Assessing levers of guilt in luxury consumption: an international perspective

Abstract

Purpose

For as long as luxury has existed, it has been criticized, by philosophers and moralists, who condemn self-indulgence, hedonism and vanity. Yet these concerns have not prevented the remarkable expansion of the luxury sector, evidence that most buyers revel in unashamed luxury. Modern economists point out the link between the development of the luxury market and the growth of social inequality. This study aims to assess how much guilt consumers feel during luxury purchases and identify its levers.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on 3,162 real luxury buyers from 6 countries, both Asian and western, emerging and mature luxury markets, a partial least squares-structural equation models (PLS-SEM) analysis assesses the level of guilt experienced during luxury purchases and identifies which drivers most impact guilt.

Findings

This study assesses the presence of a little guilt among a significant portion of luxury buyers across countries. Two countries present extreme scores: the USA (55.6%) and Japan (32%). Overall, the main driver of guilt is that luxury makes economic inequality highly visible; interestingly the pursuit of hedonism reduces the feelings of guilt.

Research limitations/implications

These findings have notable implications for luxury companies as the long-term success of this sector would be questionable if it attracts social criticism and induces distressing feelings among clients.

Practical implications

Luxury brands need to implement guilt reducing communication strategies.

Social implications

The luxury sector as a whole should redefine its purpose and mission.

Originality/value

This level of guilt experienced during purchases rarely has been investigated in prior luxury research. Yet luxury addresses larger targets, from the happy few to the happy many. Thanks to PLS-SEM modelization, the same hierarchy of guilt driving factors is revealed across countries.

Citation

Kapferer, J.-N. and Valette-Florence, P. (2022), "Assessing levers of guilt in luxury consumption: an international perspective", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 351-367. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-11-2020-3239