In the final days of Christmas shopping, research compiled by the Conversation has found personalisation on luxury goods is linked to a fear of social judgement.
A range of luxury brands offer extensive customisation options these days across a number of products, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, L.L Bean, Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Dior.
For the luxury businesses themselves, these personalisation services also offer a chance to increase profit. However, some do so for free, improve their brand appeal and strengthen a loyal customer base especially from millennial and Gen-Z luxury consumers.
Millennials and Gen-Z luxury customers are expected to account for up to 70% of all luxury purchases by 2030, and at the same time are increasingly seeking out, tailor-made experiences.
Names and initials are a clear popular choice for these personalisation services but the research, undertaken by a group of academics and then published in Psychology vs. Marketing, examined whether personalisation of luxury goods could have more than just an additional monetary cost.
The findings suggest for some customers, it can also could increase a social cost, namely the fear of being negatively judged.
While research has shown overall that luxury consumers can be perceived as less warm and friendly as they are are actively managing their image to impress others, name-stamping luxury items increased this social cost even more.
Across four studies with female luxury and non-luxury shoppers from the United States, researchers found consumers who personalise luxury items with their name worry more about being negatively judged than those who purchased non-customised items.
This result was consistent, whether the personalisation featured just initials or full names.