purpose: Mysterious consumption refers to actions in which purchases beyond the obvious function of the product are mainly influenced by symbolic, hedonistic, or status motives, and its meaning is ambiguous for the individual and others. Given that this phenomenon is rooted in the subjective experiences and social contexts of consumers, and in the field of marketing, understanding its hidden layers is essential for accurate market segmentation and brand positioning. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of designing a model of the phenomenon of mysterious consumption in the food industry using the fuzzy TISM method.
Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in terms of nature and method. The statistical population consists of food production industries in Lorestan province, and these experts include three groups of professors from the faculty of Lorestan University, sales and marketing managers of brands active in this industry, as well as customers and consumers of food products as the main participants in the interview process. Using the snowball sampling method and based on the principle of theoretical sufficiency, 20 of them were considered as the research sample. The data collection tool is an interview in the qualitative part and a questionnaire in the quantitative part The validity and reliability of the interview were confirmed using content and theoretical validity methods, and intra-coder and inter-coder reliability. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were also confirmed using face validity and test-retest reliability. In this study, content analysis and coding methods with MAXQDA software were used for data analysis in the qualitative part. Also, the fuzzy TISM method was used for quantitative analysis.
Findings: The findings from data analysis include identifying the dimensions and components affecting the formation of the mysterious consumption phenomenon in four axes: the areas of formation of this phenomenon, its aggravating factors, its dimensions and consequences, of which the experience-centered culture among microtrends, generational tendencies towards new experiences, the resilience of society against ambiguity and risk, and the shopping ecosystem were identified as the areas of formation of the mysterious consumption phenomenon. Also, the ideological cluster, the lack of transparency of the effort-result relationship, gamified advertising campaigns, cryptic as a strategy to attract customer attention, and the perceptual valuation of the product were identified as factors aggravating the mysterious consumption phenomenon. Phased or trial purchases with limited risk, clastic/shared purchases, reliance on brand equity, and selective avoidance have been shown as dimensions of the cryptic consumption phenomenon. Finally, explosive excitement, cognitive dissonance after purchase, erosion of brand loyalty value, and finally, explosive excitement, post-purchase cognitive dissonance, erosion of brand loyalty value, and deepening of cognitive involvement with the brand are among the consequences that have been listed for the phenomenon of mysterious consumption.
Conclusion: The results of the research include identifying the dimensions and components affecting the formation of the phenomenon of mysterious consumption in four axes: the contexts of the formation of the phenomenon of mysterious consumption, the factors that exacerbate mysterious consumption, the dimensions of the phenomenon of mysterious consumption, and its consequences.