Need for Affiliation

Need for Affiliation

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

The wish to be with others and to be liked by them.

What it is

In a 2012 pair of studies on retail density, shoppers with a strong need for affiliation did not have a worse time in dense stores and spent more there, apparently to create a favourable impression on other customers. It is drawn from work by T. J. L. van Rompay and colleagues (as applied to retail density) (2012).

In effect

In the article on why we spend more with friends, it serves as the trait behind spending in crowded stores.

What it does not say

It is a trait that varies between people, and the retail finding concerns shoppers with a strong need for it. The explanation that they spent to create a favourable impression is the authors' reading.

Sources

  1. van Rompay, T. J. L., Krooshoop, J., Verhoeven, J. W. M., & Pruyn, A. T. H. (2012). With or without you: Interactive effects of retail density and need for affiliation on shopping pleasure and spending. Journal of Business Research, 65(8), 1126-1131.