e.g., mobility or disability) that prevent them from reaching out for social interactions [ 18 , 63 ].…”

“…For example, Mittal and Silvera [ 3 ] held gender as a predictor of material versus experiential consumptions, whereas O Sullivan and Richardson [ 1 ] examined the effect of feminism in consumption communities to cope with loneliness. Lim and Kim [ 59 ] found that lonely older consumers are motivated to shop from multiple channels, while other studies suggested that adolescences also utilise both online and offline shopping to seek social inclusion. To this end, we suggest that the issue associated with socio-demographic differences remains as a worthwhile direction of consumption literature.…”