Academic literature on the topic 'Luxury products'

The world of luxury products for many years was reserved only for the selective and exclusive audience. It looked like it was impossible to experience it or to get in for someone from outside. Marketers of luxury brands have created such an environment where clients could feel exclusivity and enjoy timeless quality, values, history and heritage of the brand. It is very important to maintain the traditional values for luxury brands but in order to stay in touch with the target audience, luxury producers have to face and adapt to rapidly changing environment. There are a lot of debates about comparability of the Internet and luxury, as digital world is too impersonal comparing with core competence of luxury: exclusivity, outstanding experience and human touch in everything including craftsmanship, personal selling and customer relations. In current environment luxury companies cannot ignore the importance of the Internet as a communication and transaction tool and have to stay in touch with its target audience. The main contribution of this dissertation thesis is an analytical framework "features of importance for online luxury consumer satisfaction" that will help luxury marketers to understand online luxury consumers, their motivations, behavior and preferences. Additionally, framework presents the up-to-date data that can be executed while creating digital marketing communications strategy. The influence of content, social, process and technology gratifications on the online luxury consumer satisfaction was investigated. By incorporating the quantitative approach it was possible to make a deep analysis of the research problem. To obtain the necessary data the group structured questionnaire was used to analyze the proposed research model. A total of 133 respondents were accepted for the investigation. Analysis of correlation proved the positive relation between gratifications and luxury consumer satisfaction, even thought, proposed gratifications had different influence on the satisfaction. Content and technology gratifications had the most strong and positive influence on the satisfaction. However, from the obtained results it is visible that social gratification had the least important but still positive effect on the luxury consumer satisfaction. The obtained results are a valuable asset for the luxury companies as research revealed the main directions and themes on which luxury marketers should stress while creating online communication strategies.

Purchasing counterfeited luxury products and downloading pirated items have becomemore common nowadays. Fashion and IT industries are affected negatively by consumers’supportive attitude towards piracy and counterfeits. Many luxury branded companies havetheir exclusive brand names stolen by counterfeits producers. Likewise producers ofcomputer software, music, and movies are affected by individuals who download/streamtheir items for free. Consumers’ attitudes towards counterfeiting and piracy are importantto examine as to understand their acceptance and rejection towards counterfeits and piracy.The purpose of this thesis is to examine consumers’ attitudes towards counterfeits andpiracy. What is accepted and rejected by consumers? To answer the research questions, aqualitative method is used. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews with12 consumers of both/either counterfeits and piracy. The study is performed in Skåne(Scania), Sweden, mainly in Malmö, Perstorp and Kristianstad.We implemented the Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Moral Reasoning, ConsumerTheory and different attitudes for analysing the empirical presentation. The result of thestudy showed that the interviewees had a more accepting attitude towards piracy while themajority of them had a rejecting attitude towards counterfeits. Due to the fact thatcomputer and IT have become a part of the everyday life for many individuals. However,the interviewees who buy counterfeits consume the items while they are on vacationabroad since the supply of counterfeits in the Swedish market is not very big. When itcame to piracy and counterfeited products, the age of the interviewees did matter to someextent. Also, price was one important element why consumers are interested in counterfeitsor download piracy.This study contributes to fill the gap in the lack of studies of consumers’ attitudes towardsboth piracy and counterfeits. The conclusions can be used as a guideline and tool forcompanies to be aware of consumers’ attitudes towards illicit products. Keywords: Counterfeit products, Piracy, Consumer attitude, Physical products, Digitalproducts, Luxury brands, Genuine luxury brand, Illicit forged products

Submitted by Sylvain Marliot (sylvain.marliot@hec.edu) on 2014-11-18T21:31:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Sylvain Marliot - The online distribution strategy of luxury products and their vertical extensions FINAL.pdf: 1237526 bytes, checksum: 7cd8273c2451d4a7b9d05fc40313d7f8 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Luana Rodrigues (luana.rodrigues@fgv.br) on 2014-11-19T11:43:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Sylvain Marliot - The online distribution strategy of luxury products and their vertical extensions FINAL.pdf: 1237526 bytes, checksum: 7cd8273c2451d4a7b9d05fc40313d7f8 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2014-11-19T12:11:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sylvain Marliot - The online distribution strategy of luxury products and their vertical extensions FINAL.pdf: 1237526 bytes, checksum: 7cd8273c2451d4a7b9d05fc40313d7f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-14<br>Uma importante tendência do mercado de luxo é a extensão de marca em um novo segmento de mercado por meio da chamada extensão vertical, que pode ser para cima ou para baixo. Em outras palavras, significa que a organização passa a atuar em um novo segmento dentro de uma mesma categoria de produtos, mas com diferente público-alvo que sua marca original. Nesse processo, a empresa inicia atividade em um novo segmento com diferente nível de luxo. A distribuição é um aspecto fundamental do composto de Marketing e a importância da internet como canal de distribuição dessa indústria tem aumentado expressivamente nos últimos anos. Dessa forma, faz-se necessário compreender como as marcas de luxo gerenciam suas estratégias de distribuição online quando desenvolvem processos de extensão de marca e penetração em novos segmentos. Com o objetivo de analisar a estratégia de distribuição da indústria de luxo, um estudo exploratório foi desenvolvido focando bens de luxo pessoal (em categorias como costura, relógios & jóias, couro e sapatos). Uma amostra significativa constituída de marcas originais e suas extensões foi analisada para constituir um modelo comparativo entre duas variáveis: o nível de diferenciação entre os canais de distribuição da marca original e suas extensões; e a distância entre as próprias marcas no que concerne ao seus posicionamentos. Esse estudo contribui para o entendimento da dinâmica de distribuição do mercado e colabora com a compreensão do comportamento das empresas que atuam nele, dependendo do tipo de extensões que elas desenvolvem e da forma como elas são conduzidas.<br>An important trend on the luxury market is the extension of a brand into a new market segment through a vertical extension, be it upscale or downscale. This means the company introduces a new product segment inside a product category that targets a different market base than the one the brand was marketing before. Thus, the company enters a segment that has a different level of luxury. Distribution is a fundamental aspect of the marketing-mix and the importance of the Internet is increasing for luxury brands, especially concerning the distribution of their items. Then, it is of upmost importance to understand the way luxury brands manage their online distribution strategy channels when they extend their brands and penetrate a different market segment. In order to analyze their distribution strategy, an exploratory study was performed, focusing on personal luxury goods (that is to say on items from the following categories: fashion, watches & jewelry, leather goods, shoes). A sample of pairs constituted of original brands and second ones was analyzed and a framework was constructed. It is composed of two sets of variables concerning the difference in distribution between the original segment and the extension one, and the distance between the brands per se. This framework contributes to the understanding of the market and helps understand the behavior of the companies actuating in the market, depending on the type of extensions they perform and the way they are implemented.

L’objet de la présente recherche est d’examiner l’impact des attributs durables, tant environnementaux que sociaux, sur la qualité perçue des produits de luxe. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous avons adopté une approche qui articule deux démarches complémentaires, l’une qualitative auprès des professionnels et consommateurs Parisiens, l’autre quantitative, nous avons mobilisé un modèle expérimental factoriel between-subject, réalisée en France et l’Arabie Saoudite. Le principal résultat de notre étude quantitative est que mentionner l'information durable sur un produit de luxe a un impact négatif sur la qualité perçue. En effet, les consommateurs saoudiens perçoivent un produit de luxe comme étant de qualité inférieure lorsqu’il comporte une information durable. A l’inverse les consommateurs français se montrent indifférents. Plus précisément, nos résultats montrent que c’est plutôt l’information sociale qui présente un effet significatif sur la qualité perçue. L’information environnementale semble avoir un effet neutre. Enfin, nos résultats indiquent que l’effet de l’information sociale sur la qualité perçue est modéré par le goût des consommateurs pour le luxe, l'image RSE et le pays d'origine des consommateurs<br>The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of sustainable attributes on the perceived quality of luxury products. To get to our goal, a complementary approach using both qualitative and quantitative studies has been adopted. In the qualitative method, two studies with professionals and consumers are conducted. For the quantitative method, we employed an experimental between-subject factorial design realized in France and Saudi Arabia. The key finding of our quantitative study is that mentioning sustainable information has a negative impact on the perceived quality of luxury products. However, while no significant effect is observed in the case of French respondents, Saudi consumers perceive a product to be of lower quality when sustainable information is presented compared to the absence of this information. More particularly, social information impacts strongly and negatively the perceived quality in contrary with environmental information which has no effect. This effect is moderated by the degree of liking of luxury, the CSR image, and consumers’ country of origin

<p>Background/problem: Many business and industries have been hardly influenced of the occurrence of this financial crisis which is expected to be the worst financial crisis since 1929. Historically the luxury business has always been immune to uncertainties and crisis. It is of great interest to see how the luxury business reacts in the financial crisis from a marketing strategy perspective.</p><p>Purpose: To explain the impact of the financial crisis on the luxury business by using and identifying the nature of luxury and the suitable marketing strategies.</p><p>Methodology: A deductive philosophical approach and a positivistic and interpretative research approach are applied in this thesis.Findings: The luxury business has not been influenced by the financial crisis based on the interviews. The main reasons behind it are interpreted as the nature of luxury itself and its unique customers.</p><p>Conclusion: Based on our study and the involved companies, it is assumed that the luxury business is invulnerable to the financial crisis.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Date: June 2, 2010</p><p>Program: MIMA – International Marketing</p><p>Course name: Master Thesis (EFO 705)</p><p>Title: An Exploratory Study on Thailand‟s Young Women: Consumer Behavior toward Purchasing Luxury Fashion Brands</p><p>Authors: Kamolwan Tovikkai (851125)Wiwatchai Jirawattananukool (841111)</p><p>Group number: 2462</p><p>Tutor: Konstantin Lampou</p><p>Problem: If and how personal value, social recognition, and demographics impact Thai female students luxury fashion brand purchases and which marketing strategies should be used to influence their purchase intention?</p><p>Purpose: -To identify what motivates Thai female students in purchasing luxury fashion brands -To identify the most effective strategies to use in penetrating the market and keeping the loyalty of customers Thailand.</p><p>Method: Quantitative research method via survey was used for this research. Survey questionnaires were distributed to sample groups. The variables used in this paper personal values, social, recognition, intention to buy products, and demographics. Both primary and secondary type of data collection were used for this research.</p><p>Conclusion: Based on the demographic information, there are two indicators that are significant to purchase intentions of Thai female students on luxury fashion brands. Social status is one of the significant indicators of socialiiirecognition variable. There is a strong level of relationship on Thai female students toward luxury fashion products. Personal Values‟ indicators can be utilized on Thai female students as the following; materialism, the need for uniqueness, conformity, and vanity. All of them have strong levels of significance. However, Ethnocentrism has no relationship and effect with the luxury fashion product in Thailand.</p><p>Key words: Thai female students, Luxury fashion products, Luxury fashion brands, Consumer behavior</p>

Personalization has been a new impacting trend in the last decade that is getting stronger. This phenomenon has been studied especially considering mass market industries, but low focus has been put on the luxury economy. This economy is witnessing the emerging of new younger customers and of the aspirational masses which ask for unique personalized pieces, which change completely the balance between brand recognition and self-design features. If in the luxury fashion economy personalization has started to be studied and different solutions to help firms have been found, within the jewelry luxury sector there is a gap. The aim of this study is to understand if in this specific market personalization increases the value of the jewelry for customers and if there are specific contexts in which luxury customers ask for personalized product and their WTP or PI are higher.

Introduction: Counterfeiting is considered as the crime of the 21st century. A highly affected market of counterfeits is the market of luxury branded goods. These goods are bought by consumers who want to express their social class and belonging by being admired, recognized and accepted by other people. The counterfeits of luxury brands that flourish on the market makes it possible for anyone to be a luxury brand user which is against the core of luxury brand, which strives for a low distribution to keep the demand high to be able to keep the consumer associations of luxury brands.   Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to create knowledge of how counterfeit products affect the consumer perception of luxury brands. Methodology: The research approach was a deductive, quantitative research and the data was collected through a questionnaire distributed through Facebook and the internal e-mail of the Linnaeus University. The sample frame was generation Y in Sweden. A total of 432 completed questionnaires were collected and was the foundation for the analysis and result.   Conclusion: The consumers' perception of counterfeit products have a negative effect on the consumer perception of luxury brands. Both the consumer's brand associations and how consumers perceive the quality of luxury brands are affected by counterfeit products. However, what the consequences are of this negative relationship cannot be answered by the result of this thesis.

This thesis aims to investigate the relationships between vanity, social comparison and purchase behaviour. Specifically, this thesis defines and develops a conceptual model that expands on these relationships where vanity and social comparison act as antecedents to consumers’ self-esteem and product evaluation which in turn gives rise to purchase behaviour for luxury fashion products. Using this model, the research examines how manipulations of social comparison and vanity are reflected in these relationships and the resulting impact on purchase behaviour. To empirically test this model, an online experiment using a 3x2 between-subjects factorial design was conducted, where respondents were exposed to modified print advertisements for luxury branded sunglasses. A total of 297 responses were collected from a pool of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk workers, which were analysed using multiple regression, factorial ANCOVA and path analysis to assess the hypothesised relationships. The results indicate that vanity appeals were indeed responsible for the way in which the product was evaluated which positively translated into purchase consideration. However, though social comparison was proven to negatively impact on self-esteem, this change in self-esteem was not significant in determining purchase behaviour. Additionally, social anxiety and public self-consciousness were found to be antecedents to the modelled relationships. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings, along with suggested directions for future research, are discussed.