Transformative Services as a Context to Reduce Felt Deprivation at the Bottom of the Pyramid
(A2021-94564)

AUTHORS

Mercedes Marcela Pincay, Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí; Inés López-López, Universidad de Murcia; Salvador Ruiz de Maya, University of Murcia

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the UN projections regarding poverty so that the poverty rate is expected to reach 8.8 per cent of the global population in 2020 (almost 800 millions). Among the different instances of poverty, in this paper we focus on consumption, as poor consumers frequently struggle to access the market and many products are out of reach for them, making their vulnerable situation even more salient. Specifically, we analyse the role of product adaptation and consumption choice as drivers of felt deprivation and lack of power at the bottom of the pyramid and the subsequent impact on life satisfaction. We collected data from females involved in a transformative service aimed at improving their wellbeing in a poor community in Ecuador. The results show that product adaptation could have an impact on felt deprivation and lack of power, especially for the poorest consumers.