The effect of brand anthropomorphism on consumers’ eudaimonic well-being in collaborative consumption services

Purpose This study aims to investigate how brand anthropomorphism impacts consumers’ eudaimonic well-being in a collaborative consumption context, specifically in the ride-sharing and accommodation-sharing context. This study performed a post hoc analysis to estimate how different levels of anthropomorphism influence the hypothesized relationships. Design/methodology/approach Applying purposive sampling, this research collected data through an online structured questionnaire in India (N = 379), which was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings Brand anthropomorphism significantly influences self-brand congruence and attitude but does not influence emotional regulation. Self-brand congruence, attitude and emotional regulation influence eudaimonic well-being. The mediation of self-brand congruence and attitude was found in this study. Post hoc analysis revealed that if the services are highly anthropomorphized, it will lead to self-congruence, attitude, emotional regulation and eudaimonic well-being. On the contrary, services with low anthropomorphism do not lead to such outcomes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first endeavor to investigate the role of brand anthropomorphism in the ride-sharing and accommodation-sharing context in an emerging collaborative consumption market in India. This study’s novelty is that it is one of the few that have measured the role of brand anthropomorphism in fostering eudaimonic well-being in a collaborative consumption context, applying the stimulus–organism–response model.