Research on the Influence of Loneliness on Consumers’ Purchase Intention: Mediating Effect of Lack of Perceptual Control

Abstract

Loneliness is prevalent in today’s society, but few studies have concentrated on the impact of loneliness on consumer behavior. This paper investigated the relationship between loneliness and consumer purchase intention, the mediation effect of the lack of perceptual control, and the boundary condition of the construal level. This study conducted two experiments for empirical analysis. The empirical results revealed the following: Firstly, loneliness has a significant impact on consumers’ purchase intention, which means consumers’ purchase intention is affected by individual loneliness, and people with high loneliness have higher purchase intention than those with low loneliness. Secondly, the lack of perceived control positively influences consumers’ purchase intention, and mediates the relationship between loneliness and consumers’ purchase intention. Thirdly, the construal level moderates the relationship between loneliness and purchase intention. Finally, the construal level moderates the relationship between the lack of perceptual control and purchase intention. This study provided t he general discussion, implications, and further research at the end of this study.