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The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on perceptions of luxury : A cross-cultural study
Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy,
8
(2),
118-133
(2024)
Abstract
This paper is the first to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer perceptions of luxury within different cultural contexts. Based on a sample of 181 subjects, this exploratory study analyses pandemic-driven shifts in perceptions of luxury among consumers in Russia and Germany, considering also the influence of age, gender and education. The paper compares its findings with those from previous research by Godey et al. As a long-term trend, the study finds that the terms ‘conspicuous’ ranked significantly lower in perceptions of luxury during the pandemic, as did ‘prestigious’, ‘extravagant’ and ‘snobbish’. Conversely, ‘exclusive’, ‘desirable’ and ‘emotional’ ranked higher. This paper also discusses the key differences between sociodemographic groups, and finds that cultural factors had the least impact on consumer perceptions. These findings have implications for the practice of luxury marketing.
Keywords: perception of luxury; definitions of luxury; COVID-19 pandemic; Russia; Germany; Generation Z; Generation X; cross-cultural comparison; sociodemographic groups; luxury branding
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Anna Biktyakova has hands-on experience in marketing roles in the IT, consumer technology/fashion and software-as-a-service FinTech industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow), completed an exchange programme in American and British studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and holds a master’s degree in media and communication management from Macromedia University. Anna dedicated her master’s thesis to the study ‘The notions of luxury during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond’, with a focus on cross-cultural and cross-age analysis of generation Z and generation X consumers in Russia and Germany and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their definitions of luxury.
Castulus Kolo is the President of Macromedia University. He has a doctorate in physics from research at CERN, and a doctarate in cultural anthropology from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. After extensive practice in applied research with the Fraunhofer Society, he developed practical experience in strategy consulting and as a board member of a publisher’s digital venture. Professor Kolo’s publications are generally focused on preconditions, diffusion and effects of media innovations. His recent research has focused on how the changes in media exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted on the attitudes and everyday behaviour of consumers. He serves on the board of the International Media Management Academic Association and is president of the European Media Management Association.
Elena Patten is Professor of Management at Macromedia University. Her research interests are consumer behaviour and omni-channel retailing, especially in the fields of fashion and luxury. She has published several papers in these research areas and regularly discusses her research results at international conferences on marketing. Elena previously worked in the German fashion retail industry for almost 20 years. Most recently, she was retail director for a major German fashion department store chain. She earned her doctorate in marketing from the University of Gloucestershire.
