Masstige buyers: Profile, perceived luxury values and purchase intentions

Abstract

As the term masstige has only recently emerged, the literature on masstige branding and marketing remains relatively limited. More research is needed to understand better the distinct profiles of masstige and luxury buyers, their perceived luxury values and purchasing motives. Our study, involving 601 UK consumers, aims to address this gap. Based on consumers' self‐reported prior experiences with masstige and luxury brands, we identify four distinct consumer segments: Premium luxury Buyers, Masstige Buyers, Buyers of Both Premium luxury and Masstige, and Non‐luxury buyers who have not previously purchased either Premium luxury or Masstige brands. We then explore each segment's socio‐demographic profiles, their luxury value perceptions, and how these values influence their purchase intentions. Individuals across diverse income levels, spanning low, middle, and high, fall into four distinct segments with unique luxury perceptions. Premium luxury buyers are characterized as socially oriented perfectionists, while masstige buyers align with hedonic materialism. Buyers of both seek self‐distinction. Non‐luxury buyers spire for group conformity, prioritizing experiential enjoyment when given the opportunity. Furthermore, our study offers a practical value‐based positioning framework and a roadmap for brands looking to expand their target markets. This framework can be a valuable resource for luxury marketers seeking to refine their positioning and better align with the values that resonate with their target audiences.

Why do athletes consume luxury brands? A study on motivations and values from the lens of theory of prestige consumption

“…Thus, the findings of the study add to the previous studies (e.g. Al-Issa et al, 2024;Sestino, 2024;Zha et al, 2023) and contribute to the knowledge body of luxury consumption (Park and Nunes, 2024;Shankar and Jain, 2022;Xue and Chawdhary, 2023).…”

“…Although it is difficult to define luxury, it has generally been defined as premium quality, a price higher than the usefulness of the product, an element of uniqueness and/or novelty and symbolic meaning (Al-Issa et al, 2024;Sestino, 2024;Zha et al, 2023). New products are introduced in luxury categories to meet the increasing demand of the luxury market (Park and Nunes, 2024;Shankar and Jain, 2022;Xue and Chawdhary, 2023).…”

“…Previous studies have explored several dimensions of luxury consumption, such as brand coolness (Loureiro et al, 2024), second-hand luxury consumption (Ki et al, 2024), vegan luxury (Park and Nunes, 2024), intelligent technology in luxury (Sestino, 2024) and luxury for mass (Al-Issa et al, 2024), among others. These studies have contributed to our understanding of luxury consumption.…”

“…Although it is difficult to define luxury, it has generally been defined as premium quality, a price higher than the usefulness of the product, an element of uniqueness and/or novelty and symbolic meaning (Al-Issa et al. , 2024; Sestino, 2024; Zha et al.…”

“…, 2024), second-hand luxury consumption (Ki et al. , 2024), vegan luxury (Park and Nunes, 2024), intelligent technology in luxury (Sestino, 2024) and luxury for mass (Al-Issa et al. , 2024), among others.…”