Conceptualizing luxury buying behavior: the Indian perspective
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to draw on existing knowledge and investigates how luxury is perceived in a developing nation with economic and cultural diversity. The present study aims to develop a conceptual framework to understand luxury buying behavior in a developing nation context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilizes qualitative research (focus group discussions) with 72 luxury consumers (and partly with practitioners) of apparel and accessories in two major metro cities and two major non-metro cities of India.
Findings
A framework of luxury buying behavior was constructed with cultural background, antecedents, buying process and post-purchase consequences of luxury buying behavior as its sub-constructs. Gender was identified as a moderating variable between antecedents of purchase and purchase behavior.
Research limitations/implications
The most important contribution of the present study is the creation of a comprehensive framework of luxury buying behavior within a developing nation context and a set of testable propositions to further validate using quantitative research.
Practical implications
Provides the manager with a workable model of luxury buying behavior that he/she could use to generate the right consumer responses.
Originality/value
The present study is the first of its kind which integrates cultural backdrop, antecedents and consequences of luxury consumption in the context of a developing nation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) for providing funding support for the research study. The funding was majorly used for data collection, coding and analysis.
Citation
Jain, V., Roy, S. and Ranchhod, A. (2015), "Conceptualizing luxury buying behavior: the Indian perspective", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 211-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-07-2014-0655
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited