With the growth and expansion of the masstige luxury market, the analysis of luxury consumer buying behavior has become even more important. The jewelry market especially, is growing and spreading day by day with the emergence of masstige jewelry brands. However, research examining the purchasing behavior of jewelry consumers, especially for masstige products, is limited.
2. Luxury and Masstige Consumption
The term ‘masstige’ has its roots in the luxury concept, which originates from the Latin word ‘luxus’ and means ‘extras of life’ or ‘extravagant life’
[18]. Until the fourteenth century, the common people associated negative meanings with the concept of luxury. In the following centuries, luxury was seen as an indicator of the noble class or of social class distinction with the emergence of the bourgeoisie in Europe
[19]. Today, luxury brands and products are often associated with desire, pleasure, comfort, exclusivity, status, and identity.
In the academic literature, the concepts of luxury and luxury brands lack a universally accepted definition
[20]. Researchers employ the term ‘luxury’ to characterize the highest tier of prestigious and high-status brands, as noted by Vigneron and Johnson
[21]. According to Vickers and Renand’s
[22] definition, luxury products serve as symbols of both personal and social identity. Consumers believe that luxury brands bring dignity to their owners and meet functional and psychological needs; therefore, the concept of luxury consumption is defined as ‘conspicuous consumption’
[23]. According to another definition, ‘luxury brands’ are expensive, high quality, non-essential offers that have symbolic or emotional value and are perceived as rare, unique, prestigious, and authentic by the consumer
[24].
2.1. Democratization of the Luxury
When the luxury product market is examined, it is evident that the market has experienced a rapid growth worldwide in the last twenty years. Despite declining sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021, the luxury goods industry underwent a rapid recovery characterized by a V-shaped pattern
[1]. Despite the worsening global macroeconomic indicators, the personal luxury market achieved a retail sales volume of EUR 353 billion in 2022.
[1]. Bain and Company predict that the personal luxury goods market has the potential to achieve a volume of EUR 540–580 billion by 2030, assuming a consistent annual growth rate of 6-8%
[1].
Parallel to these developments, economic growth has created a middle class (especially in emerging markets, such as China, India, and Türkiye) with great market potential
[25][26][27]. Companies are now venturing into non-traditional approaches to market luxury products and services, offering consumers the allure of status, indulgence, and an exceptional experience. In recent years, the definition of ‘luxury’ has evolved, giving rise to the concept of ‘new luxury’
[28], which encompasses notions of affordability, wider market reach, and accessibility within the mass market
[4].
With these recent changes, luxury brands have become accessible to the masses
[3]. Vigneron and Johnson
[21] highlight a significant shift in the last two decades, where brands expanded their marketing efforts from solely targeting the wealthiest consumers to also encompassing middle-class consumers. This was achieved through new product lines, new brand launches, and brand extensions. This development is commonly termed as the ‘democratization of luxury’
[29]. With the democratization of luxury, many companies have expanded their product range, and they have become accessible both in terms of price and geography. Firms such as Toyota, Apple, and Honda appear to be adopting a new marketing approach aimed at enticing aspiring middle-class consumers seeking prestige, but at a more accessible price point
[30]. Luxury brands like Versace, Alexander Wang, Balmain, and Marni, among others, have engaged in licensing or collaborative partnerships with high street retailers such as H&M. This collaboration aims to offer a more affordable rendition of their luxury items, catering to a broader middle-class consumer base through mass production
[31]. Capsule collections from haute couture designers elevate the status of ready-to-wear clothing or masstige brands, enabling the middle class to access signature products. The collaborations between Arzu Kaprol and Network, Ozlem Suer and Atasay, and Dilek Hanif and Koton serve as illustrative instances within Türkiye.
Three different paths have been followed in the democratization of luxury
[32]. ‘Accessible Superpremium’ products have higher quality or taste than other products in their category and are priced above other products in the category, but these products are still accessible to mid-range consumers
[33]. For example, Starbucks and Belvedere Vodka are priced 40% higher than similar products
[34]. ‘Old-luxury brand extensions’ are well-established luxury brand extensions, which are affordable products of traditional luxury brands. This new generation of luxury goods refers to products that are not unique but are produced in limited quantities. These products achieve the luxury label because of the design, the aura, or the additional services the brand creates. In this new definition of luxury, consumers are more concerned with the image of the brand than the product itself. In the list of traditional luxury brands that have expanded their brands, there are Mercedes-Benz, Ermenegildo Zegna, Tiffany, and Burberry, which offer economical products along with traditional products
[33]. ‘Masstige’, as the third path, creates a niche market between mass products and traditional luxury brands
[35]. As a fusion of ‘mass’ and ‘prestige’, ‘masstige’ brands offer goods that exhibit superior quality, elegance, and desirability within their category, yet remain within an affordable price range
[33]. In other words, the ‘masstige’ concept refers to a phenomenon wherein premium or high-value products are marketed to a broad customer base by cultivating a sense of widespread prestige, all while maintaining consistent pricing
[36]. They provide the consumer with emotional benefits such as prestige, self-actualization, or group membership. While traditional luxury items retain their prestige by emphasizing premium pricing and exclusivity
[37][38], masstige products adopt a mass-targeting approach with relatively lower pricing and limited accessibility, all while upholding brand prestige. Couch, Miu Miu, and Armani Exchange are examples of mass-prestige brands
[34]. Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, has developed masstige products in the jewelry industry
[35]. In addition to prestige and affordability, masstige goods must exhibit superior quality, multifunctionality, and prolonged utility. Particularly in developing countries characterized by extensive mass markets, the significance of the masstige marketing strategy is widely acknowledged. The masstige strategy achieves success by striking a harmonious equilibrium between differentiation through prestige and a justifiable premium. Masstige marketing represents a phenomenon where pricing is regarded as a composite outcome of product, promotion, and placement strategies
[30].
As the masstige luxury market expands, understanding the buying habits of masstige consumers has become even more important. The jewelry sector, which is a main branch of luxury consumption, is also growing and becoming widespread day by day, especially with the emergence of masstige jewelry brands. Jewelry is highly valued worldwide due to the intrinsic and symbolic value it offers to consumers
[39]. Consumers purchase jewelry not primarily for financial gains, but rather as an emotional investment
[40]. In the past, buying jewelry was limited to specific occasions and weddings, but nowadays, people are buying jewelry as a means of self-expression and to enhance their personal style (see also
[40]). Academic studies on the buying behavior of jewelry consumers and masstige luxury are limited, which makes this study more valuable.
2.2. Purchasing Behavior of Luxury and Masstige Consumers
Previous studies in the luxury product market have predominantly examined the meaning and measurement of luxury and masstige (e.g.,
[3][41]), values and motives in purchasing luxury and masstige goods (e.g.,
[20][42][43]), determinants of luxury buying behavior
[44] (for a comprehensive review refer to
[45]), and the management of masstige and luxury brands (e.g.,
[29][36]). Only the studies related to the current work will be mentioned here in more detail.
Motivations for luxury consumption have to be thoroughly examined in order to understand the consumers’ perceptions of luxury brands, which is a prerequisite for successful brand positioning and market segmentation. Previous studies have focused on defining the dimensions of the luxury value concept. Wiedmann et al.
[20] explored luxury values from the standpoint of consumers and identified four key dimensions: functional value, individual value, social value, and financial value. Likewise, Berthon et al.
[46] presented a three-dimensional model, including experiential, symbolic, and functional values.
On the other hand, Paul
[41] introduced a theoretical model and scale to operationalize mass prestige. He conceptualized ‘masstige value’ as a substitute for brand equity and developed a scale and index, serving as a benchmark measure for evaluating and comparing the ‘Masstige value’. Ghimire et al.
[47] studied the value dimension of masstige brands based on the Woodruff’s
[48] customer value determination framework. They determined that Indian customers believed that masstige brands have the highest functionality and that they provide self-directed image value. They also proposed that the masstige brands possess qualities of superiority, fashion-forwardness, trendsetting, self-customization, and innovation. Kim et al.
[43] investigated the values conveyed by advertising messages from luxury and masstige fashion brands. Shared implicit values in these ads encompass exclusivity, sophistication, authenticity, achievement, and pride. Symbolic interpretations and motifs commonly associated with masstige brand advertisements include seasonality, allure, and rejuvenation. In another recent study, Kumar et al.
[4] introduced the mass–luxury continuum to categorize product or service brands in relation to mass prestige. They also outline the steps for creating a masstige brand, focusing on the marketing mix.
Various studies have focused on different determinants for luxury consumption. In an empirical study, Jamal and Goode
[49] examined the criteria used when purchasing precious jewelry. Their study emphasized the importance of product category expertise, brand familiarity, and brand awareness in product assessment. Zhan and He
[50] suggested that culture has an impact on the attitudes and buying intentions of luxury consumers. Their study focused on Chinese consumers and found that collectivist cultures are predominantly motivated by social needs. Additionally, they identified value consciousness and the desire for uniqueness as further key psychological factors impacting consumer buying behavior in China. The authors also analyzed the moderating role of consumer knowledge. They claim that consumers are less likely to use the best-known, popular luxury brands to express their uniqueness when consumer knowledge increases. Granot et al. (2013) conducted exploratory research focusing on consumer perceptions of masstige brands, considering factors like conspicuousness, style, signaling, self-indulgence, exploration, and quality, as well as their impact on purchase decisions. Loureiro and Araújo
[51] examined the influence of individual and social luxury values on customer attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms, as well as how these factors, along with past experiences, affect intentions to recommend and pay a premium for luxury clothing in the Brazilian market. The results indicate that individual values positively affect intentions, while social values positively influence subjective norms but negatively affect perceived behavioral control. Past experience does not notably impact intentions. Hennigs et al.
[52] demonstrated the significant connection between perceptions of luxury brand value and important outcomes like purchase intention, recommendations, and willingness to pay. Riley et al.
[53] investigated the influence of perceived value in the connection between perceived fit, brand attitude, extension attitude, and consumers’ purchase intent for downscale vertical extensions of premium and luxury brands in the automotive and footwear markets. Their findings demonstrate that perceived value acts with a partial mediating role in the relationships between brand attitude and extension attitude with purchase intention. In another study, Mason et al.
[54] examined the influence of the Lipstick effect, employing income as a moderating variable on the relationship between the primary aspects of service quality and behavioral intentions in a new luxury context. Loureiro et al.
[55] analyzed how involvement, perceived self, social values, and desire are related to consumer engagement in the fashion luxury context (masstige brands). They also explored the role of past experience as a moderator in the relationship between consumer engagement and subjective well-being. In a more recent study, Zhang et al.
[44] explored the factors influencing Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions for luxury goods by extending the TPB. The findings indicate that both perceived behavioral control and subjective norms had notable and direct effects on consumers’ purchase intentions. Furthermore, prior experience with luxury goods purchases also directly influenced consumers’ intentions to buy such products.