Systematic Review of Conspicuous Consumption Scales

Conspicuous consumption is considered a deliberate engagement in the purchase, possession and symbolic and visible use of products and services, with the motivation to communicate a distinct self-image to others (Roy Chaudhuri et al., 2011). However, the measurement of this concept varies according to the facets on which the studies reported in the existing literature have focused. The purpose of this article is to present a systematic review of the scales that assessed conspicuous consumption. The selection of the studies was carried out from several databases, with articles published between 2010 and 2020. The systematic review focused on 36 studies, which describe ten scales used to assess conspicuous consumption. The results revealed that there is no consensus on the dimensions of the construct, and that most scales were developed to measure conspicuous consumption in a specific context. This review should help researchers to select the most appropriate instruments to study this buying behaviour.