The Effect of Motivation Type on Self- Gifting Intention

Abstract

Gift-giving is a common phenomenon with long history in human social lives. There are two typical types of gifts in accordance to the recipient: interpersonal gifts and self-gifts. The former ones refer to gifts received from others while the latter ones refer to those gifts received from ourselves. More and more consumers nowadays begin giving gifts for themselves in different occasions after experiencing success or failure. In this thesis, the focus is given to self-gifting behaviors in the context of achievement. The major research question is that whether the source that motivate the goal achievement or task completion will have an effect on consumers self-gifting intentions. This thesis aims to investigate how extrinsic and intrinsic motivation lead in different levels of self-gifting intentions. It is proposed that the underlying mechanism for effect of motivation type on self-gift preference is due to perceived effort and deservingness for rewards. In addition, this research also investigates whether self-construal (interdependent vs. independent) moderates the relationship between motivation type and deservingness for rewards. To test these proposition, a 2*2 between-subjects main experiment was conducted. The results support the proposed hypotheses that extrinsic motivation leads in greater perceived effort and subsequently brings about more deservingness for rewards, which then causes increase in self-gifting intention. And self-construal plays a moderating role in a way that independent individuals are more likely to feel deserved for rewards and show greater self-gifting intention when goals are fulfilled out of extrinsic motivation. The current research contributes to the extant literature on self-gifting consumption behaviors. It has been suggested by previous research that accomplishment increases self-gifting intention and this study further investigates how different motivation that direct the accomplishment makes a difference in self-gifting intention. This study also investigates how self-construal affects self-gifting intention. Managerial implications were provided. Since this research suggests that motivation and independent self-construal promote self-gifting intention, focusing on customers who are more exposed to external pressure and priming customers to be more independent may encourage self-gifting behaviors. Finally, limitations and further research will be discussed.