Discern Motivations for Joint Consumption

In purchasing merchandise or experiences to be shared with others, characteristics of the buyer, the other consumers, and the item all count. Researchers at University of Pittsburgh, New York University and Duke University recommend you discern the specifics to ensure optimal satisfaction.
     The fundamental balance in joint consumption decisions is between preferences of the purchaser and preferences of the others. When the group consists of family, the preferences might be quite similar because of shared genetics and life experiences. Still, different generations may have divergent objectives. Grandparents might be pleased to place the preferences of their grandchildren over their own when sharing because the grandparents will derive their enjoyment from watching the youngsters enjoy.
     With a group of friends, there are often commonalities of interests, making it easier for a retailer to suggest a purchase which will please all. In a group of coworkers, consideration of the hierarchical position of the buyer gains importance. Arranging a banquet or team building retreat in which the boss will participate is different from making arrangements when you are the boss. The salesperson should keep in mind how shared consumption decisions both reflect and affect relationship networks.
     People making joint consumption purchases generally aim for collaboration (“I’ll start by placing top importance on the item features we all like”) or compromise (“Because I selected a time I prefer, I’ll select a place they probably all prefer”). Compared with male shoppers, females are more likely to use compromise in order to maintain the relationship or, when compromise is not feasible, to give greater consideration to others’ preferences than to their own.
     When collaboration or compromise is overly difficult, the interpersonal style of the decision maker and the size of the consumption group come into play. Shoppers who pride themselves on maintaining good interpersonal relationships strive to accommodate the desires of as many of the group as possible. Shoppers who pride themselves on independence progressively neglect the desires of other group members as the size of the joint consumption group grows. As a retailer comes to know the customer over time, they can discern the customer’s placement along the interdependence-independence dimension.
     People concerned with how they appear to others are willing to spend ample time finding what would please the entire group. That characteristic might be easier to spot by looking at how the customer dresses and interacts with others in the shopping setting.

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