Purchase intention for luxury brands: A cross cultural comparison

This cross-cultural study examines the effects of individual characteristics (i.e., consumers' need for uniqueness and self-monitoring) and brand-associated variables (i.e., social-function attitudes toward luxury brands and affective attitude) on U.S. and Chinese consumers' purchase intention for luxury brands. A total of 394 college students in U.S. and China participated in the survey. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study finds that U.S. and Chinese consumers' self-monitoring positively influences social-function attitudes toward luxury brands. Social-function attitudes toward luxury brands positively influence consumers' purchase intention through affective attitude. Attitude plays an important mediating role between social-function attitudes toward luxury brands and purchase intentions. The article closes with theoretical and practical implications. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc.