The Influence of a Mere Social Presence in a Retail Context

Abstract

While the majority of consumer research that has studied social influences has focused on the impact of an interactive social presence, in this research we demonstrate that a noninteractive social presence (i.e., a mere presence) is also influential. We conduct two field experiments in a retail setting to show when and how a noninteractive social presence that differs in size and proximity impacts consumers’ emotions and self‐presentation behaviors. In doing so, we refine Social Impact Theory by identifying boundary conditions under which the theory does not hold.