Luxury Ethical Consumers: Who Are They?

Abstract

Building on a model of the biological, socio-psychological, and structural drivers of luxury consumption, this article explores when and why luxury consumers consider ethics in their luxury consumption practices, to identify differences in their ethical and ethical luxury consumption. The variables proposed to explain these differences derive from biological, sociopsychological, and structural drivers, namely, consumers' (1) age, (2) ethicality, (3) human values, (4) motivations, and (5) assumptive world. A cluster analysis of a sample of 706 U.S. adult luxury consumers reveals five segments of luxury consumers, each reflecting a specific persona, that engage in both ethical and ethical luxury consumption to varying extents. The five segments differ in the extent to which they exhibit features related to four discriminant functions (immorality, ego-orientation, and strain; altruistic-orientation; conservation, in control, and positivity; and youth and luxury savvy), which vary across the biological, socio-psychological, and structural drivers. The findings thus indicate which segments of luxury consumers are most relevant for luxury firms pursuing a long-term sustainability agenda and suggest practical actions to reach those goals.

Does Sustainable Consumption Behaviour Influence Luxury Services Purchase Intention?

“…This relationship is due to the fact that new luxury consumers have strong social and environmental values and are engaged in more sustainable consumption patterns. They combine the not only the ethical criteria, by considering animals and nature protection, but also the luxury consumption criteria, as uniqueness and self-concept [55,56]. Hereupon, we verify a clear duality between luxury and sustainable consumption.…”

Understanding of consumers’ inconspicuous luxury consumption practices in Vietnam: an exploratory study from an ethical perspective

“…Ethical issues have been investigated in luxury consumption (De Klerk et al , 2019; Vanhamme et al , 2021). However, to our best knowledge, this paper is one of few studies that examine ethical motivations for inconspicuous luxury consumption.…”

“…In the field of contemporary luxury research, studies suggest that morality is associated with luxury consumption (Vanhamme et al , 2021). In addition, luxury goods can be a symbol that influences one’s moral self-image (Stellar and Willer, 2014).…”

“…Past research has also indicated a potential link between ethical issues and consumer choice of inconspicuous luxury products (Wu et al , 2017). Although ethical dispositions can shape consumer perceptions and luxury consumption behaviors (Vanhamme et al , 2021), the nature of the mechanism by which this occurs remains largely unknown. Therefore, an understanding of the ethical considerations associated with inconspicuous luxury experiences will shed light on this phenomenon.…”

Predicting the value‐based determinants of sustainable luxury consumption: A multi‐analytical approach and pathway to sustainable development in the luxury industry

“…Hitherto, equivocal connotations between the concepts of luxury and sustainability have inevitably constrained the study of sustainable luxury consumption, in which luxury is long coupled with ostentation and beyond‐necessity consumption habits, whereas sustainability is linked to moderation, ethics, and the conservation of natural resources (e.g., Achabou & Dekhili, 2013). Yet, if both terminologies were mutually exclusive constructs, there would be no demand for sustainable luxury brands today (Vanhamme et al, 2023). In essence, the early thematic symposium (Osburg et al, 2021) and growing empirical base (e.g., Carranza et al, 2023; Pai et al, 2022) corroborate the optimistic view that luxury and sustainability go hand in hand as both concepts emphasize several common rudiments (e.g., craftsmanship, durability, rarity, and heritage).…”