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Introduction
All individuals crave uniqueness to some extent ([25] Fromkin, 1972; [52] Snyder, 1992; [53], [54] Snyder and Fromkin, 1977, 1980), making need for uniqueness (NFU) a universal trait ([15] Burns and Brady, 1992). NFU affects consumers' need for uniqueness (CNFU), exhibited through their acquisition and display of distinctive products ([38], [39] Lynn and Harris, 1997a, b; [52] Snyder, 1992; [54] Snyder and Fromkin, 1980; [61] Tian et al. , 2001). CNFU drives individuals to pursue dissimilarity through consumption in an effort to develop a distinctive self and social image ([61] Tian et al. , 2001). Thus, the display or use of products can serve as expressive symbols of uniqueness ([53] Snyder and Fromkin, 1977).
Consumers establish their uniqueness through various uniqueness-seeking behaviors in response to environmental inputs that increase or decrease their perceptions of similarity to others ([61] Tian et al. , 2001). Research has documented that NFU affects behaviors such as a desire for or customized scarce products, the pursuit of innovative consumption, and a preference for unique shopping venues ([38], [39] Lynn and Harris, 1997a, b). CNFU's outcomes include purchasing/displaying novelty, vintage, antique, personalized, or handcrafted goods, as well as purchasing in nontraditional outlets such as antique stores, garage sales, and swap meets ([59] Tepper, 1997).
CNFU has been operationalized with 31 items along three dimensions: creative choice counterconformity, unpopular choice counterconformity, and avoidance of similarity ([61] Tian et al. , 2001; [62] Tian and Mckenzie, 2001). However, this extensive CNFU scale challenges scholars and respondents, which might have hindered further research on it. Also, with such a long scale, there is always a concern about redundancy between closely related items. In addition, [22] Drolet and Morrison (2001, p. 201) argued that shorter scales reduce monotony, costs, and response bias, and more particularly "an increase in the number of items encourages inappropriate response behavior and gives rise to positively correlated error term across items within respondents." Thus, there is a need to develop a short-form and parsimonious CNFU scale that will also adhere to its three-dimensional conceptualization ([57] Steenkamp and Baumgartner, 1995).
Additionally, since CNFU (like NFU) has been conceptualized as a universal cross-cultural trait ([61] Tian et al. , 2001; [62] Tian and Mckenzie, 2001), it is essential to establish...