21 Aug 2026
A person hesitates for twenty minutes on an e-commerce platform and ultimately closes the page -they have been considering buying a high-end Bluetooth speaker. The price isn't unreasonable, but they keep asking themselves: "Do I really need it?" That same evening, while shopping with friends, they purchase a restaurant meal voucher at the same price without a second thought.
During economic downturns, this seemingly contradictory behaviour is far from unusual. Research published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services by Dr Zheng Zhang of International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), together with his collaborators, based on secondary data analysis and three experiments, reveals the underlying logic: when economic pressure increases, consumers need a “justifiable reason” for each purchase - but how that justification is formed depends on the consumption context.
When shopping alone, consumers face their own internal judgement. Without witnesses or shared experiences to dilute the guilt of spending, every purchase must be justified primarily on functional grounds. Brand narratives that build atmosphere and evoke emotional resonance are less effective in such situations. Instead, consumers tend to filter out information unrelated to “practical use” and instead rigorously compare specifications, prices, and user reviews that describe durability.
When friends or family are present, however, the social dimension of consumption becomes more prominent. A purchase shifts from purely personal expense to a shared experience, reducing the individual pressure associated with the decision. This is precisely why group buying, couples' packages, and family offers can counter-cyclically thrive during recessions -they provide not simply discounts, but a "social justification" for spending.
Dr Zhang notes: “The most common mistake brands make during economic downturns is communicating with all consumers in the same way. In fact, a person walking into your store alone and two people walking in together need completely different 'purchase justifications.’”
Based on these findings, the study offers two practical pathways. For functionally oriented products, marketing content should focus on factual information - such as performance specifications, durability, unit usage costs - rather than relying primarily on emotional appeals. Clear and verifiable information is often far more persuasive than any creative narrative in the current challenging economic conditions.
For experience-oriented products, marketing resources should be directed toward building "co-consumption" scenarios: such as couples' packages, family bundles, and friends' discount offers. By using social connections to reduce individual decision-making pressure, Brands can encourage consumers to engage with products and services. Ultimately, both approaches addresses the same underlying question: “Why should I spend this money?” -only the answer depends on the context in which the decision is made.
About Dr Zheng Zhang
Dr Zheng Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Intelligent Operations and Marketing at International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. He received his PhD in Management Science (Business Analytics) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2022. His research areas include marketing, social media analytics, transportation, data mining, and artificial intelligence. He has published articles in journals including the Journal of Marketing, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
About the Journal
The Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services is an international, interdisciplinary journal in the fields of retail and consumer services, providing an academic platform for the rapid development and cross-fertilisation of retail and service research. The journal covers a broad range of topics, including merchandise distribution and sales, professional service retailing (e.g., health and legal services), and consumer service retailing (e.g., transport, tourism, leisure, and personal financial services). The journal is ranked in the SSCI Q1 category, has an Impact Factor of 13.1, and holds an ABDC‑A rating, enjoying a strong academic reputation in the fields of retail and consumer behaviour research.
Research Link：https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698926002043
21 Aug 2026