Role of consumer vanity and the mediating effect of brand consciousness in luxury consumption

Abstract

Purpose There has been substantial research on luxury globally, but there is a dearth of studies empirically investigating the key relationships affecting luxury consumption. The aim of this paper is to consider the role of consumer vanity and brand consciousness and to set their relationships in context of luxury consumption. Design/methodology/approach To measure consumer vanity, brand consciousness, attitude towards luxury brands and purchase intentions, pre-established scale items were adopted. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed through luxury exhibitions and festivals in major cities of India. A sample of n = 342 luxury consumers was analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings The findings support that brand consciousness is mediating the relationship between consumer vanity and luxury consumption. Luxury consumers are primarily driven by achievement vanity. They are likely to evaluate luxury brands based on their price, fame and their ability to portray their professional achievements. They incur unreasonable costs to acquire the expensive, famous and prestigious luxury brands and conspicuously consume them to display their success and accomplishments. Research limitations/implications The study provides an in-depth explanation of how consumer vanity is leading to consumption of luxury brands. The marketers may benefit by focussing on promotion of their brand's symbols and logos than on specific product features. Originality/value This is the first empirical examination understanding the mediating effect of brand consciousness as a mediator between consumer vanity and luxury consumption.

Celebrity Endorsement and the Attitude Towards Luxury Brands for Sustainable Consumption

“…In marketing literature, research suggests that the behaviour of vanity is usually observed by consumers to signal their social status and wealth by consuming luxury brands [92,93]. As luxury brands are appearance-related conspicuous products, vanity plays a role in influencing, motivating, and promoting brands to the consumers [88,94].…”

Mobile Users’ Online Luxury Consumption in China: The Moderating Role of Face Consciousness

“…e quality of luxury products and the allure of designer brands are indispensable factors that should not be ignored when considering the online luxury consumption of consumers. Highend brands are perceived as premium quality [4]; hence, brand consciousness and attitude [6,7] and brand prominence [3] and uniqueness [5] figure largely as shopping motivators. Other scholars have investigated online luxury consumption from a cultural perspective, such as traditional Chinese attitudes toward face, social stability, and guanxi, together with political ideology [8], national norms, and global consumer culture [12].…”

“…[6] Materialism, brand consciousness, consumer ethnocentrism, and bandwagon behavior Factors that affect Chinese consumers' attitude toward purchasing luxury foreign fashion goods online [20] Power deprivation Confirmed the effects of power deprivation on luxury consumption and provided practical suggestions for luxury brand managers and retail mall managers [3] Brand prominence and status consumption How the use of a prominent versus subtle branding strategy and status consumption affect consumers' intention to buy luxury products across emerging and mature markets [2] Consumer needs for uniqueness, self-monitoring of expressive behavior, and extrinsically motivated Examined the influence of consumer goal attainment (extrinsic and intrinsic) on the intention to purchase luxury products (explicitly versus subtly marked) [7] Consumer vanity, brand consciousness, and attitude Considered the role of consumer vanity and brand consciousness in the context of luxury purchases [5] Value orientations, such as self-enhancement values and openness to change; luxury values, such as social and uniqueness value Investigated the effect of four cultural value orientations on the values consumers ascribe to luxury products [21] Psychological and sociological factors like self-awareness, social comparison, and materialism Provided empirical evidence on the direct and indirect effects of the abovementioned psychological and sociological factors as the antecedents of bandwagon luxury consumption [22] Regulatory focus, goal orientation, and self-construal How consumers' promotion and prevention focus influence luxury purchase intentions Mobile Information Systems they will be much less likely to complete a purchase and less likely to refer to other customers because they are afraid to be deceived [30,31]. Some scholars have also proved that source credibility positively affects the purchase intention and word-of-mouth intention of consumers under divergent contexts [32][33][34][35].…”

“…e survey questionnaire (Table 2 ) was quantitated by using a sevenpoint Likert Scale with anchors ranging from strongly agree (7) to strongly disagree (1).…”

“…A review of the luxury consumption literature shows that current research focuses on various factors, which include motivation, such as the desire for uniqueness [2], status [3], individual and psychological characteristics [4], and luxury consumption attitudes and subjective norms and personal values [5]. Shoppers are also drawn to luxury product brands through expensive marketing [6,7] although this can be modified by cultural factors, such as traditional Chinese attitudes toward face, social harmony, and guanxi [8]. Although scholars have made outstanding contributions in understanding the basis of the online purchasing of luxury goods, some of the most crucial aspects have been largely ignored.…”