Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19183404

Moni Mishra and Aryan Sharma (Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi)

The authors employed a qualitative methodology to assess how subscription economics affects consumer psychology beyond the traditional measures of churn and loyalty for 27 urban Indians. The research utilized semi-structured interviews, along with reflexive thematic analysis based on Commitment Theory, Psychological Ownership Theory, and Hedonic Adaptation Theory to identify six themes: (1) psychological ownership without physical property; (2) an evolutionary process of temporal commitment to evolve from honeymoon through habituation to hostage phases; (3) subscription portfolio cognitive overload; (4) the role of social embeddedness within a collectivist culture; (5) promotional pricing as an anchor effect; and (6) identity integration. The findings demonstrated that consumers can have fragile forms of psychological ownership through customization; consumers experience hedonic adaptation that reduces their perception of value; and that consumers use motivated ignorance to manage their multiple subscriptions. The authors also indicated that auto-renewal mechanisms contribute to passive retention even when consumers experience a decline in their satisfaction, which raises ethical concerns. Social pressures of family sharing and fear of missing out (FOMO) driven social pressures were found to influence Indian subscription economics uniquely. The authors provide culturally grounded perspectives to advance access-based consumption theory and to inform the development of ethically designed subscriptions and consumer protection frameworks.