Correlation Between Brand Image and Consumer Perception Of Selected Luxury Goods Among Rural University Students In South Africa
Main Article Content
Abstract
Purpose: This study investigates the influence of brand image on rural university students’ perceptions of luxury goods in South Africa. It aims to understand how brand-related emotions and impressions shape consumers’ interpretation of luxury, particularly in contexts where socioeconomic and cultural factors may impact purchasing behaviours. Methodology: A quantitative research design was employed, using both self-administered online questionnaires and manually distributed surveys. From 355 participants, 239 complete responses were obtained. Data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) through Smart PLS to assess multivariate causal relationships between components of brand image and consumer perceptions. Findings: The results reveal a significant and positive relationship between brand image and students’ perceptions of luxury goods. Brand emotion and brand impression emerged as strong predictors, indicating that emotional attachment, personal beliefs, and symbolic meaning are key drivers of luxury consumption. The findings further show that rural university students view luxury goods primarily as indicators of social status rather than as functional objects. Implications: These insights highlight the strategic importance of strengthening brand image to attract and retain consumers in the luxury goods market. Marketers are encouraged to emphasise emotional and symbolic aspects of branding to build stronger consumer connections, particularly among emerging youth markets in rural settings. Originality: By focusing on rural university students, an underexplored demographic in luxury consumption literature, this study contributes fresh empirical evidence from a South African context. It extends understanding of how brand image operates in non-urban, resource-constrained environments, offering novel perspectives on branding and consumer behaviour in emerging markets.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Babin, B. J., & Harris, E. G. (2023). CB: Consumer behaviour. Cengage Canada.
Bilal, M., & Andajani, E. (2023). Factors affecting the intention to use roof solar panel in households in Indonesia. ADI Journal on Recent Innovation, 5(1), 25–33.
Budiono, S., Purba, J. T., & Adirinekso, G. P. (2021). Strategic business analysis using determinants of buying decisions on products: Lessons from an international company in Indonesia. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (pp. 1232–1242). IEOM Society.
Chen, S., Wang, T., Bao, Z., & Lou, V. (2022). A path analysis of the effect of neighbourhood-built environment on public health of older adults: A Hong Kong study. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 861836.
Cheung, K. K. C., & Tai, K. W. (2023). The use of intercoder reliability in qualitative interview data analysis in science education. Research in Science & Technological Education, 41(3), 1155–1175.
Costa Sardo, M. I. (2023). Understanding the relationship between sustainability and purchase intention for luxury fashion brands. [Unpublished manuscript or thesis—specify if known].
De Araújo, P. D., Araújo, W. M. C., Patarata, L., & Fraqueza, M. J. (2022). Understanding the main factors that influence consumer quality perception and attitudes towards meat and processed meat products. Meat Science, 108952.
Dinh, K. C., Nguyen-Viet, B., & Phuong Vo, H. N. (2023). Toward sustainable development and consumption: The role of the green promotion mix in driving green brand equity and green purchase intention. Journal of Promotion Management, 1–25.
Filieri, R., Lin, Z., Li, Y., Lu, X., & Yang, X. (2022). Customer emotions in service robot encounters: A hybrid machine–human intelligence approach. Journal of Service Research, 25(4), 614–629.
Goh, T. T., Dai, X., & Yang, Y. (2023). Benchmarking ChatGPT for prototyping theories: Experimental studies using the technology acceptance model. BenchCouncil Transactions on Benchmarks, Standards & Evaluations, 3(4).
Guest, G., Namey, E., & Chen, M. (2020). A simple method to assess and report thematic saturation in qualitative research. PLOS ONE, 15(5), 0232076.
Guliyev, S. (2023). The impact of brand perception and brand image on consumer purchasing behavior in Azerbaijan. Science, Education and Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems, 6, 137–144.
Hanafiah, M. H. (2020). Formative vs. reflective measurement model: Guidelines for structural equation modeling research. International Journal of Analysis and Applications, 18(5), 876–889.
Haque, I. U., Khan, S., & Mubarik, M. S. (2023). Effect of social media influencer on consumer purchase intention: A PLS-SEM study on branded luxury fashion clothing. Journal of Mass Communication Department, 28.
Husain, R., Ahmad, A., & Khan, B. M. (2022). The impact of brand equity, status consumption, and brand trust on purchase intention of luxury brands. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1), 2034234.
Joshi, R., & Garg, P. (2021). Role of brand experience in shaping brand love. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(2), 259–272.
Keller, K. L. (2022). Understanding the changing role and functions of marketing. [Publisher information missing].
Keller, K. L., & Brexendorf, T. O. (2019). Measuring brand equity. In Handbuch Markenführung (pp. 1409–1439). Springer.
Kervyn, N., Fiske, S. T., & Malone, C. (2022). Social perception of brands: Warmth and competence define images of both brands and social groups. Consumer Psychology Review, 5(1), 51–68.
Khan, I., & Fatma, M. (2023). Understanding the influence of CPE on brand image and brand commitment: The mediating role of brand identification. Sustainability, 15(3), 2291.
Kim, Y. K., & Sullivan, P. (2019). Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ hearts: The case of fashion brands. Fashion and Textiles, 6(1), 1–16.
Kodrat, D. S., & Melinda, T. (2021). Creating a brand strategy for the footwear industry. [Publisher information missing].
Kover, A. J., James, W., & Mathur, A. (2022). Subtle luxuries: Motivations for consumption. Springer.
Kurdi, B., Alshurideh, M., Akour, I., Alzoubi, H., Obeidat, B., & Alhamad, A. (2022). The role of digital marketing channels on consumer buying decisions through eWOM in the Jordanian markets. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1175–1186.
Liu, P., Segovia, M., Tse, E. C. Y., & Nayga, R. M. (2022). Become an environmentally responsible customer by choosing low-carbon footprint products at restaurants. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 52, 346–355.
Liu, S., Perry, P., & Gadzinski, G. (2019). The implications of digital marketing on WeChat for luxury fashion brands in China. Journal of Brand Management, 26, 395–409.
Maduretno, R. B. E. H. P., & Junaedi, M. S. (2022). Exploring the effects of coffee shop brand experience on loyalty: The roles of brand love and brand trust. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 24(3), 289–309.
Maharani, A. S., & Hidayat, A. (2023). The influence of brand innovativeness and quality on consumer perceived value: The role of symbolic brand qualities as mediating. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 12(4), 15–32.
Maheshwari, G., & Kha, K. L. (2022). Investigating the relationship between educational support and entrepreneurial intention in Vietnam. The International Journal of Management Education, 20(2), 100553.
Majeed, M. U., Aslam, S., Murtaza, S. A., Attila, S., & Molnár, E. (2022). Green marketing approaches and their impact on green purchase intentions: The mediating role of green brand image and consumer beliefs about the environment. Sustainability, 14(18), 11703.
Mbete, G. S., & Tanamal, R. (2020). Effect of easiness, service quality, price, trust of quality of information, and brand image on consumer purchase decision on Shopee online purchase. Jurnal Informatika Universitas Pamulang, 5(2), 100–110.
Mirza, F., Younus, S., Javaid, A., & Waheed, N. (2023). Impact of product attributes and store attributes on repurchase intention with mediating effect of customer satisfaction: A study of FMCG sector in Pakistan. KASBIT Business Journal, 16(2), 1–18.
Mortati, M., Magistretti, S., Cautela, C., & Dell’Era, C. (2023). Data in design: How big data and thick data inform design thinking projects. Technovation, 122, 102688.
Nkominopondo, P., Mbukanma, I., & Shemfe, O. (2025). Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions for Clothing Products in Mthatha. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, 21(5), 231–242.
Ntobela, T. S., & Mbukanma, I. (2024). Conceptual interface between sensory marketing and impulsive buying behaviour of millennials in South Africa. The Journal of Accounting and Management, 14(1), 81–91.
Ntobela, T. S., & Mbukanma, I. (2023). Exploring the impact of sensory marketing on impulsive buying behaviour of millennials in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 12(5), 192–200.
Ouyang, F., Zheng, L., & Jiao, P. (2022). Artificial intelligence in online higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 27(6), 7893–7925.
Patel, M., & Patel, N. (2019). Exploring research methodology. International Journal of Research and Review, 6(3), 48–55.
Paul, J., & Barari, M. (2022). Meta‐analysis and traditional systematic literature reviews—What, why, when, where, and how? Psychology & Marketing, 39(6), 1099–1115.
Paul, J., & Criado, A. R. (2020). The art of writing literature review: What do we know and what do we need to know? International Business Review, 29(4), 101717.
Perera, C. H., Nayak, R., & Nguyen, L. T. V. (2020). The impact of subjective norms, eWOM, and perceived brand credibility on brand equity: Application to the higher education sector. International Journal of Educational Management, 35(1), 63–74.
Puspitarini, W. (2021). Customer motivation analysis on retail business with Octalysis gamification framework. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 99(13), 5.
Roggeveen, A. L., & Rosengren, S. (2022). From customer experience to human experience: Uses of systematized and non-systematized knowledge. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 67, 102967.
Schreiber, J. B. (2021). Issues and recommendations for exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(5), 1004–1011.
Shahid, S., Paul, J., Gilal, F. G., & Ansari, S. (2022). The role of sensory marketing and brand experience in building emotional attachment and brand loyalty in luxury retail stores. Psychology & Marketing, 39(7), 1398–1412.
Shemfe, O. A., & Mbukanma, I. (2025). Exploring neuromarketing strategies towards boosting consumer engagement with rural agricultural products: A systematic review. Interdisciplinary Journal of Management Sciences, 2(1).
Shemfe, O., & Mbukanma, I. (2025). The Role of Neuroscience in Shaping Marketing Narratives for Rural Agricultural Producers: A Systematic Review. Businesses, 5(2), 25.
Shrestha, N. (2021). Factor analysis as a tool for survey analysis. American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 9(1), 4–11.
Singh, A., Kukreja, V., & Kumar, M. (2023). An empirical study to design an effective agile knowledge management framework. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 82(8), 12191–12209.
Stillman, G. A., & Brown, J. P. (2023). Modeling the phenomenon versus modeling the data set. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 25(3), 270–295.
Sun, J. J., Bellezza, S., & Paharia, N. (2021). Buy less, buy luxury: Understanding and overcoming product durability neglect for sustainable consumption. Journal of Marketing, 85(3), 28–43.
Sürücü, S., Öztürk, O., Okumus, A., & Bilgihan, G. (2019). Brand awareness, image, physical quality and employee behavior as building blocks of customer-based brand equity: Consequences in the hotel context. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 40, 114–124.
Tu, J. C., Hsu, C. F., & Creativani, K. (2022). A study on the effects of consumers' perception and purchasing behavior for second-hand luxury goods by perceived value. Sustainability, 14(16), 10397.
Tukwayo, Y.G., & Mbukanma, I., (2026). Influence of Brand Equity on Choice of University: A Study of First-Year Students in South African Universities. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 16(1).
Uhm, J. P., Kim, S., Do, C., & Lee, H. W. (2022). How augmented reality (AR) experience affects purchase intention in sport e-commerce. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 67, 103027.
Wahab, M. K., Zulkifli, H., & Abdul Razak, K. (2022). Impact of philosophy for children and its challenges: A systematic review. Children, 9(11), 1671.
Yu, J., Liang, M., & Jin, C. H. (2023). The effects of luxury brand influencer characteristics on self-brand connection: Focused on consumer perception. Sustainability, 18(8), 6937.