Luxury Products and Sustainability Issues from the Perspective of Young Italian Consumers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand the actual preferences, behaviors, and purchasing decisions of young consumers in the context of sustainability, with an emphasis on luxury products. The primary objective of the research is to determine the impact of ‘sustainable tendencies’ on stimulating the purchase of luxury goods by the Italian Generation Z and Generation Y populations. In addition to examining the intergenerational differences in perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable marketing, the study is aimed at investigating the potential intersection of the consumption of luxury products and the consumption of slow fashion. In particular, through an empirical analysis carried out on a sample of 1314 young consumers in Italy (representing the two generational cohorts), this research provides interesting results which demonstrate the importance of adopting differentiated CSR strategies which are attentive to sustainability based on the demographic characteristics of young consumers of luxury brands. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze and understand the structural relationships between variables. This study thus helps to fill the knowledge gap about the consumption orientation of the younger generations. The results of this study contribute to a growing body of literature on luxury brands and sustainability issues in marketing.