How invisible versus visible luxury characteristics shape length of product use

This paper proposes that luxury brands can highlight certain product characteristics to encourage consumers to use those products for longer, which can significantly contribute to sustainability and brand equity. Across four experiments and a field study applying automated text analysis to millions of social media user responses to luxury brands’ posts, this paper demonstrates that the length of product use is higher when brands highlight invisible (vs. visible) luxury product characteristics; this effect stems from the perceived authenticity of the luxury products. Furthermore, the positive effect of invisible (vs. visible) luxury characteristics on product perceived authenticity is attenuated for consumers with higher conspicuous consumption orientation. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings before highlighting the limitations and avenues for future studies.