The role of normative conformism in the digital environment in creating consumer attitudes towards luxury brands

Abstract

The digital environment is increasingly becoming the first place where consumers will seek information about luxury products and services in the purchasing decisionmaking process. Attitudes of the reference group usually play the biggest role in creating consumer attitudes in real world towards luxury brands. However, in collectivist societies, social norms and expectations of society can lead to conformist behavior of individuals in order not to be excluded from the social community. Conformist behavior and adoption of attitudes towards luxury brands can be motivated by the desire of an individual to present themselves as a member of a higher social status, to which they do not otherwise belong, or to stand out from representatives of their own status group by using such brands. Normative conformism is also present in the digital environment. Users of social networks often blindly imitate and adopt the views of the creators of public opinion. Micro and macro influencers are perceived as credible sources of information, which are mostly unreservedly trusted. However, their luxury brand recommendations are often commissioned by the companies that produce them, so the credibility of their recommendations is often questioned.