Consumer ideologies in time of uncertainty

Consumer ideologies play a crucial role in the emergence of new forms of lifestyles and consumptions patterns, such as the neo-frugality trend, that (re)emerged due to the above-mentioned environmental issues, but also due to economic constraints. The study of consumer ideologies lies at the heart of marketing research. Indeed, consumer ideologies entail the way in which consumers think. This can reveal key insights for the development of effective marketing strategies. In this perspective, consumption is a symbolic act, through which consumers not only focus on the products but also give great importance to the symbolic meanings behind the act of consumption. In general terms, consumer research defines consumer ideologies as any sets of normative beliefs shared among groups of individuals. In most of the cases, consumer ideologies manifest in the form of action-oriented ideas that provide values, meaning, and identity (Schmitt et al., 2021). As time moves forward, new consumer ideologies emerge, while the existing are subject to continuous evolution. Thus, ideology formation and evolution are iterative in nature, as they encompass social practices and processes. We welcome papers providing new empirical evidence and theory testing on consumer ideologies. There is also room for in depth qualitative analysis to investigate how consumer ideologies evolve over time. Moreover, we invite scholars to propose conceptual contributions, methodological advancements and literature reviews representing the current state on knowledge on consumer ideologies.