Special Session: Drivers of Female Luxury Consumption in the Gulf Region: An Abstract

Luxury brand consumption has been the focus of considerable research examining the reasons for lavish expenditure on luxury goods. Researchers argue that consumers buy expensive possessions to convey their level of prestige, boost their self-esteem, express their identity, and signal status (e.g., Belk 1985; Han et al. 2010; Richins 1987). Cross-cultural research argues that the applicability of theories studied in Western cultures may prove to be problematic in non-Western cultures (e.g. Arnould and Thompson 2005; Ger and Belk 1996; Gould 1992; Wallendorf and Arnould 1988). While previous studies have examined luxury brand consumption in Western societies, research is scant in examining such buying behavior on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consumers, with few exceptions. GCC consumers spend approximately between USD 6 billion and USD 10 billion per year on luxury products (Pivac 2014), therefore, making it a very lucrative, yet understudied market. This paper aims to fully explore and understand the drivers behind luxury consumption for women in the GCC area.