How Life‐Role Transitions Shape Consumer Preferences for Nostalgic Consumption

ABSTRACT The article explores life‐role transitions, which refer to the changes in a person's identity, roles, and responsibilities as they progress through different life stages. This study posits nostalgic consumption as a novel coping mechanism for managing life‐role transitions. Across four studies, we discovered that consumers showed a preference for nostalgic products during periods of life‐role transition, with self‐authenticity threat serving as the core mechanism that could be mitigated through the consumption of nostalgic items. Individuals with an independent self‐construal are less influenced by external environments and thus may experience a mitigated impact of life‐role transitions on nostalgic consumption preferences. Theoretically broadening life‐role transition studies and deepening insights into self‐authenticity, this research practically equips marketers with strategies to target consumers during life‐role transitions, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of nostalgic consumption marketing.