An exploratory investigation of aspirational consumption at the bottom of the pyramid

Research under the topic of "Bottom of Pyramid" (BoP) has emphasized how marketing to the world's poor is a profitable endeavor for companies. It is argued that the poor don't only seek to fulfill their basic needs but also spend their discretionary income on aspirational goods. Motivated to investigate the validity of this claim, we study the meaning and nature of aspirational consumption of the poor. The data for this article come from a qualitative study conducted with 58 urban poor consumers in India. Findings show that in order to market profitably, companies should target the poor with products and services focused on strengthening the capabilities of the poor and therefore the capacity to aspire. The findings from this research shed light on the meaning of aspirational consumption as interpreted by the poor consumers and more importantly identifies the source of motivation and categories of aspiration.