Status Consumption, Post-purchase Guilt in Relation to Easterners’ Attitudes Toward Luxury

• Main Authors: Hsu, Su-Yu, 許書瑜
• Other Authors: Tang, Ying Chan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/13037091651214205655

碩士 === 國立交通大學 === 經營管理研究所 === 100 === The craze for luxury has overwhelmed the Asian countries for years. Due to cultural differences, the easterners may well have different motives, logic and mindset behind their luxury consumption behaviors, in comparisons to western consumers. The purpose of this study aims at understanding the mainstream values in eastern culture and identifying the main and moderating factors that influence easterners’ attitudes toward luxury. The study implemented an experimental design that sensitizes the participants by providing them a reference luxury product that was with specific features: higher/lower price, durable/non-durable, country-of-manufacture(COM) is the same as/different from the brand’s country-of-origin(COO). It then inspects the participants’ attitudes toward luxury under different feature conditions. The study also examines the interaction effects between ‘the need for status’(or ‘post-purchase guilt’) and a specific product feature. The result indicates that the price feature is one of the main factors that affect easterners’ attitudes toward luxury; easterners are more favorable to lower prices luxury and the interaction effect does exist between the price feature and post-purchase guilt. For those who hold higher guilt, participants receiving reference with lower price feature are more positive toward luxury than those receiving higher price feature. Attitudes under different COM/COO features condition are moderated by ‘need for status’; however, the COM/COO feature itself did not act as a main affecting factor to attitudes. According to the results, the study pointed out the following managerial issues: easterners conceptualize and simplify the identification of higher status by simply the possessing of luxury items. Thus, even luxury items with lower prices are well enough to act as a ticket or to meet the threshold of entering the luxury world. Through the discussion of Prospect Theory, this study suggests luxury brands appeal to easterners by lowering the sense of guilt before, during and even after the purchase decision is being made. On the other hand, under the trend of globalization, consumers are becoming more aware of the fact that a product might be designed and manufactured in countries other than its brand’s origin. This draws to a conclusion that the brand name is of upmost important than the product’s COM or durability. Enhancing the brand equity is of fundamental and a key to help a luxury brand receive and obtain more favorable attitudes. Regarding Asian luxury markets, a luxury brand could invest in charity activities aiming at changing the easterners’ value curves, which makes them aspire more for status and helps overcome the dissonance of guilt and luxury consumption.