TY - JOUR
T1 - Does the devil wear Prada? Luxury product experiences can affect prosocial behavior
AU - Wang, Yajin
AU - John, Deborah Roedder
AU - Griskevicious, Vladas
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Despite the explosive growth of luxury consumption, researchers have yet to examine how the experience of using luxury products affects us both psychologically and behaviorally. In this research, we explore how the experience of using a luxury product can alter a user's perceptions of themselves and their behavior toward other people. We gave women either a luxury product (e.g., Prada handbag) or a non-luxury product (e.g., unbranded handbag) to use, and afterwards, we presented women with opportunities to exhibit either selfish or generous behaviors toward others. We found that, after using a luxury product, women exhibited more selfish behavior, such as sharing fewer resources with others and contributing less money to charity than women who used a non-luxury handbag. We also found this pattern can be reversed, with luxury users exhibiting more generous behavior when the generous behavior can be performed in front of other people. Further, we show that these patterns of selfish and generous behaviors are mediated by changes in perceived status and superiority that are triggered when women experience using a luxury product.
AB - Despite the explosive growth of luxury consumption, researchers have yet to examine how the experience of using luxury products affects us both psychologically and behaviorally. In this research, we explore how the experience of using a luxury product can alter a user's perceptions of themselves and their behavior toward other people. We gave women either a luxury product (e.g., Prada handbag) or a non-luxury product (e.g., unbranded handbag) to use, and afterwards, we presented women with opportunities to exhibit either selfish or generous behaviors toward others. We found that, after using a luxury product, women exhibited more selfish behavior, such as sharing fewer resources with others and contributing less money to charity than women who used a non-luxury handbag. We also found this pattern can be reversed, with luxury users exhibiting more generous behavior when the generous behavior can be performed in front of other people. Further, we show that these patterns of selfish and generous behaviors are mediated by changes in perceived status and superiority that are triggered when women experience using a luxury product.
KW - Consumer experience
KW - Luxury
KW - Prosocial behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083855297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85083855297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2020.04.001
DO - 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2020.04.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85083855297
SN - 0167-8116
VL - 38
SP - 104
EP - 119
JO - International Journal of Research in Marketing
JF - International Journal of Research in Marketing
IS - 1
ER -