Effects of Luxury Perceptions on Purchase Intention of High-Tech Products

Abstract

This study examines consumer perceptions toward the increasing number of luxurious high-tech products (LHTPs) on the market. LHTPs have two distinctly different natures of technology and luxury elements as that a luxury good suggests long-term and eternal use when the high-tech product implies quick obsolescence. However, currently, no theoretical framework exists for predicting the purchase intention of such products. Thus, this work integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the brand luxury index (BLI) as a research framework. An online survey (N = 318) of three real-world LHTPs was conducted to test the research hypotheses. Results show that two variables (usefulness and ease of use) from the TAM and two variables (hedonism and extended self) from the BLI are positively associated with purchase intentions. In addition, the positive effect of ease of use on purchase intention can be enhanced when participants perceive high hedonism. The findings indicate the main and moderating effects of luxury perceptions when applied to LHTPs, which encourage high-tech product designers to include the luxury attributes in their designs.