Understanding the Influence of Nostalgia Marketing on Cuisine Consumption Behavior in North India

Purpose : This research aimed to investigate the role of nostalgia factors, such as personal, historical, and cultural, on individual emotions influencing their consumption behavior in the context of traditional food consumption in North India. Methodology : To conduct this study, we adopted the Stimulus–Organism–Response theory. In the study, nostalgic cues were conceptualized as stimuli, nostalgic emotions as the organism’s state, and consumer behaviors such as purchase intentions and repurchase intentions as responses. Furthermore, the association between them was analyzed adopting a descriptive research design using a cross-sectional study. A survey method using a questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents, and structural equation modeling was employed to analyze and test the hypotheses. Findings : The results showed that all three forms of nostalgia (i.e., personal, historical, and cultural) had a positive influence on nostalgic emotion. Further, the study established that nostalgic emotion was positively and significantly associated with purchase intention; however, its association with repurchase intention could not be established. The study further established that re-purchase intention could only be initiated through purchase intention. Practical Implications : The study highlighted that strong past emotional memories can induce people’s positive actions toward traditional foods, establishing the significance of nostalgia marketing strategies. This study also supported the marketers’ efforts to use nostalgic branding to build strong emotional connections with consumers for market growth. Originality : This study is the first to understand the underlying dynamics of nostalgia marketing on cuisine consumption behavior in North India. Also, it fills the gap in the extant literature, which otherwise lacks an important scope of nostalgia marketing.