Title: Experiencing less leads to the use of more: The effect of a scarcity mindset on product usage

Abstract

In social marketing campaigns, demonstrating the severity of scarcity to highlight the importance of reducing wasteful behaviours is a prevalent approach that seems logically justified. However, whether and how a scarcity mindset influences product usage in waste generation remains unclear. The present article reveals the process underlying the effect of a scarcity mindset on product usage with experiments and serial mediation analysis. Five studies demonstrate that reminding consumers of a scarcity experience induces them to be more selfishly oriented and to experience less anticipated guilt of waste, thereby increasing their usage amount. In Study 1, we found that reminding consumers about their experiences with scarcity led them to be more self-oriented and increased their product usage. Study 2 showed the role of serial mediators, i.e., a selfish tendency and anticipated guilt of waste, in the enhancement of a scarcity mindset on usage. Study 3A and 3B found that enhancing the possession–self link with ownership increased the anticipated guilt of waste and decreased usage after priming a scarcity mindset. Study 4 suggested that recycling education about the classification of recyclable and unrecyclable waste increased consumers’ anticipated guilt of waste and undermined the effect of a scarcity mindset on increasing product usage. This research thus advances our understanding of the factors that affect consumption quantity and sheds light on waste prevention and reduction.