Antecedents of ostentatious consumption in Kuwait

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve our understanding of status‐oriented Muslim consumers in Kuwait. More specifically, to study how personality traits such as materialism, susceptibility to social influence and self‐monitoring explain status consumption. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 433 consumers provided information on their status consumption orientation and the personality traits under study. Respondents expressed their opinion on the statements on a five‐point Likert scale. Factor analysis was used to explore the underlying dimensions, the reliability of the measures and the components. Regression analysis was used to predict the hypothesized relationships. Findings This paper hypothesized that the three personality traits, namely materialism, susceptibility to personal influence and self‐monitoring, influence status consumption among Muslim consumers in Kuwait. Based on the results, the data supported all but the effect of self‐monitoring, that is, the ability to readily alter one's behavior to fit the current situation. Also, younger consumers seem to engage in more status consumption than older ones. There is also a positive correlation between income and status consumption. Research limitations/implications Status consumption‐oriented consumers are typically susceptible to informational and normative influence and are materialistic. Practical implications These findings can be used in market segmentation and advertising, for example, status consumers could be depicted using or consuming products in situations that imply prestige and approval from important referent groups. Originality/value The findings contribute to enlarge the psychological profile of Muslim consumers and their orientation towards consumption.