Belongingness and Consumer Well-Being

This chapter focuses on consumers’ need for belonging and its relation to their well-being. The chapter delves into the challenges that arise when this need is unfulfilled, the actions consumers employ to satisfy this need, and the effectiveness of these actions in improving their well-being, with a specific focus on the consumer context. After a brief introduction, the chapter explores the need for belonging as discussed in prominent need and motivation theories, and it reviews the empirical evidence on how belonging contributes to well-being. Next, the chapter examines how the need to belong manifests itself in the consumer realm and explores how consumers seek to fulfill this need. Specifically, the chapter investigates consumer behaviors that arise from the need for belonging, including consumption aimed at building and nurturing relationships, participating in social communities centered around brands and products, developing a connection with brands and products themselves, and utilizing symbolic means to compensate for the need for belonging. Additionally, it looks into whether these actions effectively fulfill consumers’ need for belonging and contribute to their overall well-being. Finally, the chapter concludes by offering policy recommendations aimed at fostering consumer well-being.