Impact of smartphones, self-determination and patience on subjective well-being of bottom of pyramid customers

Study objective: This paper analyzes the impact of non-essential purchases, particularly smartphones, and patience on self-determination and subjective well-being of bottom of pyramid customers.Method: 665 questionnaires were personally administered to respondents. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS SEM) was performed using SmartPLS software to test multiple dependency relationships between non-essential purchases, self-determination, subjective well-being and patience.Main results: Non-essential purchases, particularly smartphones, had a direct effect on self-determination and an indirect effect on subjective well-being of bottom of pyramid customers. Non-essential purchases fulfilled psychological need for self-determination, that led to subjective well-being. Moreover, patience was established as a significant predictor of self-determination and subjective well-being.Theoretical/ methodological contributions: This paper makes a theoretical contribution by connecting social identity theory, self-determination theory and patience with non-essential purchases and subjective well-being of bottom of pyramid customers.Relevance/ originality: Relatively fewer researches are available in Western marketing literature that connect patience with self-determination and subjective well-being of bottom of pyramid customers. The novel insight of this research showed that non-essential purchases can restore a sense of subjective well-being in such customers and when poverty related adverse situations tend to lower subjective well-being of these customers, patience positively impacts their self-determination and does not let them despair.Managerial and social implications: Marketers can use the insights from this research to develop products that satisfy bottom of pyramid customer’s psychological needs for self-determination that lead to subjective wellbeing in a consumer society.