Abstract:
Given the unmistakable trend toward a more integrated global economy
and the tremendous impact of consumer vanity on demand for
countless goods and services, there exists a need for more cross-cultural
research on the important psychological construct known as
consumer vanity (Netemeyer, Burton, & Lichtenstein, 1995).This article
examines four components of the vanity construct: appearance
concern, appearance perception, achievement concern, and achievement
perception. To test the vanity construct cross-culturally, a survey
was undertaken in the United States and China. This article illustrates
the use of the comprehensive analytical framework proposed
by Steenkamp and Baumgartner (1998)to assess measurement invariance
in cross-cultural consumer research. The results provided a rigorous
cross-cultural validation test of the vanity scale that has implications
for both academics and practitioners in cross-cultural
consumer research and marketing.
