How power distance belief, self-construal, and relationship norms impact conspicuous consumption
Sehoon Park,
Chaeyeong Kim and
Jane Park
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2023, vol. 75, issue C
Abstract:
Building on the idea that luxury products can signal the owner's status to others, this research elucidates how fundamental and pervasive social factors—power distance belief (PDB), self-construal, and relationship norms—dynamically impact consumers' preferences for conspicuous consumption. Through three experiments, we found that (1) high-PDB consumers are more likely to prefer conspicuous consumption compared to low-PDB consumers, and this effect is mediated by their need for status; (2) the relationship between PDB and conspicuous consumption is enhanced under interdependent self-construal, attenuated under independent self-construal, and mediated by consumers' need for status; (3) these effects are moderated by relationship norms, such that the positive effect of PDB on conspicuous consumption under interdependent self-construal is attenuated when communal relationships (vs. exchange relationships) are salient. Our conceptualization and findings contribute to the literature on the dynamics of individuals' status-related behavior in social psychology and related fields, and provide important practical applications for luxury businesses.
Keywords: Conspicuous consumption; Need for status; Power distance belief; Self-construal; Relationship norms; Luxury product (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:75:y:2023:i:c:s0969698923002655
DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103518
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