The impact of value perceptions on purchase intention of sustainable luxury brands in China and the UK

Abstract

Despite luxury brands' efforts to incorporate sustainable development into their branding and product design, studies have shown inconclusive evidence about consumers' reaction towards such efforts. This study investigates how consumption values (i.e. the need for exclusivity, conformity, and hedonism) affect consumers' acceptance of luxury brands' sustainable efforts. It adopts a cross-cultural framework by analysing two countries, namely China and the UK, which differ substantially in some of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, namely power distance, individualism, and indulgence. Using the structural equation modelling in analysing 677 survey responses from actual luxury goods' consumers in the two countries, we suggest that hedonic needs drive consumers' purchase intentions in China and the UK. We find that the need for exclusivity in sustainable luxury items is negatively related to consumers' purchase intentions in China, while the need for conformity is positively related. In contrast, these effects are reversed in the UK. Our study implies the need to align the marketing of sustainable luxury with consumption values of consumers to reflect the cultural differences. In theorizing sustainable luxury research, this study provides a deeper understanding of value perceptions pertaining to luxury product consumption and sustainability.

A generational investigation and sentiment and emotion analyses of female fashion brand users on Instagram in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…The investigated account posts were found to have caused emotions of happiness and joy amongst the followers whose comments revealed a prevalence of positive vibes. This finding is consistent with previous work that examined the positive effects of needs satisfaction on purchase intentions (see, for example, Wang et al 2021 ).…”

“…COVID-19’s advent and its sweeping transformation of the political, social and economic panorama have offered a unique opportunity for scholars in every discipline to examine the “new normal” triggered by the pandemic—it signifies one of the most dramatic disruptions in contemporary marketing archives (Mahmoud, Hack-Polay, et al 2021 ; Mahmoud, Grigoriou, et al 2020 ). That could extend to the many facets of fashion brands management (Iglesias and Ind 2020 ; Wang et al 2021 ), including the brand presence on social media and the potential shift in Instagram users’ attitudes and behavioural patterns in that respect. Therefore, future research should concentrate on the investigation of how consumers’ perceptions of COVID-19 could impact the variables or moderate the relationships reported in this study.…”

Drivers of Sustainable Apparel Purchase Intention: An Empirical Study of Malaysian Millennial Consumers

“…Major barriers that stop consumers from purchasing green products include structural conditions that impede sustainable behaviours and deeply embedded social and cultural norms that implicitly dictate behaviour [41]. For example, a study by Wang et al [42] indicated that most Chinese consumers implicitly perceive luxury brands with a mission of exemplarity and a duty to be socially and environmentally sustainable based on their price and promised superior quality. This reassures the belief that consumers are more likely to adopt sustainable consumption practices when the product offerings are customised to maximise consumers' utilities [43].…”

“…To achieve favourable market appraisal, fashion merchandisers and designers should explore the potential of market demand and design environmentally friendly apparel that meet consumers' aspirations [42]. Aside from the quality requirements, eco-conscious designs and eco-friendly strategies are vital to maintaining momentum on the development of sustainable clothing.…”

The role of socio-psychological and personality antecedents in luxury consumption: a meta-analytic review

“…Thus, such cultures are more likely to indulge in symbolic luxury consumption than low-indulgence cultures. Wang et al (2021) proposed that Chinese consumers (low indulgence) may experience guilt for spending on luxury as they believe in controlling their desires, in contrast to UK consumers (high on indulgence), who exhibit a higher willingness to realise impulses. Therefore, we propose:…”