The relevance of luxury value perceptions in international tourists' acceptance of a sustainability-focused exotic leather marketing mix

Abstract

This study investigated the role that Western European millennial tourists’ luxury value perceptions play in their acceptance of a sustainability-focused marketing mix for exotic leather accessories. An online survey was conducted and facilitated by an international market research company, Qualtrics, wherein 630 usable questionnaires were collected from German and British respondents who were identified as tourists of South Africa. The data was captured by means of non-probability convenience sampling. The self-administered questionnaire was based on a cross-culturally pre-tested luxury value perceptions scale, which tested the Western European respondents’ luxury value perceptions in terms of exotic leather accessories, as well as a self-developed scale that was used to measure consumers’ acceptance of selected elements of a sustainability-focused marketing mix. Statistical data analysis was performed using the SPSS software. The statistical methods used were descriptive and inferential statistics. Exploratory factor analysis and the calculation of Cronbach alpha coefficients and eigenvalues were used as well as Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Levene’s test for equality of variances to analyse the respondents’ luxury value perceptions, their acceptance of a sustainability-focused marketing mix, as well as any relevant correlations or statistically significant differences. The study’s findings indicate that the Western European millennial consumers are strongly driven by two luxury value perceptions, namely “My Personality” and “My Functionality”, of which the “My Functionality” luxury value perception was rated as a little stronger than the “My Personality” luxury value perception. The findings further indicate that the entire Western European millennial luxury consumer sample has strong purchase intentions when it comes to the purchasing of a sustainably produced exotic leather accessory. Furthermore, this Western European millennial luxury consumer sample is also – although less than in the case of their intent – highly willing to purchase exotic leather accessories at a sustainability-focused sales environment, and shows only a mere moderate perception of the trustworthiness of sustainability-focused promotions for exotic leather accessories. In terms of the possible correlations between international tourists’ luxury value perceptions and their acceptance of a sustainability-focused marketing mix, the findings indicate that the sample’s “My Functionality” luxury value perception only moderately drives their intent to purchase a sustainably produced exotic leather accessory, and does not essentially drive their acceptance of the willingness and perceptions of trustworthiness elements of a sustainability-focused exotic leather marketing mix. This study could serve as a guide to South African exotic leather industry farmers, product designers, manufacturers, retailers and marketers in their production of sustainability-focused exotic leather marketing mixes that consider its consumer's luxury value perceptions, so as to increase international tourists’ acceptance of the available sustainability-focused marketing mixes for exotic leather products.