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

Abstract

PurposeThis paper conducts a meta-analytic review of literature focused on the salient socio-psychological and personality antecedents of luxury purchase intention. It investigates the role of moderators that can assist an effective market segmentation of the luxury market in both emerging and developed economies.Design/methodology/approachThe final analysis includes 95 effect sizes from 42 studies conducted in 15 countries, spanning 5 continents, from 2000 to 2020. The review examined moderating role of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, market type (emerging vs developed) and other study characteristics.FindingsFindings show that socio-psychological antecedents had a more salient role than personality antecedents in driving luxury purchase intention (LPI), across both emerging and developed markets. Normative influence, status consumption and materialism exhibited a stronger influence on LPI in emerging markets than developed markets. Further, stronger effects for normative influence and status consumption on LPI were found in high power distance cultures. The role of seeking uniqueness was more salient and the role of normative influence was less salient in studies with a higher percentage of females. Conspicuous consumption was a stronger driver of LPI for fashion luxury products than other luxury products. The study also proposes distinct definitions of status and conspicuous consumption as there is often theoretical overlap of these constructs in literature.Research limitations/implicationsA meta-analytic review may leave blind-spots due to lack of sufficient number of studies investigating certain theoretically relevant moderators. The authors discuss these gaps, along with study limitations.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has conducted a meta-analytic review of the antecedents and moderators of LPI. With the extension of luxury demand beyond the developed countries in the West to the “new rich” consumers in the East, it becomes imperative to conduct a meta-analysis for a richer understanding of the drivers of luxury demand across different cultural orientations and market segmentations.

Socio-Psychological Factors as the Motivator of Symbolic Consumption and Brand Consciousness

“…Furthermore, the low-income sample may also be a factor. Besides, Azerbaijan is a low indulgence country in the frame of Hofstede`s cultural dimensions (www.hofstede-insights.com), and consumers may feel blameworthy for spending on the brand (Bharti, Suneja and Chauhan, 2022).…”

“Privileged adult”: How relationship with parents influences adult's status consumption

“…Individuals are motivated by both internal and external factors in their preferences for status products. Internally, individuals with high levels of materialism seek to demonstrate their status and success through conspicuous consumption at high prices (Pellegrino et al, 2022; Richins & Dawson, 1992), and self‐reward motives drive individuals to engage in status consumption (Bharti et al, 2022). Luxury goods also provide emotional excitement, intrinsic pleasure, and sensory gratification (Shahid & Paul, 2021).…”

The influence of luxury brand personality on digital interaction evaluations: a focus on European and North American markets

“…, 2009). Given that individuals seeking self-expression desire unique, rare and exclusive brands, as these attributes contribute to “specialness” (Bharti et al. , 2022; Wiedmann et al.…”

“…Subjectively defined, luxury reflects a triangulation of desire where consumers are acutely aware of a brand and aspire to own it, while the brand itself imposes limitations on accessibility (Girard, 2005). A recent meta-analysis reveals that the pursuit of uniqueness remains a key driver of luxury consumption, rendering ubiquity perceptions problematic (Bharti et al. , 2022; Xie and Lou, 2020).…”

“…Self-brand connection occurs when consumers integrate a brand into their self-concept (Dwivedi, 2013). High self-brand connection represents opportunities to self-express (Escalas and Bettman, 2005), a strong motivation for luxury brand consumption (Bharti et al. , 2022), When individuals have strong self-brand connection, they hold stable attitudes toward a brand, and defend it when threatened (Khalifa and Shukla, 2017; Sarkar, 2021; Song and Kim, 2020).…”