Building the dream online: Does participation in luxury brand's social media affect brand experience, brand affect, brand trust, and brand loyalty?

The global market for luxury goods has witnessed a phenomenal growth over the past decades. Along with the increasing demand that stems from increased purchasing power, emerging markets, and new wider consumer groups, traditional luxury brands have faced a fierce competition caused by new forms of luxury such as masstige and luxurious fashion. Likewise, the rapid growth of social networks and social media has fundamentally transformed the business environment, and the whole society. Digital networks have facilitated companies and consumers to build online consumption communities, which supports the recent shift of marketing focus on relationships and co-creation of value. Consequently, luxury brands have started to use social media for advertising and relationship marketing. Due to the dynamic and interactive digital environment the importance of brand stories has become even more apparent. While brand communities and online communities are widely studied, luxury brands and social media based brand communities (SMBBCs) have not received yet much academic attention. This study takes the approach of SMBBCs to investigate the influence of consumers' participation in luxury brand's social media on brand experience, and on key dependent variables in consumer behavior research: brand affect, brand trust, and brand loyalty. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of social media, and to contribute to the research on social media brand communities and brand-consumer relationships, as well as luxury brands. The study proposes a theoretical framework that combines two empirically developed constructs: brand experience, and brand affect/trust-brand loyalty constructs, and tests the model within a social media based luxury brand community context. The data were collected as an online survey from various social media, which resulted in 333 valid responses from consumers who follow a luxury brand's social media. The study is quantitative by nature, and uses structural equation modeling (SEM) as the main method of analysis. To further examine the influence of participation on the focal construct, brand experience, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also conducted. The results support the reasoning that participation in luxury brand's social media affect consumer behavior. Social media following influences brand experience that accumulates in the long run, but participation affects also rapidly consumers new to the brand. Further, active participation and passive participation appear to have equal influence on brand experience. The findings reveal the chain of effects from brand related stimuli to brand affect, brand trust, and brand loyalty, and confirm the importance of affect in building brand loyalty

Examining the Impact of Sensory Brand Experience on Brand Loyalty

This research investigates five sensory cues (i.e. visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and taste) influencing sensory brand experience leading to brand loyalty through customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. It also investigates the role of employee empathy in moderating the effect of sensory brand experience on customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. Our investigation followed a mixed-method research design, a predominantly quantitative approach by using questionnaire responses from 512 Chinese consumers, which is supported by 10 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions to gain early insights into the subject area. The results suggest that five sensory cues have a significant impact on sensory brand experience and, in turn, contribute to customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. It also suggests that not all dimensions of customer satisfaction and brand attachment predict brand loyalty, and employee empathy negatively moderates the relationship between sensory brand experience and customer lovemarks

ASSESSING THE USER EXPERIENCE WHEN USING MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY IN ADVERTISING

Facing huge profits brought by applying augmented reality (AR) to advertising on mobile devices, this study investigated the user experience from four dimensions as emotional, instrumental, motivational and social experience when using AR as an advertising tool. It aims to help designers understand that how the user experience emerges during the use of AR advertising tool. In addition, providing some design suggestions to AR designer. Eighteen participants were recruited and the data were collected through observation and interviews. According to the results, users evaluated their emotional experience higher than the other three dimensions. The AR\u27s value in building brand awareness was more effective than persuading users to buy a product. Social functions were advised by users but should be more diverse than just share function. Participants hoped to see how creatively and widely AR can be used in future. Results also indicated that novice and experienced AR users evaluate this AR advertising tool differently, which could be a future direction for this research. Finally, suggestions are provided to AR developers on three categories: contents and interface, interaction and functionality

How small and authentic local brands can become global luxury niche brands: The case of four Portuguese brands

Small, local and authentic brands are trying to find their place in the luxury market with highly innovative products, a strong culture and high standards of craftsmanship. Even though they are successful building the substance, they are unable to conquer the status associated to a luxury brand. In this work project we explore how these brands can achieve a global niche luxury positioning through a case study research involving the analysis of four Portuguese brands. We infer recommendations to these brands and to other small, premium local brands that would benefit from “migrating” to a luxury status

The Impact of Sensory Marketing: Analysis of its Attributes Towards Online Perfum Users’ Behavior

Purpose: The tendency of consumers to purchase online today is enormous and requires the role of sensory marketing in providing a positive and memorable experience to all. In addition, since sensory marketing whether in online or offline settings can unconsciously govern shoppers’ judgement and purchase behavior, this paper aims to understand how multi-sensory information processing in the online environment is diverted from offline in the cosmetic perfume industry by leveraging previous research to analyze its effect on offline stores and emphasizing the present study on online retail stores.   Theoretical framework: The research study conducted by Petit et al. (2019) attempts to explore more about digital sensory marketing and multisensory technologies. However, offline and online settings would have different effects and since perfume products require the use of our senses, there would be obstacles that prevent us from using our senses when sold online. This requires us to understand sensory marketing in the online shopping environment.   Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper uses an exploratory study approach to gain in-depth understanding of the topic. The qualitative study is essentially built on primary data sources, through naturalistic observation and semi-structured interviews with 9 Generation Z individuals who are Indonesian citizens and have undertaken frequent perfume purchases online. A snowball sampling method was used in finding respondents for this study while interview results were analyzed using thematic analysis.   Findings: The paper highlights the significant impact of sensory marketing through the use of sensorial cues, sensorial attributes, and individual differences in sensory perception. Ethical considerations when utilizing sensory marketing are also being emphasized throughout this study.   Research, Practical & Social implications: Results of this study can encourage future research to help bring benefits for website/internet site designers, content managers, online perfume retailers, as well as academicians in general.   Originality/Value: This paper draws attention to the growing use of online channels by cosmetic perfume industry actors and sheds light on the importance of sensory marketing practices in affecting online user behavior by answering what and how questions using exploratory studies.

Perceived Aesthetics Visual Design Elements Of A Packaging Design: A Preliminary Study

In this paper, an introduction to review of literatures on aesthetics that concern on the visual design elements. Several aspects are discussed: the visual design elements and the aesthetics values through product aesthetic evaluation. In a theoretical approach, qualitative method has been applied at this preliminary stage. Prior to previous studies, this paper implements the method of reviewing content analysis, interviews and actual survey and observations, whereas stimuli are in the consideration for future analysis. A set of survey items have been identified for evaluation purposes for future recordings. Referring to previous studies, it has evidently presented that packaging attributes and aesthetic design elements have a great influence towards the consumers. Identification of the visual design elements are incorporating best to ensemble the cultural values such as graphics and sizes, the shape, colors, illustration, logo and brand name, typography, pattern, decorations and other product facts. An evaluation towards aesthetic upon those elements resulting as a symbolic value inclusive of the packaging features such as shape and materials which have been found out to be informative (Becker, van Rompay, Schifferstein, & Galetzka, 2011). However, understanding between the theory and aesthetic judgment may progress to new findings in which are applicable in designing a packaging design prototype and would be seen as new design directions for SMEs food packaging in particularly in Malaysia. According to Desmet & Hekkert (2007), being an integrated discipline that requires aesthetic, marketing, ergonomic and engineering skills, which occur within type of multidisciplinary; it projects design research as a special subject. New concepts have been introduced in addition to adopting new concepts from other disciplines of design research in which may stimulate new design direction