The Influence of the Interaction Between Product Fit and Self-Construction on Consumers' Purchase Intention in Co-branding: The Intermediary Mechanism of Processing Fluency

With the increasingly fierce market competition, co-branding between brands has become the norm. Through co-branding, brands can achieve the effect of integrating resources and audiences, thereby enhancing value and driving market breakthroughs. Still, there are not a few cases of co-branded product failures. Therefore, existing research has not been able to explain the operating mechanism of such business decisions fully. This paper focuses on the mechanism of product fit and consumer self-construction of co-branded brands, introducing conceptual processing fluency as an intermediary variable to explore its impact on consumers' purchase intentions. The research method of this paper involves collecting questionnaire data and then analyzing it. The study found that product fit significantly affected consumers' processing fluency and purchase intention, while self-construction only played a partial role in the path. The overall interaction effect was not significant; however, the group analysis revealed that high fit could significantly enhance purchase intention by improving processing fluency among dependent consumers. In independent consumers, the mediating effect is not established. This article holds specific guidance for brands to develop more effective co-branding strategies.