IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jmarka/v11y2023i2d10.1057_s41270-022-00157-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Going (in)conspicuous: antecedents and moderators of luxury consumption

Author

Listed:
  • Amélia Maria Pinto Cunha Brandão

    (University of Porto)

  • Hugo Eduardo Magalhães Barbedo

    (University of Porto)

Abstract

As a result of the increasing worldwide luxury expenditure, and consequently, its democratization, consumers in mature markets feel that luxury has lost its uniqueness and exclusivity. Despite academia having deemed conspicuousness and luxury connected, this study intends to determine the main antecedents of (in)conspicuous luxury consumption, and cross-culturally analyze both conspicuous and inconspicuous luxury consumption. A partial least square structure equational model was conducted. The data collection framework followed a traditional SEM data collection and consequent analysis. The results revealed that consumer need for uniqueness is an antecedent of inconspicuousness luxury consumption, while cultural capital has a negative effect on conspicuous luxury consumers, mediated by susceptibility to normative influence. Additionally, between Southern European and Central/Eastern European consumers, cultural capital impacts differently on luxury consumption. By adopting a critical view of the nature of luxury, analyzing its conceptual evolution through the ages, and matching it to its current landscape via identifying antecedents of inconspicuous luxury consumption, this study is a steppingstone for luxury consumption research, as it postulates a new understanding of what constitutes luxury consumption, thus opening up new research avenues for academia.

Suggested Citation

  • Amélia Maria Pinto Cunha Brandão & Hugo Eduardo Magalhães Barbedo, 2023. "Going (in)conspicuous: antecedents and moderators of luxury consumption," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(2), pages 202-218, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jmarka:v:11:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1057_s41270-022-00157-8
    DOI: 10.1057/s41270-022-00157-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41270-022-00157-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41270-022-00157-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tian, Kelly Tepper & Bearden, William O & Hunter, Gary L, 2001. "Consumer's Need for Uniqueness: Scale Development and Validation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 28(1), pages 50-66, June.
    2. Belk, Russell W, 1988. "Possessions and the Extended Self," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 15(2), pages 139-168, September.
    3. Zainudin Awang & Asyraf Afthanorhan & Mustafa Mamat, 2016. "The Likert scale analysis using parametric based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)," Computational Methods in Social Sciences (CMSS), "Nicolae Titulescu" University of Bucharest, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 4(1), pages 13-21, June.
    4. Nueno, Jose Luis & Quelch, John A., 1998. "The mass marketing of luxury," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 61-68.
    5. Huang, Tseng-Lung, 2019. "Psychological mechanisms of brand love and information technology identity in virtual retail environments," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 251-264.
    6. Michelle F. Weinberger & Jane R. Zavisca & Jennifer M. Silva, 2017. "Consuming for an Imagined Future: Middle-Class Consumer Lifestyle and Exploratory Experiences in the Transition to Adulthood," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(2), pages 332-360.
    7. Miller, Karen W. & Mills, Michael K., 2012. "Contributing clarity by examining brand luxury in the fashion market," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(10), pages 1471-1479.
    8. Shao, Wei & Grace, Debra & Ross, Mitchell, 2019. "Investigating brand visibility in luxury consumption," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 357-370.
    9. Matthew J. Bernthal & David Crockett & Randall L. Rose, 2005. "Credit Cards as Lifestyle Facilitators," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(1), pages 130-145, June.
    10. Shao, Wei & Grace, Debra & Ross, Mitchell, 2019. "Consumer motivation and luxury consumption: Testing moderating effects," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 33-44.
    11. Jean-Noël Kapferer & Pierre Valette-Florence, 2018. "The impact of increased brand penetration on luxury desirability: a dual effect," Post-Print hal-03513386, HAL.
    12. DUBOIS, Bernard & LAURENT, Gilles & CZELLAR, Sandor, 2001. "Consumer rapport to luxury : Analyzing complex and ambivalent attitudes," HEC Research Papers Series 736, HEC Paris.
    13. Bruno Godey & Daniele Pederzoli & Gaetano Aiello & Raffaele Donvito & Klaus-Peter Wiedmann & Nadine Hennigs, 2013. "A cross-cultural exploratory content analysis of the perception of luxury from six countries," Post-Print hal-00956659, HAL.
    14. Makkar, Marian & Yap, Sheau-Fen, 2018. "Emotional experiences behind the pursuit of inconspicuous luxury," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 222-234.
    15. Jonah Berger & Morgan Ward, 2010. "Subtle Signals of Inconspicuous Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(4), pages 555-569, December.
    16. Bearden, William O & Etzel, Michael J, 1982. "Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 9(2), pages 183-194, September.
    17. H. Leibenstein, 1950. "Bandwagon, Snob, and Veblen Effects in the Theory of Consumers' Demand," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 64(2), pages 183-207.
    18. Sheth, Jagdish N. & Newman, Bruce I. & Gross, Barbara L., 1991. "Why we buy what we buy: A theory of consumption values," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 159-170, March.
    19. Park, C Whan & Lessig, V Parker, 1977. "Students and Housewives: Differences in Susceptibility to Reference Group Influence," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 4(2), pages 102-110, Se.
    20. Jean-Noël M. Kapferer & Pierre Valette-Florence, 2018. "The impact of increased brand penetration on luxury desirability: a dual effect," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(5), pages 424-435, September.
    21. Baek, Eunsoo & Oh, Ga-Eun (Grace), 2021. "Diverse values of fashion rental service and contamination concern of consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 165-175.
    22. Holt, Douglas B, 1998. "Does Cultural Capital Structure American Consumption?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 25(1), pages 1-25, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gurzki, Hannes & Woisetschläger, David M., 2017. "Mapping the luxury research landscape: A bibliometric citation analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 147-166.
    2. Ostovan, Nima & Khalili Nasr, Arash, 2022. "The manifestation of luxury value dimensions in brand engagement in self-concept," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    3. Roux, Elyette & Tafani, Eric & Vigneron, Franck, 2017. "Values associated with luxury brand consumption and the role of gender," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 102-113.
    4. Ko, Eunju & Costello, John P. & Taylor, Charles R., 2019. "What is a luxury brand? A new definition and review of the literature," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 405-413.
    5. Hemonnet-Goujot, Aurélie & Valette-Florence, Pierre, 2022. "“All you need is love” from product design value perception to luxury brand love: An integrated framework," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1463-1475.
    6. Gianluigi Guido & Cesare Amatulli & Alessandro M. Peluso & Clarissa Matteis & Luigi Piper & Giovanni Pino, 2020. "Measuring internalized versus externalized luxury consumption motivations and consumers’ segmentation," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2020(1), pages 25-47, March.
    7. Kastanakis, Minas N. & Balabanis, George, 2012. "Between the mass and the class: Antecedents of the “bandwagon” luxury consumption behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(10), pages 1399-1407.
    8. Aurélie Hemonnet-Goujot & Pierre Valette-Florence, 2022. "“All you need is love”. From product design value perception to luxury brand love: An integrated framework," Post-Print hal-03562015, HAL.
    9. Kilsheimer Eastman, Jacqueline & Iyer, Rajesh & Babin, Barry, 2022. "Luxury not for the masses: Measuring inconspicuous luxury motivations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 509-523.
    10. Semaan, Rania W. & Lindsay, Val & Williams, Paul & Ashill, Nick, 2019. "The influence of gender roles in the drivers of luxury consumption for women: Insights from the gulf region," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 165-175.
    11. Makkar, Marian & Yap, Sheau-Fen, 2018. "Emotional experiences behind the pursuit of inconspicuous luxury," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 222-234.
    12. Daria Greenberg & Elena Ehrensperger & Michael Schulte-Mecklenbeck & Wayne D. Hoyer & Z. John Zhang & Harley Krohmer, 2020. "The role of brand prominence and extravagance of product design in luxury brand building: What drives consumers’ preferences for loud versus quiet luxury?," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(2), pages 195-210, March.
    13. Jin, Ting & Prentice, Catherine & Shao, Wei, 2021. "Identifying antecedent conditions for luxury brand purchase," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    14. Jebarajakirthy, Charles & Das, Manish, 2021. "Uniqueness and luxury: A moderated mediation approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    15. Turunen, Linda Lisa Maria & Cervellon, Marie-Cecile & Carey, Lindsey Drylie, 2020. "Selling second-hand luxury: Empowerment and enactment of social roles," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 474-481.
    16. Gierl, Heribert & Huettl, Verena, 2010. "Are scarce products always more attractive? The interaction of different types of scarcity signals with products' suitability for conspicuous consumption," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 225-235.
    17. Simona Romani & Giacomo Gistri & Stefano Pace, 2012. "When counterfeits raise the appeal of luxury brands," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 807-824, September.
    18. Zhan, Lingjing & He, Yanqun, 2012. "Understanding luxury consumption in China: Consumer perceptions of best-known brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(10), pages 1452-1460.
    19. Russell Belk, 2011. "Benign envy," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 1(3), pages 117-134, December.
    20. Shao, Wei & Grace, Debra & Ross, Mitchell, 2019. "Consumer motivation and luxury consumption: Testing moderating effects," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 33-44.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jmarka:v:11:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1057_s41270-022-00157-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.