Impact of self-esteem and self-gifting on masstige purchase intentions

Consumers prefer brands that provide them with symbolic meaning, and they use them to enhance their self-esteem and develop their status and personal images. Self-esteem is an important psychological factor that contributes to an individual's purchase intentions and consumption behavior, but its role in shaping the consumption of masstige brands has not been thoroughly researched. Hence, this research aims: (1) to identify the masstige brands in the smartphone industry of Pakistan using the masstige mean index, and (2) to explore the role of self-esteem in consumer consumption behavior grounded in terms of masstige, self-gifting behavior, and brand personality. Moreover, this study uses self-gifting behavior as the mediator and brand personality as the moderator in the relationship between self-esteem and masstige purchase intention. The data from study 1 (n = 560) and study 2 (n = 329) were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that masstige brand consumption is influenced by self-esteem; this relationship is mediated by self-gifting behavior, and brand personality moderates the association. Theoretically, this study contributes to the masstige theory by exploring the role of self-esteem in masstige consumption in an emerging economy. Practically, this study provides a comprehensive guideline for brand managers to devise effective marketing strategies to build their brands as masstige brands.