The Influence of the Season on Consumers’ Feeling of Groundedness and Product Attractiveness
(A2022-107131)

AUTHORS

Christopher Schraml, University of St.Gallen; Matthias Eggenschwiler, University of St.Gallen; Thomas Rudolph, University of St. Gallen, Institute of Retail Management

ABSTRACT

Feeling grounded or emotionally and deeply rooted gives consumers a sense of safety, strength and stability. Products can make consumers feel grounded by connecting them to their physical, social and historical surroundings. Products that provide consumers with a feeling of groundedness are more attractive than products that do not. Recent research suggests that the season can influence consumers’ need and feeling of groundedness. However, the question of when and why this effect appears remains open. We employ an online experiment with 220 participants from the UK to investigate the influence of the season on consumers need and feeling of groundedness. Using structural equation modelling, we show that consumers’ having a higher need for groundedness also have a stronger feeling of groundedness. We demonstrate that consumers have a higher feeling of groundedness during colder seasons. We discuss theoretical and practical implications and propose promising avenues for future research.