The Two different effects of Chinese traditional culture on luxury consumption: face and harmony

Purpose: Test the effects of indigenous culture in luxury consumption in China. Originality: Most of the current cultural-related consumer studies used the constructs developed from Western societies might fail to catch the nuance in Eastern society. Instead, we tested the role of indigenous culture concepts: face and harmony in luxury consumption. Key literature/theoretical perspective: Because of its significant impact on human behavior, culture has been widely linked to consumption (Craig & Douglas, 2006). Cultural values as the dominant societal values shared by individuals in the same cultural group have been usually studied in consumer research (Yaprak, 2008). Design/methodology/approach: As a pilot study, we conducted questionnaire survey among consumers in Shanghai China. Exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis. Findings: Face has a positive influence on luxury products desire and this relationship is mediated by materialism; Harmony moderates the relationship between materialism and luxury products desire in such a way that the relationship is stronger for those lower, rather than higher, in harmony. Research limitations/implications: The cross-cultural generality and specificity of the findings in the present study need to be tested in the future. Practical and Social implications: The luxury brand managers should lay stress on ‘face’ in Chinese market.