Short answer
Design and market luxury products by deeply understanding the psychological makeup and self-perceptions of your target consumers.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- City Research Online (City University London) (2010)
- Method
- Quantitative research, likely involving surveys and statistical analysis to test a conceptual model.
- Evidence
- Strong effect
An individual's self-concept, influenced by personal or social orientations and specific personality traits, significantly shapes their patterns of luxury goods consumption. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2010 study published in City Research Online (City University London). Using Quantitative research, likely involving surveys and statistical analysis to test a conceptual model., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design and market luxury products by deeply understanding the psychological makeup and self-perceptions of your target consumers.
Self-Concept Drives Luxury Consumption Patterns
An individual's self-concept, influenced by personal or social orientations and specific personality traits, significantly shapes their patterns of luxury goods consumption.
City Research Online (City University London) · 2010
Key Findings
- 01Self-concept orientation (personal vs. social) is a key psychological antecedent of luxury consumption.
- 02Specific individual traits mediate the relationship between self-concept and luxury consumption behaviors.
- 03Different consumption patterns of luxury goods can be explained by these mediating traits and self-concept orientations.
Application
Design takeaway
Design and market luxury products by deeply understanding the psychological makeup and self-perceptions of your target consumers.
How to apply
Conduct user research to understand the self-concept and personality profiles of your target audience for luxury products. Use these insights to inform product features, branding, and advertising.
Project actions
- 01When researching a product, consider how the target user's self-perception might influence their choices.
- 02Explore how different personality traits might lead to varied preferences for product features or aesthetics.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Integrative model combining multiple theoretical perspectives.
- +Empirical verification of the conceptual framework.
Limitations
It can be challenging to accurately measure self-concept and personality traits, and these can be influenced by many factors beyond the scope of a typical design project.
Reliability & validity
Reliability would depend on the consistency of measurement tools for self-concept and personality. Validity would be assessed by how well the model predicts actual luxury consumption behavior.
Think critically
To what extent can a designer ethically leverage insights into a consumer's self-concept and personality for marketing purposes?
Design Principles
"Align product design and marketing communication with consumer self-concept and personality traits to enhance desirability and purchase intent."
Understanding the psychological drivers behind luxury consumption allows for more effective market segmentation and targeted communication strategies. Designers and marketers can leverage this insight to create products and experiences that resonate with consumers' self-perceptions and aspirations.
What This Means for Your Design
How you see yourself (your 'self-concept') and your personality traits strongly influence whether you buy luxury items and what kind of luxury items you buy.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify your target audience selection and the design choices made to appeal to their self-concept and personality.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
Research indicates that consumer self-concept and personality traits are significant drivers of luxury consumption patterns. Understanding these psychological antecedents allows for more precise market segmentation and the development of products and marketing strategies that resonate with consumers' self-perceptions and aspirations.
Source
City Research Online (City University London)
Explaning variation in luxury consumption
journal · 2010
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about self-concept drives luxury consumption patterns?
- Design and market luxury products by deeply understanding the psychological makeup and self-perceptions of your target consumers. Evidence: City Research Online (City University London) (2010).
- Why does "Self-Concept Drives Luxury Consumption Patterns" matter for design?
- Understanding the psychological drivers behind luxury consumption allows for more effective market segmentation and targeted communication strategies. Designers and marketers can leverage this insight to create products and experiences that resonate with consumers' self-perceptions and aspirations.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Design and market luxury products by deeply understanding the psychological makeup and self-perceptions of your target consumers.
- What were the main findings?
- Self-concept orientation (personal vs. social) is a key psychological antecedent of luxury consumption.. Specific individual traits mediate the relationship between self-concept and luxury consumption behaviors.. Different consumption patterns of luxury goods can be explained by these mediating traits and self-concept orientations.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative research, likely involving surveys and statistical analysis to test a conceptual model..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2010 journal from City Research Online (City University London).
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Conduct user research to understand the self-concept and personality profiles of your target audience for luxury products. Use these insights to inform product features, branding, and advertising.
- What are the limitations?
- The model's applicability may vary across different cultural contexts and types of luxury goods. The study might not account for all potential external influences on consumption.