The concept of “new luxury” has challenged the conventional marketing of luxury goods as prestigious, leading to greater expansion of mass luxury meaning. This has become more evident since the outbreak of COVID-19, which has been a catalyst for consumption in the luxury market. This paper investigates the mass marketing of luxury goods and explores the essence of masstige luxury consumption since the outbreak of COVID-19. An interpretive approach was conducted based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 31 participants. It analyzes four themes of mass luxury: self as content, self as process, self as context, and self–other. We further argue that the mass consumption of luxury reduces cognitive dissonance, with the pandemic resolving the dark side of conventional luxury consumption. Our findings provide important insights for both scholars and practitioners in the development of a more holistic understanding of masstige in the post-COVID era.

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Purpose -Despite the growing interest in reverse exchange, studies on the subject from the perspective of consumer participation and motivation remain sparse. Consumers' participation in reverse exchange is a key component of supply-chain reverse logistics. To address the gap in existing studies, this paper aims to empirically identify the intention and causes of consumer electronic product exchange (EPE). The proposed research model incorporates value-belief-norm and neutralization theories, linking consumers' values to their intentions to participate in EPE. Design/methodology/approach -Survey data collected from 250 consumers were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings -This discussion shows that people are more likely to present positive attitudes when they are ethically concerned. However, this tendency is not without exceptions and behavior influenced by ethics was not always observed. Upon examination, the findings highlight moderating forces of psychological tension that arise when people behave in ways that are in apparent contradiction to their expressed positive attitudes. Research limitations/implications -It is important to modify the model by analyzing consumers' actual EPE behaviors. Future research should also reconsider the results from a longitudinal perspective. Practical implications -The reverse logistics management practices proposed offer valuable insight into other various activities as well, including an integrated supply chain model and improving customer service. Social implications -The proposed action of EPE encourages consumers as well as managers to reduce, recycle or effectively dispose of waste. Originality/value -Current reverse exchange models are insufficient for measuring consumer motivations perspective, which is a key but inadequately researched perspective of determining the effectiveness of reverse logistics management. This research endeavors to fill this gap and augment previous studies in EPE by advancing the discussion on how the concept of reverse logistics management is evaluated and justified in relation to consumption values and psychological motivations.

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PurposeDespite the growing research into luxury symbolism and its influence on consumer behavior, few studies have investigated the underlying psychological processes that occur in different cultural contexts. This study investigates the relationships among luxury symbolism, psychological underpinnings of self-congruity, self-affirmation and customer loyalty, especially regarding how these relationships differ between consumers in China and those in the US.Design/methodology/approachSample data were collected through surveys administered to 653 participants (327 in China and 326 in the US). A multi-group structural equation model was adopted to examine the conceptual model and proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that luxury symbolism positively influences self-consistency, social consistency, social approval and self-esteem, and subsequently impacts self-affirmation and customer loyalty. However, for US consumers, self-esteem and social approval have significantly negative impacts on self-affirmation, while for Chinese consumers, social approval has no significant impact on self-affirmation. The authors also find that interdependent self-construal positively moderates the relationship between luxury symbolism, and social approval and social consistency. Independent self-construal positively moderates the relationship between luxury symbolism and self-consistency, and negatively influences the relationship between luxury symbolism and self-esteem.Originality/valueBased on the theory of self-congruity and self-affirmation, this study fills a literature gap by revealing the psychological underpinnings regarding luxury symbolism and customer loyalty. It extends extant studies in luxury consumption by introducing self-construal (independent self vs interdependent self) as an important cultural moderator in luxury symbolism. This paper provides insights for luxury practitioners to create efficient marketing strategies by satisfying consumers' psychological needs in different cultures.