Status Seeking and Luxury Consumption: The Mediating Roles of Brand Identity and Social Value, and the Moderating Effect of Price Sensitivity

The study explores how status-seeking motivations influence consumer purchase intentions in the context of luxury brand sub-brands, focusing on the mediating roles of brand identity and social value, and examining the moderating effect of price sensitivity. Drawing from social cognitive theory, the research highlights how personal and social factors shape luxury consumption behavior. Through a survey of 402 Chinese consumers, results indicate that status seeking positively impacts purchase intention, with brand identity and social value acting as significant mediators. Furthermore, price sensitivity is shown to moderate these relationships, influencing how brand identity and social value affect purchase intention. This study enriches the literature on luxury consumption by elucidating the pathways through which social value and brand identity connect status-driven motivations to purchasing behavior and provides actionable insights for marketers in segmenting consumers based on price sensitivity to optimize sub-brand positioning. Limitations and directions for future research are highlighted.