地位性消費、購後罪惡感與東方的精品消費態度研究

Abstract

精品在東方社會的風靡程度，由近年亞洲精品消費市場的成長數字可見一般。然東方消費行為背後的購買動機與消費邏輯、心理，卻極有可能因為文化因素，而與西方消費者截然不同。本篇旨在探究東方消費者的文化價值觀背景、其精品消費邏輯樣貌與干擾東方人精品消費的因素，以幫助西方精品品牌了解東方市場之行銷。本研究利用實驗設計，給予受測者特定的精品參考框(高/低價格、耐久 /非耐久性、製造國同/非同品牌來源國)，敏感化受測者並研究地位需求或購後罪惡之高低，如何干擾東方消費者對精品的態度。研究結果發現，價格框架是一個決定東方消費者對精品態度差異的主要影響因素，東方消費者對相對低價的精品持有較為正向的態度，且精品的價格會與購後罪惡感產生交互作用；高罪惡感者之中，低價框架下的消費者明顯比高價框架下的的消費者有較正向的精品態度；製造國框架下的精品態度，會受到地位需求的干擾，但製造國框架非促成態度高低的主要原因。根據實證結果，本研究提出行銷管理意涵上之建議；東方消費者將地位之高低，以有、無擁有精品的概念予以簡化，低價的精品已足以滿足東方人進入精品世界門檻之跨越。透過展望理論之延伸，本研究建議精品品牌利用降低罪惡感的訴求，來刺激東方消費者的購買決策，而不必全然受限於東方人對較低價格精品有較好態度的普遍現象。此外，在當今各大企業體紛紛全球化之趨勢下，消費者對於產品之品牌、設計、製造來源地區之不同，已逐漸能夠接受且有所體認；因此，精品本身的品牌才是影響消費者精品態度的主要因素，而未必是精品物體的本質。品牌權益之提升，是幫助提高消費者精品正面態度的根本作法；針對東方市場，可投入公益性質的精品品牌活動，幫助東方消費者改變其價值函數曲線，使之較容易受到地位訴求牽引、或較容易克服罪惡感的鴻溝障礙。

The craze for luxury has overwhelmed the Asian countries for years. Due to cultural differences, the easterners may well have different motives, logic and mindset behind their luxury consumption behaviors, in comparisons to western consumers. The purpose of this study aims at understanding the mainstream values in eastern culture and identifying the main and moderating factors that influence easterners’ attitudes toward luxury. The study implemented an experimental design that sensitizes the participants by providing them a reference luxury product that was with specific features: higher/lower price, durable/non-durable, country-of-manufacture(COM) is the same as/different from the brand’s country-of-origin(COO). It then inspects the participants’ attitudes toward luxury under different feature conditions. The study also examines the interaction effects between ‘the need for status’(or ‘post-purchase guilt’) and a specific product feature. The result indicates that the price feature is one of the main factors that affect easterners’ attitudes toward luxury; easterners are more favorable to lower prices luxury and the interaction effect does exist between the price feature and post-purchase guilt. For those who hold higher guilt, participants receiving reference with lower price feature are more positive toward luxury than those receiving higher price feature. Attitudes under different COM/COO features condition are moderated by ‘need for status’; however, the COM/COO feature itself did not act as a main affecting factor to attitudes. According to the results, the study pointed out the following managerial issues: easterners conceptualize and simplify the identification of higher status by simply the possessing of luxury items. Thus, even luxury items with lower prices are well enough to act as a ticket or to meet the threshold of entering the luxury world. Through the discussion of Prospect Theory, this study suggests luxury brands appeal to easterners by lowering the sense of guilt before, during and even after the purchase decision is being made. On the other hand, under the trend of globalization, consumers are becoming more aware of the fact that a product might be designed and manufactured in countries other than its brand’s origin. This draws to a conclusion that the brand name is of upmost important than the product’s COM or durability. Enhancing the brand equity is of fundamental and a key to help a luxury brand receive and obtain more favorable attitudes. Regarding Asian luxury markets, a luxury brand could invest in charity activities aiming at changing the easterners’ value curves, which makes them aspire more for status and helps overcome the dissonance of guilt and luxury consumption.