Buy Less, Buy Luxury: Understanding and Overcoming Product Durability Neglect for Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

The authors propose that purchasing luxury can be a unique means to engage in sustainable consumption because high-end products are particularly durable. Six studies examine the sustainability of high-end products, investigate consumers’ decision making when considering high-end versus ordinary goods, and identify effective marketing strategies to emphasize product durability, an important and valued dimension of sustainable consumption. Real-world data on new and secondhand accessories demonstrate that high-end goods can be more sustainable than mid-range products because they have a longer life cycle. Furthermore, consumers engage in more sustainable behaviors with high-end goods, owning them for longer and disposing of them in more environmentally friendly manners. Nevertheless, many consumers prefer to concentrate their budget on multiple ordinary goods in lieu of fewer high-end products partly because of product durability neglect, a failure to consider how long a product will last. Although consumers generally believe that high-end products last longer, they fail to take such a notion into account when making purchases. Finally, this research offers actionable strategies for marketers to help consumers overcome product durability neglect and nudge them toward concentrating their budget on fewer high-end, durable products.