The Role of Social Facilitation Theory on Consumer Decision Making: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Social influence has been a topic of interest in consumer behavior. Researchers have shown that non-interactive social presence can influence consumer behavior. Does the presence of others affect consumer decision making too? Based on social facilitation theory, we propose that in a retail store setting, consumers take longer and make inaccurate decisions in the presence of non-interactive others if the decision making task is difficult (many different brands with different attribute levels are available) than if the decision task is easy. Personality trait, self-sufficiency, plays a moderating role in this relationship. The research has many managerial implications.