Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Luxury Consumption and Consumption of Luxury Goods

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Interpretations of Luxury

Part of the book series: Palgrave Advances in Luxury ((PAAL))

  • 2804 Accesses

Abstract

It is acknowledged that luxury is not inherent solely in product characteristics, but comes into existence through consumption. This chapter discusses how the essence of luxury is captured from a consumption perspective. Turunen points out the importance of social symbolic meanings and highlights aspects of the previous literature relating to the consumption of luxury goods. In addition, the experiential side of consumption is acknowledged. In particular, Turunen discusses different facets of symbolic consumption, underlining the importance of the ‘symbolic to self’ facet of definitions of luxury. In combining the symbolic and experiential dimensions, this chapter links luxury consumption with discussions of the perceived value of luxury.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnould, E. J., Price, L., & Zinkhan, G. M. (2005). Consumers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atwal, G., & Williams, A. (2009). Luxury brand marketing—The experience is everything! Journal of Brand Management, 16(5), 338–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belk, R. (1988). Possessions and Self. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, J., & Ward, M. (2010). Subtle signals of inconspicuous consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(4), 555–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Parent, M., & Berthon, J. P. (2009). Aesthetics and ephemerality: Observing and preserving the luxury brand. California Management Review, 52(1), 45–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, D. E. (1991). Human Universals. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dittmar, H. (1994). Material possessions as stereotypes: Material images of different socio-economic groups. Journal of Economic Psychology, 15(4), 561–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B., & Duquesne, P. (1993). The market for luxury goods: Income versus culture. European Journal of Marketing, 27(7), 35–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B., & Laurent, G. (1994). Attitudes towards the concept of luxury: An exploratory analysis. Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research, 1, 273–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, B., Laurent, G., & Czellar, S. (2001). Consumer Rapport to Luxury: Analyzing Complex and Ambivalent Attitudes (No. 736). France: HEC Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastman, J. K., Fredenberger, B., Campbell, D., & Calvert, S. (1997). The relationship between status consumption and materialism: A cross-cultural comparison of Chinese, Mexican, and American students. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 5(1), 52–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eastman, J. K., Goldsmith, R. E., & Flynn, L. R. (1999). Status consumption in consumer behaviour: Scale development and validation. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 7(3), 41–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eckhardt, G. M., Belk, R. W., & Wilson, J. A. (2015). The rise of inconspicuous consumption. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(7-8), 807–826.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, R., & Wattanasuwan, K. (1998). Brands as symbolic resources for the construction of identity. International Journal of Advertising, 17(2), 131–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison process. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fionda, A. M., & Moore, C. M. (2009). The anatomy of the luxury fashion brand. Journal of Brand Management, 16(5), 347–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, G. M., & Shapiro, C. (1988). Foreign counterfeiting of status goods. NBER Working Paper, No. 1915.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagtvedt, H., & Patrick, V. M. (2009). The broad embrace of luxury: Hedonic potential as a driver of brand extendibility. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(4), 608–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, Y. J., Nunes, J. C., & Drèze, X. (2010). Signalling status with luxury goods: The role of brand prominence. Journal of Marketing, 74(4), 15–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayakawa, S. I. (1963). Symbol, Status and Personality. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace & World.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heding, T., Knudtzen, C. F., & Bjerre, M. (2008). Brand Management—Research, Theory and Practice. London, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holbrook, M. B., & Hirschman, E. C. (1982). The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer fantasies, feelings and fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), 132–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, D. (2004). How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husic, M., & Cicic, M. (2009). Luxury consumption factors. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 13(2), 231–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J. N. (2015). Kapferer on Luxury: How Luxury Brands Can Grow Yet Remain Rare. London, UK: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J. N., & Bastien, V. (2009). The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands. London, UK: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kastanakis, M. N., & Balabanis, G. (2012). Between the mass and the class: Antecedents of the “bandwagon” luxury consumption behavior. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), 1399–1407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kilsheimer, J. C. (1993). Status Consumption: The Development and Implication of a Scale Measuring the Motivation to Consume for Status. A dissertation submitted to the Marketing Faculty at Florida State University, FL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, G., Kim, A., & Sohn, S. Y. (2009). Conjoint analysis for luxury brand outlet malls in Korea with consideration of customer lifetime value. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(1), 922–932.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leibenstein, H. (1950). Bandwagon, snob and veblen effects in the theory of consumers’ demand. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 64(2), 183–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ligas, M., & Cotte, J. (1999). The process of negotiating brand meaning: A symbolic interactionist perspective. Advances in Consumer Research, 26, 609–614.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, R. (1981). Conspicuous Consumption. New York, NY: St Martin’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, R. (2001). Conspicuous consumption: A literature review. European Journal of Marketing, 18(3), 26–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption: A theoretical account of the structure and movement of the cultural meaning of consumer goods. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(1), 71–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Cass, A., & Frost, H. (2002). Status brands: Examining the effects of non-product-related brand associations on status and conspicuous consumption. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 11(2), 67–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okonkwo, U. (2007). Luxury Fashion Branding: Trends, Tactics, Techniques. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Phau, I., & Prendergast, G. (2000). Consuming luxury brands: The relevance of the ‘rarity principle’. Journal of Brand Management, 8(2), 122–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Postrel, V. (2008). Inconspicuous consumption: A new theory of the leisure class. The Atlantic. Retrieved from April 3, 2017, from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/inconspicuous-consumption/306845/

  • Schmitt, B. (1999). Experiential marketing. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(1/3), 53–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, B. (2010). Experience marketing: Concepts, frameworks and consumer insights. Foundations and Trends in Marketing, 5(2), 55–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shukla, P., & Purani, K. (2012). Comparing the importance of luxury value perceptions in cross-national contexts. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), 1417–1424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, M. J., & Fiske, N. (2003). Luxury for the Masses. Harvard Business Review, 81(4), 48–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, M. J., Fiske, N., & Butman, J. (2008). Trading Up: Why Consumers Want New Luxury Goods and How Companies Create Them. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 287–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, J., Johar, J. S., & Wood, M. (1986). Determinants of product value expressiveness: Another look at conspicuousness, differentiation, and common usage. Developments in Marketing Science, 9, 35–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., & Fromkin, H. L. (1977). Abnormality as a positive characteristic: The development and validation of a scale measuring need for uniqueness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86(5), 518–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundie, J., Kenrick, D., Grikevicious, V., Tybur, J., Vohs, K., & Beal, D. (2011). Peacocks, Porsches, and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous consumption as a sexual signalling system. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4), 664–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, C. J., & Haytko, D. L. (1997). Speaking of fashion: Consumers’ uses of fashion discourses and the appropriation of countervailing cultural meanings. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(1), 15–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian, K. T., Bearden, W. O., & Hunter, G. L. (2001). Consumers’ need for uniqueness: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(1), 50–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Truong, Y., & McColl, R. (2011). Intrinsic motivations, self-esteem and luxury goods consumption. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 18(6), 555–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Truong, Y., McColl, R., & Kitchen, P. J. (2009). New luxury brand positioning and the emergence of masstige brands. Journal of Brand Management, 16(5), 375–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Truong, Y., Simmons, G., McColl, R., & Kitchen, P. J. (2008). Status and conspicuousness—Are they related? Strategic marketing implications for luxury brands. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 16(3), 189–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, S. (2005). Impact of personal orientation on luxury-brand purchase value: An international investigation. International Journal of Marketing Research, 47(4), 429–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turunen, L. L. M. (2015). Consumers’ Experiences of Luxury—Interpreting the Luxuriousness of a Brand. Dissertation. Acta Wasaensia 323. Vaasa, Finland: Vaasan yliopisto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turunen, L. L. M., & Leipämaa-Leskinen, H. (2015). Pre-loved luxury: Identifying the meanings of second-hand luxury possessions. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 24(1), 57–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tynan, C., McKechnie, S., & Chhuon, C. (2010). Co-creating value for luxury brands. Journal of Business Research, 63(11), 1156–1163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veblen, T. (1912). The Theory of the Leisure Class. New York, NY: Penguin Group. (Original work published 1899).

    Google Scholar 

  • Vickers, J. S., & Renand, F. (2003). The marketing of luxury goods: An exploratory study—Three conceptual dimensions. The Marketing Review, 3(4), 459–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vigneron, F., & Johnson, L. W. (1999). A review and a conceptual framework of prestige-seeking consumer behavior. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 1(1), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vigneron, F., & Johnson, L. W. (2004). Measuring perceptions of brand luxury. Journal of Brand Management, 11(6), 484–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiedmann, K. P., Hennigs, N., & Siebels, A. (2007). Measuring consumers’ luxury value perception: A cross-cultural framework. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 7(7), 333–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiedmann, K. P., Hennigs, N., & Siebels, A. (2009). Value-based segmentation of luxury consumption behavior. Psychology and Marketing, 26(7), 625–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeoman, I. (2011). The changing behaviours of luxury consumption. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 10(1), 47–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhan, L., & He, Y. (2012). Understanding luxury consumption in China: Consumer perceptions of best-known brands. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), 1452–1460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland

    Linda Lisa Maria Turunen

Authors
  1. Linda Lisa Maria Turunen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Turunen, L.L.M. (2018). Luxury Consumption and Consumption of Luxury Goods. In: Interpretations of Luxury. Palgrave Advances in Luxury. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60870-9_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation