Conspicuous consumption as a mediator between body esteem and athleisure purchases among millennials

Purpose Grounded in self-concept and social comparison, the purpose of the study was to examine the relationship among body esteem, conspicuous consumption tendency and purchasing intention towards athleisure products. Design/methodology/approach The authors gathered data from 348 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers through an online survey. Findings Findings revealed that attribution was positively related to Millennials’ conspicuous consumption tendency and purchasing behaviour towards athleisure product, and these associations were mediated by their conspicuous athleisure consumption. Although weight was not directly related to Millennials’ intention to purchase athleisure products, their conspicuous consumption tendency mediated this link negatively. Originality/value This is the first study examining the association among body esteem, conspicuous consumption tendency and purchase intention among Millennials. The findings offer insights for marketing practitioners and academics to increase the demand of athleisure products. The authors also addressed limitations and provided suggestions for future research.