Introduction
This essay will be looking at the relationship between the aspects of materialism and religion and the ways they affect the global consumption cultures. It will be looking at the roles materiality and region play in the development of consumption. The ways it hinders and fuels the spread of global consumer culture will also be looked at. Consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated, complex and demanding. This is mainly attributed to easier access to available information and knowledge these days (Wong and Ahuvia, 1998, p. 12). This, coupled with a rising awareness of consumer rights, has placed additional demands on decision-makers to identify the relationship between religion and materialistic consumption in modern society. This is especially true when different ethnic and religious groups co-exist within the same geographical area (Anderson, 1998, p. 34).
Definition of Materialism and Religion
Materialism is the human belief that their welfare and wellbeing are important, this can be achieved by consuming the best and material goods while religion can be said to be the fundamental bond between mankind and the creators. Consumer behavior varies from individual to individual as well as from group to group of people. Although it has been known that income level is an important variable in determining the consumers’ behaviors, other factors such as cultures, religions and geographical locations have a strong impact on spending patterns (Schiffman, Bednall, Paladino, Ward and Kanuik, 2008, p. 44).
Relationship between Materialism, Religion and Consumption
The impact of a person’s level of materialism on their consumption behavior has often been examined at the cultural level. This essay suggests that the materialism defining one’s culture determines one’s behavior in purchasing products on the basis of their materialistic associations as reflected in brand names, prices and exclusivity. Materialism affects consumption, with materialists being motivated by social visibility, quality and prestige (Ger and Belk, 1996, 101). Little research, however, has taken into account the potential variation in individual materialism within these cultures and how such characteristics ultimately affect preferences for particular aspects of the product. Using a framework embedded in random utility theory, we decompose the evaluation of products in terms of a brand’s materialistic associations, and conspicuous attributes, both of which may be more pertinent for consumers to communicate and reflect their own individual level of materialism. We test this framework in two product categories, luxury cars and sunglasses. We find support for our hypotheses that materialistic individuals prefer brand names with materialistic associations. There is some confirmation that individual materialism influences the importance and preference for conspicuous attributes of the product, such as whether a materialistic brand name is printed on the frame of one’s sunglasses. Pertinent to these insights is the attention and inclusion of individual materialism beyond that of cultural dimensions in explaining consumption behavior (Clarke and Micken, 2002, p. 55).
Role of Materialism and Religion in the Spread of Global Consumption or Brands
Materialism and religion impose a significant impact on consumers’ behavior since it has considerable control on individual’s values, habits and attitudes and consequently the lifestyles. Materialism is closely linked to the culture of people and therefore their purchasing decisions. Religion is one of the most important factors in shaping the culture of a person or a group of people, which in turn would have an influence on consumers’ decision-making. Religion permeates not only the individual’s psyche but his or her social and cultural spheres of life. This shows product utility in consumption is a function of the importance consumers assign to product attributes with materialistic associations (Hofstede, 1991, p. 76). The higher an individual’s level of materialism, the more likely they are to choose a product option with materialistic attributes because they reflect material values. An individual’s level of materialism better explains their consumption of brands in materialistic purchasing situations. That is, a consumer’s level of materialism determines the importance they assign to various materialistic attributes and ultimately the way in which they consume. People in masculine cultures are more concerned with brand names and expensive products; whereas those in feminine cultures tend to shun expensive consumption and status symbols.
Many major religions in the world are against excessive consumption and prohibit greed, wastefulness as well as indulgence in hedonism. However, consumption has transcended spiritual values in many spheres of our lives especially in the age of growing affluence and increasing commodities (Jacobs, 1995, p. 28). This can be seen in the wide availability of religious souvenirs. Religious souvenirs, home decorations, clothing, devotional objects and music have been pervasive lately. One tenable explanation could be that there is an attraction to consumption as an extension of self, notwithstanding the constraints imposed by religion. Religion is inherent in the life of a person and is very often the values and principles which deeply affect the behavior of the person. Thus, in aggregate, religion is one of the basic elements of culture. All religions, either directly or indirectly, dictate the consumption behavior and purchasing decision of their believers through the ethical framework of the religions which govern their ways of life (Mooij, 2003, p. 62). For example, the Muslims will never under any normal circumstances purchase pork or liquor for consumption; similarly, a Hindu will not consume beef as this is against his/her religion.
It is noteworthy to observe that in modern society, the culture of consumption with its abundant commodities in the marketplace has immense attractions for the young consumers where the pursuit of material goods for personal gratification has replaced the pursuit of religious goals (Anderson, 1998, p. 33). Although much works and researches have been done to address the issues posed by religions on consumer acquisitiveness and possessiveness, the results have not been conclusive, since religion, to a large extent, really depends on individual perceptions and commitment.
Ways in which materialism and religion help the spread of global consumption culture
Materialism and religion have an upper hand in fuelling the consumption culture. Culture is a potent force in any social group whether it is an ethnic group, religious group or special interest group. A particular value in one culture market can be very different from another country’s culture mainly because of the differences in the cultural belief and practices. Consequently, the consumer values affect the consumption patterns and product attitudes of people in a given culture which differ from one culture to another (Richens and Dowson, 1992, p. 91).
Globalization of cultures and values has fostered the emergence and diffusion of materialism internationally. As previously communist countries turn to capitalism and as former third world economies become more affluent, demand for luxury and conspicuously consumed products is increasing (Wallandort and Arnold, 1988, p. 213). While materialism is associated with particular national cultures, other factors, such as personal values, self-concept and exposure to economic and social change, influence an individual’s level of materialism. Notwithstanding the debate on the interplay of national culture and materialism, very little integrative research focuses on whether culture influences the relationship between materialism and consumption behavior. Related literature is also often characterized by methodological limitations. For instance, past results have generally failed to control for potentially confounding distributional differences between samples, attributing variances observed to differences between national cultures rather than differences in the sample. In many studies, aggregate measures of culture are used failing to account for individual differences within culturally diverse samples (Hofstede, 1991, p. 77).
The mass migration of people in the last decade or more has been a crucial social event where people travel freely either for leisure, education, business or for work relocation and as well as for political reasons. The consequences of this migration can either lead to the acculturation of groups or individuals. In each of the above cases, the individuals or groups within the society need to work out how to live together in order to maintain stability, peace and harmony to avoid conflicts. Consequently, this phenomenon would have a strong impact on societies being transformed to adjust to the arrival of newcomers. Inevitably, the consumption patterns of the people would also be affected (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999, p. 45).
The mobility of people moving from one culture to another in the last two decades has long been the interest of social science researchers researching cultural adaptation and acculturation, as well as being the focal point in consumer research. Many researchers have devoted considerable efforts to the understanding of acculturation and the process of alterations in attitudes and adaptations to new environments. Therefore, the growth in cross-border trade and competition, due to the rapid rise in globalization in businesses as well as the frequent traveling of people marketing managers of the need to re-define their marketing approach, with special attention to a more dynamic consumer behavior studies and be more culturally specific.
Marketers have often relied on complicated general models and an abundance of marketing principles and constructs which are more in general terms rather than meeting the specific needs of any particular culture or ethnic group. Even if they do exist, many of these models and principles do not attempt to offer an explanation as to how cultural factors can influence the way a consumer makes a decision.
The era of globalization has opened up whole new opportunities for modern-day consumers such as in the mobility of traveling either for work or for leisure, the ease of relocating and short-term staying for various purposes. These have brought about a new breed of consumers who are multi-cultural with unique behaviors. Certainly, it will also affect the behavior of the consumers of the host country. A good understanding of the acculturation of migrants in any social group is necessary for approaching cross-cultural consumption behavior and understanding their importance and implications when formulating a marketing strategy.
A consumer’s outward behavior is controlled by his/her cultural value systems. As such, the outward behavior of an individual, in part, is the manifestation of that individual’s cultural values, which are invisible. The value system of the group is thus common only to themselves with their own set of unique idiosyncrasies. These dynamic cultural value systems are constantly being affected by the social and cultural groups in which the consumer is engaged. However, the social group to which the consumer belongs is not shielded or protected from other external environmental factors, such as the value systems of other social groups, the evolution of education, the impact of science and technologies, etc. These factors will slowly but surely influence the culture and value systems over time. As a result, the outward behavior of the consumer will be shifted and the paradigm of beliefs and practices may be changed without compromising on the core value. Consequently, this outward behavior may further exert its pressure on the rudiments of the unique culture of the group. Based on this assumption, the cultural background of the consumer is mutant and is constantly evolving to adapt to external environments. Regularly and periodically, the marketing media attempts to moderate the behavior of the group and its culture, using various forms of intermediaries to transfer meanings or values from in-group culture to consumer goods. By this approach, it aims to achieve positive action or response in the actual purchasing of the products (Clarke and Micken, 2002, p. 57).
Culture is so pervasive that it bonds a particular group of people within a society and it is through this that the people in that group earn their distinctive values and identity. These shared values in turn regulate the manner and behavior of the group that eventually influence the choice of consumption. The cultural heritage of a particular ethnic group usually refers to the thinking, the ways of doing things and the belief systems passed on from generation to generation. It is such a potent force that it can instill such fear among the people within the group that any deviation from it may result in a member being ostracized by the group or facing imminent disastrous consequences. Such boundaries usually bind and mold the group until eventually, a set of attitudes and behavior are formed which is uniquely different from other ethnic groups.
Ways in which materialism and religion hinder the spread of global consumption culture
Other than fuelling consumption materialism and religion can be seen as a hindrance to consumption in the underlying principles in which they are based. There has been increasing recognition of the power of ethnic groups in determining the behavior of consumers among marketers.high culture orientations tended to emphasize more on price and quality while those with low culture orientation were more inclined towards image and prestige. The importance of understanding culture in the consumer behavior cannot be denied especially in the international business environments, where consumer behavior and values are recognized as a powerful force in shaping consumers’ motivation, lifestyles, and product choices (Hofstede, 1991, p. 79).
These religious aspects in the society basically influence negatively the consumption behavior of some commodities e.g. pork is prohibited in the Islamic world while in the rest of the places it’s accepted; clothing styles in some societies are also prohibited by religious beliefs. Religion touches the core heart of the consumers’ consumption behaviors and the consumption trends prohibited by their religious affiliations and beliefs. The higher an individual’s level of materialism, the more likely they are to choose a product option with materialistic attributes because they reflect material values and thus influence their decisions e.g. there are some products that can be said to be immaterial and thus materialistic consumers cannot consume them. This can be seen as a hindrance to consumption. An individual’s level of materialism better explains their consumption of brands in materialistic purchasing situations. That is, a consumer’s level of materialism determines the importance they assign to various materialistic attributes and ultimately the way in which they consume.
Materialistic consumers consume the best and the expensive commodities and thus their lives are luxurious in nature. These attitudes hinder them to consume the commodities considered normal and can be said to hinder them from living a normal life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the essay proves materialism affects consumption, with materialists being motivated by social visibility, quality and prestige. Consumer behavior varies from individual to individual as well as from group to group of people. They look beyond functional product attributes to characteristics such as appearance and brand name. Hence an individual’s level of materialism influences the attributes they seek and consequently their consumption behaviors. Consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated, complex and demanding. This is mainly attributed to easier access to available information and knowledge these days. This, coupled with rising awareness of consumer rights, has placed additional demands on marketers to demarcate the different market segments more accurately. This is especially true when different ethnic and religious groups co-exist within the same geographical area.
Culture is a set of acquired or learned values, beliefs, customs and attitudes that mold an individual and a homogenous group of people within a society. These variables create a behavioral norm unique only to the group and perpetuate to the next generation. Similarly, religion, being an aspect of culture, also influences the behavior of consumers and this subsequently determines the way consumers make decisions in their purchases.
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