EMPOWERING LUXURY: HOW CAUSE-RELATED MARKETING INFLUENCES GEN Z AND MILLENNIALS’ POST-PURCHASE GUILT IN CHINA’S HIGH-END RETAIL LANDSCAPE

摘要

PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXPLORES THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF POST-PURCHASE GUILT ON YOUNGER CONSUMERS IN THE CHINESE LUXURY RETAIL MARKET, WITH A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF CAUSE-RELATED MARKETING (CRM) IN MITIGATING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ACROSS LUXURY AND NON-LUXURY PRODUCT CATEGORIES.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A QUANTITATIVE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS UTILIZED, INVOLVING 326 RESPONDENTS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT ADVERTISING SCENARIOS. THE STUDY TESTED THE IMPACT OF CRM ON POST-PURCHASE GUILT IN BOTH LUXURY (HIGH-PRICED) AND NON-LUXURY (MODERATELY PRICED) PRODUCT CONDITIONS, USING A 2 × 2 FACTORIAL DESIGN. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING ANCOVA TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF CRM CAMPAIGNS ACROSS CONDITIONS.FINDINGS: THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT CRM EFFECTIVELY REDUCES POST-PURCHASE GUILT ACROSS BOTH LUXURY AND NON-LUXURY PRODUCT CATEGORIES, PROVIDING A MORAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PURCHASES BY LINKING THEM TO A POSITIVE SOCIAL CAUSE. HOWEVER, CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS, THE IMPACT OF CRM WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER IN THE LUXURY CONTEXT COMPARED TO NON-LUXURY. THIS SUGGESTS THAT CRM'S INFLUENCE ON POST-PURCHASE GUILT OPERATES UNIFORMLY, REGARDLESS OF PRODUCT TYPE.ORIGINALITY: THIS RESEARCH ENHANCES UNDERSTANDING MILLENNIAL AND GEN Z CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE CHINESE LUXURY MARKET. THE FINDINGS OFFER ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR LUXURY BRANDS, HIGHLIGHTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CRM IN ADDRESSING GUILT-RELATED CONCERNS, THEREBY INFORMING MARKETING STRATEGIES AIMED AT YOUNGER GENERATIONS.KEYWORDS: POST-PURCHASE GUILT, MILLENNIALS, GEN Z, CHINESE LUXURY RETAIL INDUSTRY, CAUSE-RELATED MARKETING.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: THE FIRST AUTHOR WOULD LIKE TO THANK CEGE – RESEARCH CENTRE IN MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS, FUNDED BY THE MULTIANNUAL FUNDING PROGRAMME OF R&D CENTRES OF FCT – FUNDAÇÃO PARA A CIÊNCIA E TECNOLOGIA UNDER THE PROJECT UIDB/00731/2020. THE FOURTH AUTHOR WOULD LIKE TO THANK COMEGI FUNDED BY FCT – FUNDAÇÃO PARA A CIÊNCIA E TECNOLOGIA UNDER THE PROJECT UIDB/04005/2020.DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.58869/EJABM10(3)/06