Compensatory consumption and consumer compromises: a state-of-the-art review

ABSTRACT

Compensatory consumption has been an increasingly researched yet widely debated area of consumer behaviour over the last 20 years. Extant research formulates the term as overwhelmingly negative, largely due to the simplistic and fragmented conceptualisations assumed in prior work. The purpose of the current paper is to present a comprehensive review of the umbrella term of compensatory consumption, incorporating a continuum of behaviours and accounting for the pre- and post-consumption periods including both positive and negative viewpoints. In addition, expanding upon the theory of need satisfaction, the current paper introduces a novel conceptual distinction between compensation and compromise. Finally, a proposed theoretical framework is presented that differentiates between compensatory and compromisory consumption based on the extent of consumer consciousness, rationality and rationalisation. Future research directions are offered.

KEYWORDS:

• Compensatory consumption
• compensation
• compromise
• rationalisation
• consumption continuum
• consumer consciousness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In the case of Mazzocco et al. (2012), the focus is more on conspicuous consumption. Given that they used the term interchangeably with compensatory consumption, it is retained here.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bernadett Koles

Bernadett Koles is a Permanent Faculty Member at the Department of Marketing at Rennes School of Business, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Marketing at Durham University.

Victoria Wells

Victoria Wells is a Professor in Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at York Management School.

Mark Tadajewski

Mark Tadajewski is a Professor of Marketing at Durham University.