Chittresh Coomer
Assistant Professor, EIILM - KOLKATA,
Dr. Surajit Ghosh Dastidar
Professor, EIILM - KOLKATA,
JEL Classification: M31 https://doi.org/10.65176/IJLM.V2I1.07
Abstract
'Masstige' refers to mass prestige, where prestige brands leverage middle-class consumers' purchasing power through 'affordable luxury' positioning. To develop effective marketing strategies, marketers must understand the motivators driving the purchase intention of masstige brands (PIMB). This study aims to identify consumer characteristics influencing masstige purchase intention and examine product-related factors such as brand equity and perceived product organicity. Perceived product organicity includes attributes such as 'organic,' 'eco-friendly,' 'green,' 'biodegradable’, and 'sustainable’, which relate to consumer health and environmental consciousness. A survey of masstige consumers identified three consumer characteristics—Need for exclusivity, Hedonism and Extended self—as key predictors of PIMB. Product-related factors influenced consumer adoption of organic masstige products, with brand equity emerging as a significant antecedent of purchase behaviour. These findings align with the literature on consumer traits and sustainability features of masstige consumption. A conceptual model was developed to examine the motivators of the intention to purchase masstige products.
Keywords: Sustainable Consumption, Affordable Luxury, Green Masstige Product, Perceived Product Organicity
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