Conceptual consumption

: luxury and practical goods

Abstract

Conceptual consumption has been the subject of much research attention recently. However, its impact on physical consumption remains unexplored. There is contradictory research that point towards two different perspectives. Some research suggests that conceptual consumption will lead to an increase of physical consumption while others defend that conceptual consumption will contribute to a decrease of the physical consumption. This paper attempts to test whether conceptual consumption increases or decreases physical consumption. Also, it studied if the previous effect was dependent on the type of product. Additionally, it investigated tightwad and spenderthrift behaviors and checked whether these moderate the effect of conceptual consumption on physical consumption of both type of goods. The results showed no statistical evidence of an interaction between the type of product and conceptual consumption. However, a positive and statistically significant correlation between the purchase intentions of practical goods and tightwad was found. Moreover, an equivalent positive and statistically significant relationship between the purchase intentions of luxury goods and income satisfaction was encountered. These findings bring further insights into understanding the phenomenon of conceptual consumption.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nicole L. Mead (Supervisor)