The principle of rarity on vintage and second-hand jewelry

: consumers’ preferences

Abstract

Rarity is a topic that has been widely discussed in consumer behavior as scarcity can shape how much consumers value a product. Even though the rarity effect has been studied in the clothing realm, jewelry should also be considered. Especially, Vintage and Second-Hand jewelry, considering that these products are often associated with unique and rare finds. Thus this study experimentally tests the effects of rarity on Vintage, Second-Hand, and New Collection jewelry, comparing the three. Through an online survey, participants were exposed to one of the three product type conditions (Vintage, Second-Hand, New Collection) paired with two condition of availability cues (rarity, abundancy). Results showed a significant interaction between product type and availability cues. Vintage and Second-Hand jewelry both received significantly more positive attitudes when presented with rarity cues whereas in the New-Collection condition no significant differences were found. Overall, findings indicate that only Second-Hand and Vintage jewelry benefit in value from rarity cues, suggesting that rarity is a key factor for Vintage and Second-Hand jewelry.

Date of Award	4 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Niza Braga (Supervisor)