A definitive insight into the luxury sector in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: A qualitative study

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates the contemporary luxury landscape of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from the perspectives of luxury business professionals, addressing a significant gap in the literature on luxury business in Southeast Asia, a market context that has been documented almost exclusively through quantitative, consumer-facing research.

Methodology: A qualitative design was adopted, grounded in a pragmatist philosophy and an exploratory strategy. Eight semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with senior managers, directors and owners across the luxury sector in Phnom Penh, recruited purposively using an information-power rationale. Transcripts were manually coded and analyzed inductively using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive six-phase thematic analysis.

Findings: The analysis identified three interrelated themes: luxury market positioning, luxury education, and luxury culture. Brands are deliberately positioning themselves in anticipation of a maturing consumer market, investing in consumer education to build awareness and curb counterfeit consumption, and treating cultural sensitivity and localization as prerequisites for resonance and loyalty.

Implications: Success in this emerging market requires an adaptive, culturally informed approach rather than transplanting global brand playbooks. Practitioners should prioritize anticipatory positioning, sustained consumer education, and structured local partnerships as interdependent rather than sequential commitments.

Originality: This study offers one of the first qualitative, practitioner-led accounts of the Cambodian luxury sector, explaining why and how market dynamics unfold in a field otherwise dominated by quantitative consumer-behavior research.

Limitations and future research: The insider, managerial perspective leaves the consumer viewpoint unexamined. Future research should incorporate consumer-facing data and extend the design to multiple cities and countries.