Authenticity of Purchase Decisions

What it measures

A three-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer is motivated to seek and purchase products or brands that communicate and enhance their personal authenticity. Items tap active pursuit of authenticity through purchasing, the use of genuine products as a vehicle for self-expression, and the monitoring of the marketplace for authentic brand options. Adapted from the consumer need for uniqueness literature, the scale operationalises authenticity-seeking as a distinct consumption motivation that shapes brand and product choices.

Response format

Likert (format not specified)

Scale items

• Often when buying merchandise, an important goal is to find something that communicates my authenticity.
• I actively seek to develop my personal authenticity by buying genuine products or brands.
• I'm often on the lookout for genuine products or brands that will add to my personal authenticity.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Two reliability estimates: α = .89 (Study 3, n not specified) and α = .94 (pilot study, web appendix) — Bellezza & Berger (2020). VALIDITY: Principal component analysis confirmed items loaded on a single factor (web appendix). Response format not described — researchers should specify and report the scale used. Scale adapted by selecting three items from the consumer need for uniqueness scale by Tian, Bearden & Hunter (2001, Journal of Marketing Research 38(2), 50–66) and rewording to emphasise authenticity rather than uniqueness; items are not identical to the original. NOTE: The authenticity and uniqueness constructs overlap conceptually — researchers should assess discriminant validity when both constructs are used in the same study.

Citation

Bellezza, Silvia and Jonah Berger (2020). Trickle-round signals: When low status is mixed with high. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(1), 100–116.

Keywords