Purpose
South Africa is the leading market for luxury goods in Africa – a fact evident from the statistics on luxury retail and the expanding footprint of international and local luxury brands. In a ...market that is dominated by prominent international brands, indigenous South African brands are seldom the subject of empirical research. This study addresses this gap by analysing the consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) of South African luxury fashion brands and its outcomes on the purchase/repurchase intention of consumers of South African luxury fashion brands.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted quantitative research methods and utilized survey questionnaires to acquire data from 130 respondents. Structural equation modelling was used in testing the proposed alternative hypotheses.
Findings
The study affirmed the relevance of Aaker's (1991) CBBE model for luxury goods in the emerging economy of South Africa. It established perceived quality and behavioural loyalty as significant predictors of brand equity while affirming the prevalence of hedonism and behavioural loyalty in South Africa's luxury fashion market.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample size and the limited geographic scope of the study had a significant adverse impact on the broad application of the study's outcome. Furthermore, Aaker's (1991) CBBE model, while adequate, may have diminished the probability of a nuanced outcome.
Originality/value
This study advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary research by applying the marketing framework of CBBE to fashion studies in South Africa. The validated measurement scale, which emphasises the relevance of hedonism and behavioural loyalty in South Africa, may be useful for a similar study on luxury fashion brands in other emerging economies.
Why do fashion brands enter the metaverse when the benefits of using this virtual reality space are not yet clear to the industry? What motivates them to venture into the complex world of digital ...platforms and ecosystems? Do luxury and fast fashion companies share the same motivations for entering the metaverse? These research questions guide the study which seeks to understand the motivational factors driving fashion brands to establish a presence in the metaverse. To achieve our research objective, we employ qualitative research methods and follow a grounded theory approach. Through a content analysis of publicly available website publications containing insights from fashion industry leaders, we identify commonalities and distinctions in the motivational factors leading luxury and fast fashion brands into the metaverse. The study contributes to the theoretical comprehension of the metaverse as a new strategic platform for the fashion industry and highlights practical implications intended to assist industry managers contemplating entry into this virtual reality space.
Consumers of luxury brands have been described as seekers of products that can offer a signaling value to present to others but also a value for their self-concepts in an existentialist spirit ...potentially linked to being “cool or not.” Prior studies have conceptualized brand coolness and evaluated its impact on consumer responses to brands. However, few studies have contextualized the construct of brand coolness concerning luxury brand realism. We assessed the semiotic tension that luxury brand consumers feel between self-concept and self-presentation to others via a theoretical consideration of four antecedents of brand coolness: individual, social, financial, and functional luxury values; and one intentional outcome such as consumers' passionate desire to use luxury fashion brands. Our findings indicated that luxury values positively influence brand coolness, and brand coolness positively influences passionate desire. We further confirmed that brand coolness plays a complementary mediating role between luxury values and passionate desire. A final contribution is to invite brand managers to consider how luxury values and brand coolness might be used proactively to drive consumers' passionate desires in the relationships with luxury fashion brands.
Recently, as the development of media contents accelerated, ASMR based on auditory, has been taking center stage in its field. In 2010, Jennifer Allen for the first time presented the definition that ...‘ASMR is a specific sound that gives pleasure', and recently it is used as a coined word among young people. The triggers used in ASMR marketing draw a stronger commitment within the consumers, by accompanying visual stimuli consistent with auditory stimuli. Consumers can acquire prior knowledge of the brand while enjoying ASMR, and they can even have indirect experiences. The purposes of this study are: first, to analyze significant value of ASMR in auditory sense field in modern days; second, to identify the characteristics of ASMR marketing through commitment and nostalgia; third, to investigate the effect of ASMR marketing on consumers.
This study explores if there is a convergence between the concepts of fashion and eco-friendliness in consumer perception of a fashion brand. We assume that increased eco-friendly perception will ...influence the brand image positively, with this impact being much higher for luxury than for high and fast fashion brands. The hypotheses are tested using data collected from Twitter. We analyzed the fashion clothing brands with the highest number of followers on the Socialbakers list and applied a novel social network mining methodology that allows measuring the relationship between each brand and two perceptual attributes (fashion and eco-friendliness). The method is based on attribute exemplars—that is, Twitter accounts that represent a perceptual attribute. Our exemplars catalyze social media conversations on fashion (identified in our research by the keywords “fashion,” “glamour,” and “style”) and eco-friendliness (keywords “environment” and “ethical business”). Based on social network analysis theory, we computed a similarity function between the followers of the exemplars and those of the brand. The results suggest that there is a correlation between the fashion and the eco-friendliness perceptual attributes of a brand; however, this correlation is far stronger for luxury brands than for high and fast fashion brands. The difference in the correlations confirms the recent tendency of fashion luxury brand to increasingly consider treating environmental issues as part of their core business and not just as added value to the brand’s offer.
•Eco-friendliness is becoming a fundamental component of the value proposition of fashion brands.•There is strong correlation between the fashion and the eco-friendliness perceptual attributes of luxury brands.•Consumers are more sensitive to fashion brands’ environmental rather than ethical business practices.
Value co-creation has emerged as a critical challenge for fashion brands in the age of social media. Despite its importance, scholars have not adequately explored the role of social media marketing ...(SMM) in enhancing value co-creation (VCC) intentions among fashion brand consumers in mainland China. SMM encompasses five hierarchical elements: entertainment, customization, interaction, electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM), and trendiness. This study developed a theoretical framework based on attribution theory and employed the partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method to analyze the value co-creation process. The results indicate that SMM positively impacts brand loyalty (BL), brand trust (BT), and VCC. Furthermore, BT positively affects BL and VCC, while also serving as a positive mediator between SMM and BL and VCC. Finally, BL positively enhances the VCC intentions of fashion brand consumers. Our study's unique insights, derived from the attribution theory's advantage point, enrich the marketing literature. These findings also offer practical guidelines and tips for marketing managers seeking to optimize their SMM mix for VCC.
Under the rapid development of e-commerce, offline brick-and-mortar stores have been severely impacted. However, the importance of the visual, sensory and even psychological experience in the apparel ...industry makes offline stores still irreplaceable. The impact on consumers' visual experience cannot be ignored and is a significant influencing factor in determining consumers' psychological change and purchase intention. Especially for fast fashion brands which pursue low costs, visual marketing strategies is a cost-effective marketing tool to enhance the visual experience. In this paper, by adapting SOR theory and using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) research method, 15 fast fashion apparel brands and 374 valid questionnaires are adapted in China to explore not only the influence of individual dimensions in visual marketing on consumers' purchase intention, but also the action of multi-dimensional combinations. The research finds that: (1) there are two driving paths for high consumers' purchase intention. The first path is a combination of high clarity of arrangement and low display density; the second path is a combination of low light intensity, high clarity of arrangement, high tonal harmony and high window appeal. (2) There are also two paths that drive non-high consumers' purchase intentions, and they are asymmetrically related to the paths that drive high consumers' purchase intentions. The findings of this study help to provide direction and suggestions for offline visual marketing strategies of fast fashion apparel brands to increase consumers' psychological perception and purchase intention through a range of visual presentation techniques.
Sustainability issues have arisen also in luxury retailing; the paper aims at investigating the role played by flagship stores in expressing the sustainability commitment of luxury fashion brands and ...at defining the key features of in-store sustainability communications. Through a qualitative research design, a conceptual framework has been proposed on how flagship stores should be designed and managed to display a commitment towards sustainable development. Findings identified for the first time the distinctive aspects of sustainability communications delivered within and through flagship stores, and revealed that such in-store communications can support luxury fashion retailers in making stakeholders aware of their sustainability commitment.
The concept of mediatization concerns the role and influence of the media in both society and the fields of cultural production. Fashion has witnessed several processes of mediatization, exemplified ...by the rise of fashion bloggers and influencers and the emergence of several online activities — e.g., broadcasting fashion shows — alongside or in place of those that previously took the form of face-to-face interaction. Such a mediatization has then accelerated rhythms of fashion communication imposed by the new digital environment. Moreover, thanks to the role of legacy and digital media, fashion as a cultural industry has been increasingly able to fuel global social imaginaries. This article briefly reviews the state of the art of studies on mediatization in the field of fashion, with a focus on the role of fashion brands. The essay also considers the Covid-19 pandemic as an accelerator of digitization processes, and proposes a number of valuable questions to investigate the future of mediatization in fashion. First, how do fashion brands, whether mass-market or high-end, interface with their audience, advertise their products, reach their targets, finalize the sale, and retain consumers? Second, how has digital technology changed the format and meaning of fashion shows and catwalks? Thirdly, how do fashion brands cooperate with, defend themselves against or exploit new digital intermediaries such as bloggers, influencers and content creators? Finally, how do brands pursue the quest for authenticity, as a value and a rhetoric construction, through digital channels? The contributions of this special issue provide, through the study of empirical cases, elements to answer these questions.
Purpose
Adding to competitive dynamics and sustainability literature, this paper aims to examine the implementation of environmental protection and sustainability initiatives within the European ...fast-fashion clothing industry from the perspectives of Generation X and Y consumers. The study primarily investigates whether consumers’ level of environmental consciousness impacts their purchase decisions and consumption behaviour and the consequent strategic competitiveness effects on businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach relied on multiple data collection methods. In the first stage of the study, the researchers analysed the content of the official websites of two of Europe’s leading fashion firms. In the second stage, a quantitative research approach was aimed at revealing the perceptions, attitudes and purchase behaviour of Generation X and Y consumers towards the two fashion houses and their brands.
Findings
Although European fashion manufacturers invest in sustainability and engage in environmental protection, their marketing efforts need to be more effectively managed and targeted towards their target consumer markets. The level of engagement and sensitivity of each generational group towards sustainability issues varies. Each group’s environmental consciousness, motivation and response is shaped by distinct characteristics, which, in turn, create implications for the effectiveness of sustainability efforts towards differentiation and competitiveness. Overall, consumers engage in environmental initiatives but ignore the corporate initiatives pursued by the two fashion firms and did not view them as sustainable brands.
Originality/value
The study explores the effectiveness of sustainability and environmental protection orientation as business competitive strategies in the light of environmental turbulence and social changes impacting the fast-fashion clothing industry and its relationships with its consumer markets.
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