The Role of Self-Construal in Group-Buying Propensities of Chinese and Canadian Generation Z

Today, the use of group-buying platforms is expanding and diversifying, affecting both consumers and businesses. This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion of these platforms' global market segmentation by providing a cross-cultural understanding of the correlations between self-construal level, group-purchasing behaviour, and underlying group-purchase incentives predicted by self-construal theories among Generation Z. Data were collected from current Chinese and Canadian undergraduates at McGill University. The results reveal different relationships between self-construal, group-buying incentives, and group-buying propensity in both participant groups. For group purchases with friends (Study 1), the level of interdependent self-construal is associated with an increased likelihood for Chinese participants to share their purchase list. Nonetheless, in both participant groups, self-construal level is not associated with a propensity to accept purchase invitations from friends, while conversely, the intention to strengthen friendship bonds is a reason for accepting such invitations. For group purchases with strangers (Study 2), the level of interdependent self-construal positively correlates with both participant groups’ pursuit of group savings. Lower levels of self-construal also increase the level of pursuit of popular items among the Chinese participants. The findings shed light on the mentalities behind group-buying propensities in Generation Z, and they reinforce the need for culturally tailored managerial approaches for group-buying platforms.