UNDERSTANDING LUXURY CONSUMPTION IN EMERGING MARKETS: THE IMPACT OF VANITY AND ATTITUDE ON PURCHASE INTENTION

Abstract

The study investigates how vanity affects consumer attitude and purchase intention about luxury products in an emerging market setting, i.e., in case of Delhi NCR. The quantitative research approach was taken with a descriptive and analytical research design, where the data were gathered using a structured questionnaire (n=200 respondents), and analyzed using statistical programs like regression and correlation. The findings show that vanity has a significant impact on consumer attitude, whereas the attitude has a very strong relationship with the purchase intention, but the direct impact of vanity on purchase intention is relatively weak. The results indicate that the influence of luxury consumption is not solely determined by psychological characteristics like vanity but also by attitudinal and situational factors with references to the social impact, perceived worth, and aspiration behavior. This study concludes that consumer attitude is an important mediating process and luxury consumption in the emerging markets is a complex phenomenon which is determined by psychological, social and cultural interactions.