Aspirational consumption at the bottom of pyramid: A review of literature and future research directions

Abstract

Customers at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) desire to use the same products as affluent consumers. Thus, BOP customers tend to participate in aspirational consumption. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic literature review and to synthesise the literature on aspirational consumption in BOP contexts to gain a comprehensive understanding of it. Among other findings, this review synthesises factors that drive aspirational consumption and the consequences of aspirational consumption in BOP contexts. This study also suggests insightful directions for further research on aspirational consumption in BOP contexts. Our study advances BOP and consumer behaviour literature by examining an emergent domain of aspirational consumption at the BOP. Our study also outlines some insightful practical and social implications.