Understanding the moderating effect of motivational values on young consumers' responses to luxury brands: A cross-cultural study of South Korea and the USA

By applying motivational values of luxury consumption, this study examined the impact of cultural differences on young consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions toward luxury brands. With the use of survey data (N = 331 for South Koreans and N = 409 for Americans), the study provided support for the hypothesized moderating effect of three perceived values: conspicuous, social, and quality values. The perceived social value was found to influence attitude change favorably among young Korean consumers. The young American consumers tended to increase their attitudes and purchase intentions toward luxury brands if they perceived superior product quality. However, they were more likely to lower their purchase intention as they recognized conspicuous value of consuming luxury brands. On the other hand, the moderating effect of uniqueness and hedonic value was not found. Theoretical and managerial implications were discussed.     

Consumer values,motivation and purchase intention for luxury goods

There is considerable ambivalence in how different societies and cultures relate to the consumption of luxury goods. Thinly focused in the literature are Islamic societies (with rapidly emerging ‘super-rich’ consumer segments) where the concept of luxury may be in tension with religious values. Set against this background, this paper investigates how consumer values and motivation influence purchase intentions towards luxury goods. Based on a sample of 400 respondents drawn from Morocco and applying logistic regression models, the paper finds correlations between the intention to buy luxury goods, motivation and personal values. Paradoxically, the influence of religion appears to diminish as consumer affordability of luxury goods increase. Partly due to globalization of markets and impacts on consumer values, Moslems are not fundamentally different from western consumers with regard to predispositions towards luxury consumption. Potential impacts of religion on luxury consumption attitudes and personal values appear to be moderated by the global consumer culture. The results also show an important gender underpinning especially when considered alongside perceived gender biases in consumption decision-making in many Islamic countries. Regarding the nature of purchase behavior women were found to be more positively disposed to impulse purchasing of luxury goods compared to men while more educated people, generally, indicated a greater tendency towards rational than impulse buying decisions.     

中国消费者奢侈品消费动机的实证研究

亚洲特别是中国正成为世界奢侈品的主要市场,但是受文化的影响,东西方消费者的奢侈品消费动机是不同的。本文回顾了东西方奢侈品消费动机的研究,及其文化背景原因,特别关注了儒家文化对于东亚消费者的影响;对中国消费者的奢侈品消费动机进行了实证分析,对于奢侈品市场细分策略提出了建议。     

Externalised vs. internalised consumption of luxury goods: propositions and implications for luxury retail marketing

This study conceptualises the dichotomy of luxury goods consumption (‘externalised luxury’ vs. ‘internalised luxury’) in terms of six dimensions: on the one hand ostentation, materialism and superfluousness (which refer to luxury as a social statement) and, on the other hand individual lifestyle, emotions/hedonism and culture (which refer to luxury as individual style). Through this literary framework, it presents a series of propositions that might be tested in future research, one for each dimension, about retail strategies and operations for fashion luxury brands. Implications for retail managers of luxury companies are discussed for each proposition, considering the main aspects of retailing strategies and tools (e.g. assortment, sales force, in-store experience and atmospherics) together with possible theoretical developments.     

Traditional culture,political ideologies,materialism and luxury consumption in China

China is now the second largest luxury market in the world. This study examines the effect of traditional Chinese cultural values and support for political ideologies on materialism and interest in luxury products. Results showed that both traditional Chinese cultural values (face, harmony and guanxi) and political ideology (Maoism vs. Deng's theory) influenced materialistic aspirations and interest in luxury products. This suggests that researchers should also consider the influence of political ideology as much as they consider cultural values, as many developing societies are in transition.     

Do they shop to stand out or fit in? The luxury fashion purchase intentions of young adults

A three‐study examination of young adults suggests that their motivation for status in terms of their luxury fashion purchase intentions is impacted by a bandwagon effect. In Study 1, qualitative research informs what fashion items represent status to young adults, how they view these items, and how they view others owning these items. In Study 2, survey research establishes the link between the motivation for status (status consumption) and purchase intention/ownership of these fashion items. In Study 3, a national survey of young adults examines what mediates and moderates the motivation for status to lead to luxury fashion purchase intentions. Results from the three studies indicate that status consumption has a positive impact on purchase intention of luxury fashion. This research also finds that cultural variables have an impact (mediate) the relationship between status consumption and purchase intention. Specifically, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and masculinity mediate the relationship between status consumption and purchase intention. Finally, the moderating impact of the bandwagon effect has a significant effect on the relationship between status consumption and fashion purchase intention for the cultural variables of uncertainty avoidance, long‐term orientation, and power distance. Implications for marketers are provided based on the findings.     

How do crazy rich Asians perceive sustainable luxury? Investigating the determinants of consumers’ willingness to pay a premium price

Motivated by the increasing media coverage of environmental disasters and growing evidence of humans’ detrimental impacts on the natural environment, the key aim of this study was to examine consumer interest in buying sustainable luxury products. Rooted in the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory, a research framework incorporating pro-environmental self-identity (PSI), consumer pro-environmental values (CPV), engagement, and willingness to pay a premium price (WPP) was proposed. To better understand the sustainable behavior of consumers, this study modelled myopia as a personality trait that moderates the aforementioned relationships. Partial least squares path modelling (PLSPM) was employed to analyze data collected from 296 Chinese consumers who had purchased luxury fashion products. The results highlighted the influential role of CPV in shaping both consumer engagement and WPP, surpassing the impact of PSI. Also, the study established the positive effect of engagement on WPP and confirmed its mediating role in the relationship between CPV and WPP. The incorporation of myopia as a moderator further enhanced the explanatory power of the VBN theory in understanding sustainable consumption evaluations. The findings revealed that the positive links between PSI, CPV, engagement, and WPP were particularly pronounced among non-myopic consumers, suggesting that a clear vision of long-term consequences strengthens the connections between these constructs. These findings offer valuable insights to both academics and practitioners, particularly in the realm of luxury fashion brands within Chinese culture. They provide a foundation for designing targeted marketing communication strategies that effectively leverage and cultivate consumers' pro-environmental self-identities and values. By aligning brand messaging with these values, luxury fashion brands can enhance consumer engagement and foster a willingness to invest in sustainable products. Ultimately, this study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable consumption and offers practical implications for promoting environmentally responsible choices in the luxury fashion industry.     

A Value-based Framework for Understanding Managerial Tolerance of Bribery in Latin America

The cross-cultural literature is reviewed and integrated together with attitude theories, thereby outlining a model through which certain values influence the intervening variables that ultimately lead managers to tolerate employee bribery. The case of Latin America is employed to illustrate how regionally dominant cultural values may shape managers’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, which in turn affect tolerance of employee bribery. A series of research propositions and practical recommendations are derived from the model.     

Luxury patient experience (LPX): review,conceptualization, and future research directions

ABSTRACT

The article offers a much-needed definition and conceptualization of the luxury patient experience (LPX) through applying customer experience (CX) theory to the patient experience (PX). The author highlights the important differences between the luxury patient, regular patient, and/or patient on the bottom of the service pyramid. The article proposes the implications these differences have for successfully managing the luxury patient experience. Based upon an investigation of prior customer experience and patient experience research, the article submits a definition of both, patient experience and luxury patient experience. The luxury patient experience conceptualization will influence service providers and their experience design and implementation practices. The article outlines fruitful avenues for future research in the patient luxury experience domain by proposing a shift from healthcare to wealthcare.     

An integrated model for predicting consumer's intention to write online reviews

For marketers, consumers’ increasing use of online reviews in arriving at purchase decisions is a double edged sword. On one hand, it presents opportunity for manufacturers and sellers to be highlighted for their good work, but at the same time, there remains a possibility of negative review impacting goodwill and reputation. Hence, it is important for managers to identify factors that impact consumers’ intentions to write online reviews. This research delves into this aspect by trying to identify the factors that impact reviews writing intentions of consumers for restaurants. The study extends the theory of planned behaviour with additions of variables such as ego involvement, taking vengeance and helping a restaurant. For this, 252 valid responses were obtained, and structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model. Results indicate that perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, ego involvement and taking vengeance are significant predictors of intention to write online reviews for the restaurants.     

Digital buying behavior: The role of regulatory fit and self-construal in online luxury goods purchase intentions

Drawing on regulatory focus theory, this study examines how consumers’ promotion and prevention focus influences luxury purchase intentions in an online domain. The research further investigates the interactive effects of regulatory focus, goal orientation, and self-construal through four studies. Study 1 shows that promotion-focused versus prevention-focused consumers have a greater tendency to purchase luxury goods online and in-store. Contrary to extant research regarding the compatibility between message frame and consumers’ regulatory focus, using varying manipulations, Studies 2 and 3 find the primacy of prevention-framed messages in influencing online luxury purchase intentions for promotion- and prevention-focused consumers. Further, unlike prior studies, Study 4 shows no significant interaction effect between regulatory focus, goal orientation, and self-construal and adds a possible boundary condition by demonstrating how regulatory focus and self-construal effects differ for luxury purchase online. Overall, the studies offer important contributions to theory and practice relating to luxury consumption in cyberspace.     

The role of food eating values and exploratory behaviour traits in predicting intention to consume organic foods: An extended planned behaviour approach

The extant literature on predicting organic food choice as a consumption behaviour has overlooked the role of food eating values (utilitarian and hedonic values) and individuals exploratory buying behavioural traits (exploratory information seeking and exploratory acquisition seeking). The novelty of the study is the use of food eating values and individuals exploratory buying behaviour traits as an extension to the theory of planned behaviour in predicting attitude and intentions towards organic food consumption with a representative sample of N = 431. Data was collected in two phases. In the first phase, a small qualitative face to face (semi structured) interviews were held from 22 respondents to elicit the utilitarian and hedonic values individuals attach with the organic food consumption. This is followed by the collection of survey data from two Indian metropolitan cities (New Delhi and Chennai) using a mall intercept method from the individuals visiting hypermarkets and supermarkets. The hypotheses were tested using structural equations modelling or SEM in IBM AMOS 24. Attitude to consume organic foods was found to be most dominant in predicting behavioural intention in both basic and the extended TPB model followed by subjective norms. Perceived behavioural control was found to be a significant predictor only in the extended TPB model, suggesting a dual role. Findings also suggested that utilitarian values are more influential than hedonic values in the formation of attitudes towards organic foods.Further, the exploratory information seeking traits are found to strengthen the relationship between a) perceived behavioural control and behavioural intention to consume organic foods and b) attitude to consume organic foods and behavioural intention to consume organic foods whereas exploratory acquisition seeking traits to be strengthening the relationship between attitude and behavioural intentions only. Implications for the policy makers is discussed towards the end of the study.     

Investigating consumer attitudes and intentions toward online fashion renting retailing

Due to growth of access-based consumption businesses, it is important to understand how consumers perceive online fashion renting services. Based on two theories, the Theory of Reasoned Actions and expectancy-value approach, this study aims to examine the influence of consumers' attitudes and subjective norms on their intentions to participate in online fashion renting, and to investigate behavioral beliefs that may cause them to form favorable intentions toward online renting. In order to do this, a total of 300 sample surveys were collected from U.S. consumers. To assess the respective measurement model, confirmatory factor analyses were performed, and a structural path analysis was performed to verify the hypothesized relationships. This study empirically asserts that attitudes and subjective norms are key predictors of consumers' intentions to participate in online fashion renting. Consumers' attitudes toward online fashion renting were determined by assessing their perceptions of its relative advantages, compatibility, ownership, and ecological value. While acknowledging the influence of subjective norms and previous fashion rental experience, online fashion rental platforms are also advised to engineer strategies to engage consumers in this practice and to encourage peer referrals. This study sheds light on the determining factors that shape consumers’ attitudes towards and intentions to participate in online fashion renting, from which appropriate business strategies could be devised to enhance consumer engagement and expand the online fashion rental market.     

Jingle bells or ‘green’ bells? The impact of socially responsible consumption principles upon consumer behaviour at Christmas time

Socially responsible consumption (SRC) behaviours have progressed over the last few years and appear to show signs of a lasting trend. Situations of atypical consumption such as Christmas time, however, raise an important and as of yet unexplored question: What are the influences of unusual situations upon the relationship between people's socially responsible profile and their socially responsible purchase intentions (SRPI)? The objective of this article is thus to use the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991 ) and environment‐based variables, called ‘atmospherics’, to answer to this question. A Web survey on a total sample of 301 Canadian consumers, shows that people's past SRC behaviours are positively related to their SRPI in unusual situations. Moreover, the atmosphere of the place consumers are situated in has a negative moderating influence upon this relationship. This result is explained by a change in people's attitude toward SRC. However, this negative moderating effect of atmosphere is contained and constrained by social desirability in the form of subjective norms on SRC and the level of behavioural control consumers perceive.     

Enhancing brand coolness through perceived luxury values: Insight from luxury fashion brands

Consumers of luxury brands have been described as seekers of products that can offer a signaling value to present to others but also a value for their self-concepts in an existentialist spirit potentially linked to being “cool or not.” Prior studies have conceptualized brand coolness and evaluated its impact on consumer responses to brands. However, few studies have contextualized the construct of brand coolness concerning luxury brand realism. We assessed the semiotic tension that luxury brand consumers feel between self-concept and self-presentation to others via a theoretical consideration of four antecedents of brand coolness: individual, social, financial, and functional luxury values; and one intentional outcome such as consumers' passionate desire to use luxury fashion brands. Our findings indicated that luxury values positively influence brand coolness, and brand coolness positively influences passionate desire. We further confirmed that brand coolness plays a complementary mediating role between luxury values and passionate desire. A final contribution is to invite brand managers to consider how luxury values and brand coolness might be used proactively to drive consumers' passionate desires in the relationships with luxury fashion brands.     

The Eureka moment in understanding luxury brand purchases! A non-linear fsQCA-ANN approach

Although substantial research has been conducted to understand the luxury brand consumption at a global level, especially in the Western market, far less attention has been dedicated to the identification of factors driving such purchases in the Asia-Pacific region. This gap is addressed in the present study, which draws upon the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) and complexity theory (CT) to identify the non-linear causal pathways pertaining to Chinese consumers’ luxury brand purchase intention. An online survey was conducted with a sample of Chinese consumers to gather data related to their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, self-congruity, power distance beliefs, and gender. An asymmetrical-based approach was adopted by combining fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with artificial neural network (ANN) analysis. The fsQCA results showed that there are seven solutions (i.e., various combinations of causal antecedents) that can facilitate the formation of luxury brand purchase intention, four of which are gender-specific. After completing the fsQCA, the ANN analysis was conducted to rank the causal conditions in terms of their importance, indicating that attitude and subjective norms are the most relevant antecedents. The present study contributes to the existing luxury branding literature by reevaluating and extending the well-established TPB with new variables and new research lens (i.e., asymmetric thinking). More specifically, this study represents the pioneering effort to apply set theoretic approach in understanding luxury goods consumption, thereby yielding more insightful results that reflect the complexity of reality, and thus advance the findings yielded by past studies that relied on variance-based methods.     

The Devil might wear Prada,but Narcissus wears counterfeit Gucci! How social adjustive functions influence counterfeit luxury purchases

People buy counterfeit luxury goods for a range of reasons, including status and belonging. Previous research has shown these stem from an individual's value-expressive or social-adjustive attitudes. However, there appears to be limited research identifying a clear causal relationship between these and intention to purchase counterfeit goods, or how these attitude functions might be used to inhibit purchase of counterfeit luxury products. Using a mixed (survey/experiment) design, in two studies this research demonstrates an individual's social adjustive function has a positive influence on purchase intent for counterfeit luxury goods. However, the use of value expressive ad appeals can limit this effect on consumer decision making. The findings also demonstrate the existence of contingent effects across different levels of product involvement and product knowledge. The contingent effects help better understand the inconsistent findings in the literature regarding the influence of value-expressive and social-adjustive functions on counterfeit purchase intention, and shed light on the interplay among these variables.     

Intentions of formally qualified and unqualified teachers to transfer norms and values in home economics teaching

Historically, home economics (HE) in general, and the consumer education sections in particular, have been criticized for transferring norms and values of conservative elites to the masses. This is in stark contrast to contemporary theoretical views of a modern HE aimed at educating emancipated and critical citizens, and also to modern curricula that emphasize the consequences of consumption rather than dogma. A previous study has indicated that formally unqualified teachers see the transfer of consumption norms and values without support in the curriculum as an important objective of HE teaching, a practice that is questionable from a democratic perspective. This follow‐up study investigates to what extent formally qualified HE teachers show intentions to transfer consumption norms and values without support in the curriculum to students, using content analysis of 201 survey responses from Swedish qualified HE teachers and comparing to data from a previously published study on formally unqualified teachers. It is concluded that the qualified teachers demonstrate intentions to transfer unsupported norms and values, though, to a lower degree than unqualified teachers. The results are interpreted by adopting a values education perspective on HE. This indicates that the observed emphasis on norms and values could be seen partly as a lack of a proficient professional metalanguage among the teachers, and partly as a consequence of the focus on developing a pre‐defined moral of consumption in HE literature. The implications on how to develop HE teacher education to reduce norm and value transfer intentions are discussed based on the empirical findings and the theoretical framework.     

Understanding the role of social influence in piquing curiosity and influencing attitudes and behaviors in a social network environment

Social networks provide an innovative means for facilitating social influence as well as arousing consumer curiosity. However, research on how social influence impacts attitudes and behaviors in this context is limited. Further, even less research exists examining how curiosity impacts consumers’ behaviors, which is concerning since curiosity may be especially relevant in an online setting. To overcome these gaps, two studies were conducted which demonstrate that a consumer's curiosity toward a social network post is influenced by the group membership of the individual who created the post. In turn, curiosity leads to more positive attitudes toward the experience described or represented in the post, which leads to higher intentions to undertake that experience. Additionally, consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence is found to moderate the relationship between group membership and curiosity. If susceptibility to interpersonal influence is strong enough, content posted by a dissociative group member can also arouse curiosity and positively influence attitudes and behavioral intentions.     

Entrepreneurial Intention and UAE Youth: Unique Influencers of Entrepreneurial Intentions in an Emerging Country Context

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a young, oil-rich country, where national youth display a clear preference for public sector employment. Growing youth unemployment reinforces the importance of non-government employment, including entrepreneurship. This study investigates UAE national youth intentions toward entrepreneurship through the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ). Analysis (N?=?544) identifies the direct influence of attitude and perceived behavioral control and indirect influence of subjective norms on entrepreneurship intention. Results also examine several demographic variables and highlight the potential importance of family and social groups in promoting entrepreneurial intentions in this emerging country context.