The growing market potential of the middle class has given rise to a new category of products positioned between mass-market and luxury goods – known as masstige. These products allow middle-class consumers to enjoy the 'extras in life,' to access appealing luxury, while enabling brands to tap into the purchasing power of this income segment. This thesis explores the motives that drive consumers to purchase masstige products, with a particular focus on symbolic motives (Veblen, snob, and bandwagon). It also highlights specific psychological response that may arise among new users of mass luxury – the imposter syndrome – a feeling that the consumer is undeserving of the purchase and may be exposed as a ‘fraud’. Additionally, the thesis examines two related psychological constructs: a sense of (in)authenticity associated with the use of masstige products and psychological entitlement. The results show that none of the control variables (gender, age, income, and education) significantly influence the decision to purchase masstige products. The only exception is the highest income group, which is less inclined to choose masstige items, likely because they already belong to the higher income bracket. The analysis further indicates that neither non-functional symbolic motivators neither impostor syndrome do not have a significant impact on purchasing decisions for masstige brands. As expected, the feeling of personal (in)authenticity plays a notable role: consumers who experience inauthenticity are more likely to purchase masstige brands. Interestingly, a strong positive correlation was observed between high psychological entitlement and a pronounced sense of impostor syndrome; however, this correlation was not statistically significant. Future research could usefully examine whether functional motives also influence the decision to purchase masstige products.
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