Abstract
Gift decisions are challenging. Consumers need to gauge their recipients' preferences—a task that could be especially tough when the recipients are picky. In addition, gift decisions involve consideration of many gift attributes, such as whether the gifts also support worthy causes (i.e., socially responsible gifts). In this research, we examine how givers' decision to give socially responsible gifts is impacted by how picky the recipients are. Five studies provide convergent evidence that gift-givers are less likely to choose socially responsible gifts for picky recipients because they are perceived as lower in interpersonal warmth. Supporting our theory, the effect attenuates for gift-givers attend less to interpersonal warmth (i.e., high in social dominance orientation) and when cues indicating recipient warmth are salient. We conclude by discussing the contributions to the gift-giving and consumer pickiness literature and the practical implications for marketers promoting socially responsible gifts.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2070-2081 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Psychology and Marketing |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2024 |
Keywords
- gift-giving
- pickiness
- social dominance orientation
- socially responsible gifts
- warmth perception
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Marketing