Behavioral Determinants that Drive Luxury Goods Consumption: A Study within the Tourist Context

Chinese tourists have become the greatest driving force behind global tourism. An increasing number of luxury fashion brands regard these tourists as a potentially significant segment of status-conscious consumers. Yet a limited number of marketing studies have addressed the significance of the intrinsic motivation that drives these tourist consumers to consume luxury goods. This study investigates the significant intrinsic factors that affect the luxury goods buying behavior of tourist consumers. Data are collected from 284 tourist consumers and analyzed by using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and cluster analysis. The EFA purified the measurement instruments to four factor attributes, namely, self-satisfaction, possession obsessiveness, status consciousness and personal differentness. The cluster analysis identified three groups of tourist consumers with distinctive behavioral segmentation criteria: ‘shopping hedonists’, ‘ego-defended achievers’ and ‘conspicuous fashionistas’. These findings provide managerial implications for building sustainable luxury businesses and competitive strategies tailored for tourist consumers.