Bridging Luxury and Sustainability

Overview

For many years, it has become more challenging for researchers to reconnect the two words, “luxury” and sustainability. The most challenging part is to start thinking about a luxurious person who just changed his or her mind in supporting sustainability. However, with the world dynamics in place, the two sides can work together. White et al. (2019) believe that behavioral patterns among consumers bear unprecedented impacts especially towards the natural environment. As a result of society, business and even consumption patterns, human beings are strongly confronted with a significant confluence of factors, which are not limited to climate change, pollution as well as environmental degradation. In the face of these challenges, the society is still fixed in a dilemma where the attitude-behavior gap remains imminent. As much as consumers tend to exhibit favorable attitudes coherent to pro-environmental behaviors, they still lack a subsequent display of the sustainable actions.

White et al. (2019) asserts that the world is however experiencing a rise in the sustainable options with 66% of the consumers around the world reporting willingness to pay extra for the sustainable offerings. This implies that there is still room for supporting evident sustainable consumer behaviors. Notably, consumer decision making largely points at maximizing benefits for self while sustainable choices entail long term benefits channeled towards the natural world and other people. Across a range of industries, the SHIFT framework has had its impact on sustainable consumer behaviors. The significant avenues that inform consumer decisions reside behind the social influence, social norms, social identities, social desirability, habit formation, discontinuity to conventional habits and patterned penalties (Bhardwaj and Bedford 2017). A critical look at these avenues allows one to read elements of sustainability and changes within inner-self that informs the guilt, the gratitude, acknowledgement, self-interests, the urge to help, the spirit of sharing and the sense of belonging as far as sustainable measures are put into consideration. The overview puts sustainability at the most precarious position with questions rose towards its role towards informing purchasing decisions.

Key Research Questions

The main aim of this research to establish the influence sustainability has on purchase decision making across the luxury and other industries. This attracts the following research questions.

What is the joining link between sustainability and luxury industry, or other industries, at the centre of consumer behaviors?

What elements inform sustainability amid consumer choices in the industry?

Why should sustainability be observed while making decisions?

What are the influential sustainable factors that inform evident patterns of consumer decision making?

Relevant Literature

A wide range of sources carry relevant details said to inform consumer choices and the process of purchase decision making. The research picks on the most updated sources believed to inform the current world dynamics and the trends in the global business environment. For instance, Hashmi (2017) informs on the slow value creation model while observing the compromising abilities of the future generations. The industrial pursuit largely resonates with value creation, which is something that sounds paradoxical when drawn towards the non-beneficial societal commitment. Despite the compromise, Hashmi (2017) still believes that there is an emerging reconnect which prompts a paradigm shift in almost all social classes. The latter has started drawing concerns and giving attention to both social as well as environmental issues. Preferences are currently more inclined towards ethical and green products, which conform to significant values and beliefs. In the research conducted by Havas Media in the year 2010, 86% of the respondent preferred sustainability issues before making decisions on what to purchase. 80% would go for sustainable option while 57% would go for environmental friendly goods. The findings also resonate with what was established by White et al. (2019) with regards to consumer behaviors and consumption patterns. White et al. (2019) asserted that at the centre of global dynamics, social influence is imminent and would therefore have an impact on every sector of the economy. This attracts observation of keynote sustainable elements that reside behind the social influence, and how the world dynamics inform them (Liobikienė and Bernatonienė, 2017).

Methodology

The research is attracted to mixed methods, which takes advantage of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The choice is informed by the increased interests in researches that tap into statistical and justifiable descriptive value thereby attracting all-round conclusions. Amid the mixed methods, the research narrows down to primary data research, which draws concerns on the originality of the data sources (Norris et al. 2015). The primary research informs the first hand information, which is based on the views, opinions and suggestions that tap into the insights which can be reconnected to consumer behaviors. The primary research will rely on questionnaires and interviews as the significant tools for data collection during the research process. The use of questionnaires will come first while trying to tap into short answers or multiple choices that inform the position of the respondent as far as the research topic is put into consideration. The subsequent interview shall attract insights which correspond to the choices made earlier during the questionnaire survey. Data analysis is another critical area. The research will consult both thematic and factor analysis as analytical tools during the data analysis process.

Outcomes

The research anticipates extracting sound reasons, facts and theoretical underpinnings that would explicitly inform the research topic. Besides, the research will establish a reconnect between research aim and research questions while building the relationship based on the research findings. This means that the collected data shall form the basis of the research while trying to inform the academic principles through real life encounters. Lastly, the research will rely on the findings established from the respondents during and after the questionnaire survey and the interview process.

References

Hashmi, G., 2017. Redefining the essence of sustainable luxury management: The slow value creation model. In Sustainable management of luxury (pp. 3-27). Springer, Singapore.

White, K., Habib, R. and Hardisty, D.J., 2019. How to SHIFT Consumer Behaviors to be More Sustainable: A Literature Review and Guiding Framework. Journal of Marketing, 83(3), pp.22-49.

Bhardwaj, V. and Bedford, S.C., 2017. (Not) Made in Italy: Can Sustainability and Luxury Co-exist?. In Sustainable Management of Luxury (pp. 411-426). Springer, Singapore.

Liobikienė, G. and Bernatonienė, J., 2017. Why determinants of green purchase cannot be treated equally? The case of green cosmetics: Literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, pp.109-120.

Norris, J.M., Plonsky, L., Ross, S.J. and Schoonen, R., 2015. Guidelines for reporting quantitative methods and results in primary research. Language Learning, 65(2), pp.470-476.

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