Consumers’ attitudes toward sustainable luxury products: The role of perceived uniqueness and conspicuous consumption orientation

This chapter investigates the effectiveness of luxury brands’ messages focused on product sustainability rather than on traditional luxury product features. The study sheds light on the role of perceived product uniqueness and consumers’ conspicuous consumption orientation. An online experiment has been conducted among a sample of 144 participants exposed to a luxury product communication message focused on product sustainability or focused on product performance. Results show that a communication message related to a luxury product and focused on sustainability (vs. performance) leads to higher positive attitudes toward such product and this effect is mediated by consumers’ perceived product uniqueness. Additionally, findings underline the role of conspicuous consumption in magnifying such effect. Implications and suggestions for marketers and managers are discussed.