IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v67y2014i9p1912-1920.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

When higher prices increase sales: How chronic and manipulated desires for conspicuousness and rarity moderate price's impact on choice of luxury brands

Author

Listed:
  • Hwang, Yookyung
  • Ko, Eunju
  • Megehee, Carol M.

Abstract

This study examines the impact of low, medium, and high prices on luxury brand choices by consumers very high versus very low in chronic desire for conspicuousness (CC) on selection of a luxury brand, namely, as well as the combination of very high versus very low chronic desire for rarity (CR). The research design tests and confirms the nomological validity of a system of relationships among chronic and manipulated conditions. High versus low manipulated desire for conspicuousness (MC) and manipulated desire for rarity (MR) conjoined with high versus low chronic desire for conspicuousness (CC) and chronic desire for rarity (CR) moderates the typically hypothesized negative main effect of price on demand and may cause a positive main effect of price on luxury brand choice across a relevant range of price-points. These findings confirm the applied theory that for some consumers, chronic psychological states in combination with manipulated related states allow for—perhaps demand that—merchants to charge higher prices to increase sales of luxury brands.

Suggested Citation

  • Hwang, Yookyung & Ko, Eunju & Megehee, Carol M., 2014. "When higher prices increase sales: How chronic and manipulated desires for conspicuousness and rarity moderate price's impact on choice of luxury brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(9), pages 1912-1920.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:67:y:2014:i:9:p:1912-1920
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.11.021
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296313003913
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.11.021?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. Axel Stock & Subramanian Balachander, 2005. "The Making of a "Hot Product": A Signaling Explanation of Marketers' Scarcity Strategy," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(8), pages 1181-1192, August.
    2. Gilles Laurent & Bernard Dubois, 1996. "Le luxe par-delà les frontières : une étude exploratoire dans douze pays," Post-Print hal-00458449, HAL.
    3. Lichtenstein, Donald R & Bloch, Peter H & Black, William C, 1988. "Correlates of Price Acceptability," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 15(2), pages 243-252, September.
    4. 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.
    5. Verhallen, Theo M. M. & Robben, Henry S. J., 1994. "Scarcity and preference: An experiment on unavailability and product evaluation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 315-331, June.
    6. 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.
    7. Thorstein Veblen, 1899. "Mr. Cummings's Strictures on "The Theory of the Leisure Class"," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(1), pages 106-106.
    8. 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.
    9. Veblen, Thorstein, 1899. "The Theory of the Leisure Class," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number veblen1899.
    10. Verhallen, Theo M. M., 1982. "Scarcity and consumer choice behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 299-322, December.
    11. 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.
    12. Erickson, Gary M & Johansson, Johny K, 1985. "The Role of Price in Multi-attribute Product Evaluations," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 12(2), pages 195-199, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sharma, Amalesh & Soni, Mauli & Borah, Sourav Bikash & Haque, Tanjum, 2022. "From silos to synergies: A systematic review of luxury in marketing research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 893-907.
    2. Massoud Moslehpour & Ka Yin Chau & Alaleh Dadvari & Ben-Roy Do & Victoria Seitz, 2019. "What Killed HTC and Kept Apple Alive? Brand Sustainability Comparison of Two Asian Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Yu, Shubin & Hudders, Liselot & Cauberghe, Verolien, 2018. "Are fashion consumers like schooling fish? The effectiveness of popularity cues in fashion e-commerce," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 105-116.
    4. Kapferer, Jean-Noël & Valette-Florence, Pierre, 2021. "Which consumers believe luxury must be expensive and why? A cross-cultural comparison of motivations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 301-313.
    5. Massoud Moslehpour & Sahand E. P. Faez & Brij B. Gupta & Varsha Arya, 2023. "A Fuzzy-Based Analysis of the Mediating Factors Affecting Sustainable Purchase Intentions of Smartphones: The Case of Two Brands in Two Asian Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Mandler, Timo & Johnen, Marius & Gräve, Jan-Frederik, 2020. "Can’t help falling in love? How brand luxury generates positive consumer affect in social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 330-342.
    7. Choi, Eunha & Ko, Eunju & Kim, Angella J., 2016. "Explaining and predicting purchase intentions following luxury-fashion brand value co-creation encounters," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5827-5832.
    8. Loureiro, Sandra Maria Correia & de Plaza, Maria Alejandra Pinero & Taghian, Mehdi, 2020. "The effect of benign and malicious envies on desire to buy luxury fashion items," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    9. Bachmann, Frank & Walsh, Gianfranco & Hammes, Eva K., 2019. "Consumer perceptions of luxury brands: An owner-based perspective," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 287-298.
    10. 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.
    11. Kapferer, Jean-Noël & Laurent, Gilles, 2016. "Where do consumers think luxury begins? A study of perceived minimum price for 21 luxury goods in 7 countries," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 332-340.
    12. Balabanis, George & Stathopoulou, Anastasia, 2021. "The price of social status desire and public self-consciousness in luxury consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 463-475.
    13. Michel Gutsatz & Klaus Heine, 2018. "Is luxury expensive?," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(5), pages 411-423, September.
    14. Bradshaw, Hannah K. & Rodeheffer, Christopher D. & Hill, Sarah E., 2020. "Scarcity, sex, and spending: Recession cues increase women's desire for men owning luxury products and men's desire to buy them," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 561-568.
    15. Klein, Jan F. & Falk, Tomas & Esch, Franz-Rudolf & Gloukhovtsev, Alexei, 2016. "Linking pop-up brand stores to brand experience and word of mouth: The case of luxury retail," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5761-5767.
    16. N. D. Albers & A. O. Wren & T. L. Knotts & M. G. Chupp, 2021. "Consumer Perceptions and Pricing Practices for Weddings," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 407-426, September.
    17. Wu, Laurie & Lee, Christopher, 2016. "Limited Edition for Me and Best Seller for You: The Impact of Scarcity versus Popularity Cues on Self versus Other-Purchase Behavior," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 92(4), pages 486-499.
    18. Sandra Awanis & Bodo B Schlegelmilch & Charles Chi Cui, 2017. "Asia’s materialists: Reconciling collectivism and materialism," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(8), pages 964-991, October.

    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. 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).
    2. 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.
    3. Catherine Janssen & Joëlle Vanhamme & Adam Lindgreen & Cécile Lefebvre, 2014. "The Catch-22 of Responsible Luxury: Effects of Luxury Product Characteristics on Consumers’ Perception of Fit with Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 45-57, January.
    4. 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.
    5. Kessous, Aurélie & Valette-Florence, Pierre, 2019. "“From Prada to Nada”: Consumers and their luxury products: A contrast between second-hand and first-hand luxury products," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 313-327.
    6. Shin, Hyunju & Eastman, Jacqueline K. & Mothersbaugh, David, 2017. "The effect of a limited-edition offer following brand dilution on consumer attitudes toward a luxury brand," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 59-70.
    7. 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.
    8. Stępień Beata, 2018. "Snobbish Bandwagoners: Ambiguity of Luxury Goods’ Perception," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 26(1), pages 79-99, March.
    9. Sandra Awanis & Bodo B Schlegelmilch & Charles Chi Cui, 2017. "Asia’s materialists: Reconciling collectivism and materialism," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(8), pages 964-991, October.
    10. Antonia Correia & Metin Kozak & Seongseop (Sam) Kim, 2018. "Luxury shopping orientations of mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong," Tourism Economics, , vol. 24(1), pages 92-108, February.
    11. 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.
    12. Shukla, Paurav & Rosendo-Rios, Veronica, 2021. "Intra and inter-country comparative effects of symbolic motivations on luxury purchase intentions in emerging markets," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    13. Javier F. de la Ballina & Isabel de la Ballina, 2019. "Scarcity as a Desirable Attribute of Luxury Fashion Brands in Millennial Marketing," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 31(2), pages 153-170.
    14. 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.
    15. Dörnyei, Krisztina Rita & Lunardo, Renaud, 2021. "When limited edition packages backfire: The role of emotional value, typicality and need for uniqueness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 233-243.
    16. Chatterjee, Sheshadri & Chaudhuri, Ranjan & Vrontis, Demetris, 2023. "Masstige marketing: An empirical study of consumer perception and product attributes with moderating role of status, emotion, and pride," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PA).
    17. Justina A.V. Fischer & Benno Torgler, 2007. "Social Capital and Relative Income Concerns: Evidence from 26 Countries," CREMA Working Paper Series 2007-05, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    18. Vladimir Zhechev & Daniela Sekulova, 2024. "Potential Effects of Instagram Usage on Conspicuous Consumption of Premium Luxurious Fashion Products among Bulgarians," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2024(2), pages 1-25.
    19. Seo, Yuri & Buchanan-Oliver, Margo, 2019. "Constructing a typology of luxury brand consumption practices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 414-421.
    20. Justina A.V. Fischer & Benno Torgler, 2006. "Does Envy Destroy Social Fundamentals? The Impact of Relative Income Position on Social Capital," University of St. Gallen Department of Economics working paper series 2006 2006-04, Department of Economics, University of St. Gallen.

    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:eee:jbrese:v:67:y:2014:i:9:p:1912-1920. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    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.