Men’s consumer identities and their consumption norms in the perceived, conceived and lived spaces of spas

ABSTRACT

This empirical study incorporates social space and gender into consumer behaviour research to explore consumer identities and consumption practices within the UK spa marketplace. The paper contends that the relationship between gender, consumption and space is intertwined and reciprocal. Semi-structured interviews with ten men who visit spas reveal that spas influence the construction of men’s consumer identities in multiple ways through empowerment, struggle and resistance that exist in the social spa space. The proposed theoretical framework reflects the dynamics between space, men’s consumer identities and their consumption habits. The perceived, conceived and lived experiences that emerge through the data suggest that spas can transform into a gender-inclusive marketplace.

KEYWORDS:

• Space
• spa
• gender
• masculinity
• consumer identities
• consumption norms

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the special issue editors and the reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments and suggestions in developing this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Edita Petrylaite

Edita Petrylaite is Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Leadership in the Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategy at the Faculty of Business and Law, Northumbria University, UK. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and holds a PhD in gender and consumer behaviour from Northumbria University. Her research interests include gender, masculinity, consumer behaviour, leadership, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial marketing. Edita presents her research in marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship conferences, namely, Gender, Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) and European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ECIE).

David Hart

David Hart is Associate Professor in Marketing in the Department of Marketing, Operations and Systems at Northumbria University. He holds a PhD in marketing, is a Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellow and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing North East Board. His primary research interests are charitable marketing, customer loyalty and consumer behaviour. He has published research in journals such as the Journal of Brand Management and Social Business.