Impact of Perceived Unfairness and Scarcity on Fans’ Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Toward K-pop Concert Merchandise

With the global rise of K-pop, concert merchandise has become a major revenue source in recent years. However, aggressive marketing practices have increased consumers’ perceptions of unfairness and scarcity. Using balance theory and the Value–Attitude–Behavior (VAB) framework, this study examines how fandom-related factors (affection toward the idol, self-expression, and group identification) and marketing-related perceptions (perceived scarcity and perceived unfairness) influence attitudes toward concert merchandise, which then affect repurchase and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions. PLS-SEM analysis of survey data from 294 international K-pop fans shows that affection, self-expression, perceived scarcity, and perceived unfairness significantly predict attitudes, which in turn influence both repurchase and eWOM intentions. Group identification does not significantly affect attitudes. These findings show that fans remain sensitive to fairness and scarcity perceptions despite strong affective attachment, emphasizing the importance of balancing exclusivity with fair merchandising practices.