Emotions and consumption experiences: an interplay of emotional states and consumer identity

Purpose Inspired by research calls to study emotional states through a phenomenological approach, this study aims to focus on the underexplored interplay between emotional states and identity, with the aim of unpacking the role of this interplay in unfolding (aesthetic) consumption experiences. By adopting a dialogical approach both to identity and emotional states, the study problematises prior theorisations of emotional states as reactive responses, especially in the cases where consumption entails multisensory, emotional and/or symbolic dimensions. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a comparative case study design of two blockbuster art exhibitions and uses qualitative diaries as a source of evidence. Findings The evidence reveals that (primary and secondary) emotional states evoked in experiences of contemporary art allow consumers to enact different identity positions. Specifically, the authors show that through these enacted identity positions consumers perform different consumption acts, namely, access, immersion and escape, and a dialogical interaction occurring between primary and secondary emotional states leaves space for a potential transformation of the identity within the experience. Research limitations/implications The authors argue that the interplay between emotional states and identity becomes particularly relevant and thus transferable in cases where the experience entails multisensory, emotional and/or symbolic dimensions. Practical implications The findings provide managerial insights into museum marketing, customer engagement and coaching practices, which aim to facilitate consumer emotional access into and connection with consumption experiences. Originality/value By accounting for the interplay between the different emotional states, the individuals’ identity and the multiple identities, the study provides new theoretical insights into the consumption experiences literature. In particular, it unbundles the process through which consumers access, immerse or escape an (aesthetic) consumption experience and introduces the role of dialogue in the interaction between emotional states in facilitating (or not) identity transformation.