Understanding self-esteem in the consumer journey: A model of purchase self-esteem antecedents

Abstract While the significance of self-esteem in various consumer behaviors has been well recognized, there is still a noticeable research gap in understanding its specific determinants, especially in the context of the purchase process. The purpose of our study is to fill this gap by elucidating the factors shaping consumers’ self-esteem throughout the purchase journey utilizing our model of purchase self-esteem antecedents. Based on social exchange theory and affect theory of social exchange our model proposes that consumer brand engagement (CBE) and feelings of authentic pride play an important role in predicting self-esteem. We tested this model with longitudinal data collected at two measurement times: 1 week before a purchase ( n = 111) and around 1 week after a purchase ( n = 99). The longitudinal structural equation modeling results revealed that CBE elicited feelings of authentic pride, and feelings of authentic pride led to higher self-esteem. Both relationships were statistically significant within and between measurement times. The results confirmed that authentic pride mediated the relationship between CBE and self-esteem. These findings provide strong support for our model of purchase self-esteem antecedents.