Another limitation related to product category is that, in
France, drinking coffee is a socially shared cultural habit. It is
a common social convention to offer coffee to guests, which
means that coffee machines generally involve public rather
than private consumption. Previous work showed that private
vs. public consumption is an important variable that
determines choice (Ratner and Kahn, 2002). It is likely that
perceived social risk plays a key role in purchases that include
an inherent social dimension, or that involve conspicuous
consumption (such as the fashionable Espresso machine).
However, avoiding social sanctions as an external motivation
would probably not be relevant in the case of private
consumption. Future research could assess the relative
importance of social risk when dealing with private or public
consumption