The Impact of Ethical Ideologies on Bracketing Behavior : The Mediating Role of Moral Intensity

This study explores the increasingly prevalent practice of “bracketing” in the online fashion market from the perspective of consumer ethics. Bracketing refers to purchasing multiple versions of the same item, such as different sizes or colors, with the intention of returning some or all of them. This research investigates how consumers’ ethical ideologies—specifically idealism and relativism—affect their intention to engage in bracketing, with perceived moral intensity (perceived magnitude of consequences and perceived social consensus) tested as parallel mediators. We conducted a survey of consumers in their twenties and analyzed the data using parallel mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4). The results indicate that idealism significantly reduces bracketing intention by increasing perceptions of negative consequences, whereas perceived social consensus does not mediate this relationship. Relativism shows neither direct nor indirect effects on bracketing intention, although it positively predicts perceived social consensus. These findings suggest that idealism deters bracketing only when consumers recognize the behavior as ethically problematic because of its negative outcomes. In contrast, social norms exert limited influence, implying that consumers’ ethical decisions in this context are driven more by consequence-based judgments than by normative considerations.