Mindful consumption: how social media shapes fashion choices and brand pride

Purpose Fashion brands increasingly use social media to promote sustainability, but different social media marketing activities may not shape mindful consumption in the same way or have the same influence across cultural contexts. This study aims to examine how social media marketing activities (entertainment, electronic word-of-mouth, trendiness, interactivity and personalisation), consumer knowledge and environmental concern influence mindful consumption. It also examines the relationships between mindful consumption, sustainable consumption and brand pride, comparing consumers in the UK and Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on attitude–behaviour–context theory, the study collected survey data from 468 fashion consumers (UK, n = 245; Malaysia, n = 223) and tested the proposed model using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Multi-group analysis was conducted to compare results between the two countries. Findings The results indicate that interactivity and personalisation significantly predicted mindful consumption among British consumers, but not among Malaysian consumers. Entertainment, electronic word-of-mouth and trendiness had no significant effect in either country. In contrast, environmental concern and consumer knowledge were significant predictors in both markets. Mindful consumption significantly predicted sustainable consumption in both countries, while sustainable consumption significantly predicted brand pride, with a stronger effect in Malaysia. Research limitations/implications This research extends the sustainable consumption literature by addressing the literature gap and responding to the call of a recent study to explore antecedents and consequences of mindful consumption of sustainable fashion. It also provides novel insights into how social media marketing, consumer knowledge and environmental concerns have different effects on mindful consumption among Malaysian and British consumers, which leads to improving brand pride. Practical implications This paper provides practical implications for fashion brands on the differences in using social media marketing to improve their connection with consumers through enhanced mindful consumption among Malaysian and British consumers. Originality/value The study provides actionable insights for fashion brands on which social media marketing activities shape mindful consumption across different markets, while highlighting the consistent importance of consumer knowledge and environmental concern in both the UK and Malaysia. It also shows that mindful consumption is linked not only to sustainable consumption but also to brand pride, extending understanding of its outcomes from sustainable behaviour to consumers’ emotional responses towards brands. This provides a broader understanding of the value of mindful consumption across different cultural settings.