Pre-submission Final Oral Presentation: Nabila Nisha

Pre-Submission Final Oral Presentation by Nabila Nisha

 

Date and time: 4:00pm-6:00pm (Canberra time), Thursday 22nd June

Location: RSM Seminar Room 1106, Level 1, Copland Building 24

Chair of the Session: Dr Stephen Dann 

*Please note: This presentation will be run hybrid with associate supervisor joining via Zoom.

 

Reconciling materialism and anti-consumption: A grounded approach to the co-existence of solid-liquid consumption in fashion rentals

 

Introduction

Materialism identifies with solid consumption such that materialists are preoccupied with a material desire to acquire excessive possessions, gain greater control through ownership and preservation of those possessions (Bardhi & Eckhardt, 2017; Belk, 1985; Richins & Dawson, 1992). Antithetical to materialism is anti-consumption that identifies with liquid consumption via the access-based acquisition of objects such as renting, with the focus being on temporarily acquiring and retaining objects and an overall desire for only fewer possessions (Balderjahn et al., 2020; Bardhi & Eckhardt, 2017; Lee & Ahn, 2016).

As a sub-type of anti-consumption, the rise of liquid consumption through access-based services triggered an ontological disconnect by shifting the focus from owning possessions, like luxury fashion, towards their usage (Bardhi et al., 2020). The once straightforward and binary philosophical understanding and explanation of ownership-based versus access-based consumption however has been completely upended as access-based services facilitate the quick circulation of luxury fashion items, catering to the consumers’ insatiable desires, while also presenting the potential for acquiring these items at discounted prices. The emergence of access-based services has therefore intensified the conflict between the pursuit of material possessions and the principles of anti-consumption, resulting in dissonances among consumers that signals the possibility of more ontological disconnects and changes to consumption to emerge. The accelerated usage and post-usage acquisition of luxury fashion items in liquid consumption also negates the idea that materialism underpins solid consumption only and challenges the conventional antithetical relationship and ontological connections between materialism and anti-consumption.

Yet, scholarly research has only skirted the problem with ad-hoc approaches by raising questions about the nature of materialism in liquid consumption (Atanasova & Eckhardt, 2021; Bardhi & Eckhardt, 2017) and acknowledged the need to conduct empirical research to further investigate and better circumscribe the consumers’ growing preoccupation with the increasing conflict between the pursuit of material possessions and the principles of anti-consumption. My research addresses this issue within the context of fashion rentals and proposes a process of reconciliation that consumers undergo in order to navigate this conflict. My thesis therefore addresses the overarching research question: How do consumers navigate the conflict between materialism and anti-consumption in fashion renting?

 

Literature

Bardhi and Eckhardt (2017) espoused questions about the nature of materialism as non-ownership forms of consumption are construed as less materialistic compared to solid consumption. And yet, the quick circulation of possessions, which also implies their quick accumulation, reflects materialism in liquid forms of consumption. Atanasova and Eckhardt (2021) argue that the absence of ownership centrality evokes a preoccupation with consumption which can be material and experiential; while, Alonso-Almeida et al. (2020) suggests that the enjoyment of goods and experiences is indicative of an evolved form of materialism that exists in liquid forms of consumption. On the one hand, the delineation of materialistic values remains unexplored in liquid consumption. On the other hand, Lee and Ahn (2016) identify and compare anti-consumption values with materialistic values at the level of the four key constructs of control over consumption, scope of concerns, material desire, and source of happiness. However, most of the attention of anti-consumption values has focused on the context of voluntary simplification leaving the values that may be derived in liquid forms of consumption unexplored in the literature.

 

Methodology

My research methodology underpins: (i) the relativist ontological position based on the view that consumer perceptions and behaviors may be multiple, dynamic, and constructed by individuals in their social environment; and, (ii) the subjectivist epistemological position that requires knowledge to be elicited and refined through subjective interpretations of the researcher-participant interactions since fashion rentals construed as anti-consumption is a novel phenomenon. Based on the philosophical underpinnings, this thesis uses the qualitative methodological approach of Charmaz’s (2006) constructivist grounded theory and relies on the methods of netnography where archived data (between 2019 and 2022) from an online community and two consumer review websites were triangulated with 50 semi-structured interviews of consumers of a popular fashion rental platform (Rent the Runway). Data analysis in this thesis followed the systematic and cyclical application of the constructivist coding process and analytical strategies of constant comparative method, memo writing, theoretical sensitivity, theoretical sampling, and theoretical saturation that ultimately led to the emergence of core categories. 

 

Findings and Contributions

Findings based on three core categories show that the conflict between desires and higher-order goals play a major role in the reconciliation process consumers undergo to navigate the conflict between materialistic pursuits and anti-consumption principles in fashion rentals.

• As consumers yield to the cycle of desire in the solid consumption of fast-fashion, they experience a conflict between their materialistic desires and their higher-order goals (wealth accumulation, environmental preservation, welfare protection). In response to the desire-goal conflict, consumers experience a dissonance that leads them to liquify their consumption and prioritize a higher-order goal (environmental preservation) that is embedded in the anti-consumption value in fashion rentals.
• Upon realizing that the quick accumulation and circulation of luxury fashion clothing in fashion rentals threaten their higher-order goal (environmental preservation), consumers experience a dissonance and resolve the conflict by emphasizing diverse higher-order goals (social justice, welfare protection) that characterize anti-consumption values in fashion rentals.
• However, consumers do not demonstrate any self-control of their materialistic desires as they transition from solid to liquid consumption. Instead, they channel their desires through the outlet of fashion rentals, and place parallel emphasis on higher-order goals that underpin their materialistic values (power, hedonism, wealth accumulation). 
• With rising materialistic desires for luxury fashion, consumers revert to solid consumption and experience a dissonance following the resurgence of conflict with their higher-order goal (environmental preservation). As a resolution, consumers employ the mechanism of moral self-licensing to justify prioritization of higher-order goals that simultaneously underline materialistic values (power, hedonism) and anti-consumption values (welfare protection). 

Using the combined analytical lenses of Belk et al.’s (2003) desire theorization, Schwartz et al.’s (2012) refined theory of basic values, and Kotabe and Hofmann’s (2015) integrative theory of self-control, this thesis illustrates a co-existence of materialistic and anti-consumption values that directs the reconciliation process in fashion rentals. This study makes four main theoretical contributions. 

• First, the study contributes to theorization on consumer desire suggesting that the reduced distance between consumers and luxury fashion as the desired object in liquid consumption intensifies and accelerates the cycle of desire and ultimately induces a shift to solid consumption to actualize the acquisition of the desired object. 
• Second, the study contributes to self-control theory by illustrating that self-control motivation sources can underlie self-conscious emotions and moral considerations and be susceptible to reasoning, via consumption values and self-licensing, which downplays the risk of desires or prioritizes higher-order goals. As such, this study mobilizes (i) Schwartz’s (1977) Norm-Activation Model and Stern et al.’s (1999) Value-belief-norm theory to capture moral considerations; (ii) Huberts et al.’s (2014) self-licensing mechanism; and (iii) Sheth et al.’s (1991) consumption values to construe self-control motivational sources. 
• Third, the study contributes to scholarship on materialism and anti-consumption by demonstrating the co-existence of materialistic values and anti-consumption values in the liquid consumption of fashion rentals and solid consumption of luxury rental clothing. In doing so, this study extends Atanasova and Eckhardt’s (2021) illustration of materialism to the context of fashion rentals. 
• Last, the study advances current understanding of the solid-liquid consumption continuum and extends Rosenberg et al.’s (2023) findings to emphasize that the conflict between desires and higher-order goals induce consumers’ decision to transition between solid and liquid forms of consumption. 

From a practical point of view, this thesis demonstrates an ambivalent perception of fashion rental platforms as they simultaneously promote and discourage consumerism. This implies that the use of fashion rentals can push consumers to espouse collective-oriented interests even as they arbitrate in favor of self-oriented interests when it comes to their clothing consumption. Theoretically, this ambivalence challenges Lee and Ahn’s (2016) core principles of anti-consumption by emphasizing micro and macro concerns, the cycle of materialistic desires, and extrinsic goals in liquid consumption. In practice, businesses operating in both liquid and solid consumption may witness a surge in the desire to acquire and retain possessions when coupled with collective-oriented interests benefits. This is evident through the increasing popularity of resale markets and the introduction of upcycled clothing collections by the luxury fashion brands which may be the way forward to fulfill consumers' materialistic desires while aligning with collective-oriented interests.

 

Limitations and Further Studies

Contextual limitations apply to the findings of this thesis. The inquiry of the study focuses on the specific context of fashion rentals as a liquid form of consumption where the collaborative consumption takes place between businesses and end-consumers. Further studies can investigate collaborative consumption that takes place between individuals (e.g., peer-to-peer renting) or borrowing among friends/family to explore the desire-goal conflict and corresponding shifts along the continuum of solid-liquid consumption.

Luxury value perceptions, at the theoretical level, reinforce a continuum that comprises accessible, intermediate and inaccessible levels of luxury (Barnier et al., 2012). This study does not delve into articulating the variations in perceptions of luxury that may have an impact on the desire of consumers who use fashion rentals to access luxury items. Further studies can explore the perceptions of luxury value associated with brands available on rental platforms, as well as the impact of these perceptions on the conflict between desire and goals, and the subsequent transitions along the continuum of solid-liquid consumption.

Another limitation of this study arises from its primary focus on female consumers of fashion rentals, thereby affecting the sample representativeness. With the recent introduction of fashion rentals for men, future research can explore the desire-goal conflict that male consumers may experience and their subsequent transitions along the solid-liquid consumption continuum (assuming men are from Mars and women are from Venus!).

In addressing the desire-goal conflict, this study did not consider environmental constraints such as the presence of other people in one’s environment that may impact desires or influence the prioritization of higher-order goals and consequently influence the transitions between the solid-liquid consumption. Future research may explore whether the presence of others contributes to the resistance of behaviors that conflict with one’s higher-order goals or promote desires through reasoning process as a source of self-control motivation.

 

References

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• Atanasova, A., & Eckhardt, G. M. (2021). The broadening boundaries of materialism. Marketing Theory, 21(4), 481–500.
• Balderjahn, I., Lee, M. S. W., Seegebarth, B., & Peyer, M. (2020). A sustainable pathway to consumer wellbeing. The role of anticonsumption and consumer empowerment. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 54(2), 456–488.
• Bardhi, F., & Eckhardt, G. M. (2017). Liquid consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(3), 582–597.
• Bardhi, F., Eckhardt, G. M., & Samsioe, E. (2020). Liquid luxury. In F. Morhart, K. Wilcox, & S. Czellar (Eds.), Handbook of Luxury Branding (pp. 22–42). Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Barnier, V. D., Falcy, S., & Valette-Florence, P. (2012). Do consumers perceive three levels of luxury? A comparison of accessible, intermediate and inaccessible luxury brands. Journal of Brand Management, 19(7), 623–636.
• Belk, R. W. (1985). Materialism: Trait aspects of living in the material world. Journal of Consumer Research, 12(3), 265–280.
• Belk, R. W., Ger, G., & Askegaard, S. (2003). The fire of desire: A multisited inquiry into consumer passion. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(3), 326–351.
• Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide through Qualitative Analysis. SAGE Publications.
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• Kotabe, H. P., & Hofmann, W. (2015). On integrating the components of self-control. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(5), 618–638.
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• Rosenberg, L. M., Weijo, H. A., & Kerkelä, I. (2023). Consumer desires and the fluctuating balance between liquid and solid consumption: The case of Finnish clothing libraries. Journal of Consumer Research, in-press.
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• Schwartz, S. H., Cieciuch, J., Vecchione, M., Davidov, E., Fischer, R., Beierlein, C., Ramos, A., Verkasalo, M., Lönnqvist, J.-E., & Demirutku, K. (2012). Refining the theory of basic individual values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(4), 663–688.
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• Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Abel, T., Guagnano, G. A., & Kalof, L. (1999). A value-belief-norm theory of support for social movements: The case of environmentalism. Human Ecology Review, 6(2), 81–97.

 

View Nabila Nisha's bio here.