Journal of Design, Business & Society - In Pursuit of Luxury, Mar 2021

We propose elements of explanations on the determinants of the act of online purchase by luxury customers from three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Our research questions are: (1) What weight do cultural factors occupy in the act of buying online, compared to sociodemographic factors? In other words, to what extent would a French luxury customer with the same gender, age and income level as an American customer be less inclined to buy online than in physical stores? (2) How can we characterize these cultural differences? Is this the expression of a different relationship to luxury, different expectations or shopping habits more anchored in a historical context? We explore the reasons why French luxury clients are less likely to shop online than in store, compared to British and American customers. This research can give insights to researchers and practitioners on the behaviour and expectations of different sets of luxury clients in their customer journey. Relying on an exclusive set of customer data, we carry statistical analyses on a global sample of 2036 luxury customers from three countries. Using descriptive statistics and logistic regressions models, we highlight some determinants of online shopping. The influence of the nationality of respondents is statistically established as the second most important factor after consumer’s age. Different purchasing attitudes among countries, with an emphasis put by French clients on emotional dimensions, can explain why an online journey might be less engaging for them. We highlight the necessity to interact in a differentiated way according to the different sociodemographic groups. While social networks are the most common tools used to address the age gap among luxury clients, other functionalities can help to adapt to the expectations of shoppers from different countries. Our research is at the crossroad between cross-cultural studies on luxury shoppers, which did not provide yet an analysis on online customers, and studies dedicated to the specificities of luxury e-commerce which never employed an important international dataset.

This exploratory work investigates the burgeoning integration of ‘cradle to cradle’ practices into primary strategic activities of procurement, production and sales by ten London based fashion businesses, analysing how profits are derived from offsetting the high costs of sustainable inputs against savings from innovative strategic choices in the production value chain. This research was influenced by the background knowledge that in the global fashion industry, less than 1 per cent of the recycled textiles are converted into new wearable materials, and even more of these textiles end up in landfills. However, this unsustainable tradition in the fashion industry may gradually give way to a mainstream circular economic best practice in the fashion industry, even as the Mckinsey Report found that sustainability will be a significant factor for consumer purchasing mass market apparels by 2025. Based on the semi-structured interview of the ten fashion business owners and the analyses of internal strategic policy documents including budgets, we adopted Garret Hardin’s ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ and Ulrich Beck’s risk society as the lens view through which the qualitative data derived from these fashion businesses were discussed in order to bring out the illustrative extracts and sub-themes. Through the application of interpretive methodological approach, we were able to generate the themes suggesting the ‘Becksian’ reflexive modernization and dis-embedding mechanisms in analysing the issue of trust in luxury fashion environment. We were able to demonstrate the multidisciplinary and multifaceted nature of the use of modern technology in achieving a closed-loop circular economy in luxury fashion business(es) and its interconnectedness within the concentric layers of the value-chain, which is part of the economy, which is in turn a subset of the society and the environment. As businesses are expected to adapt their strategies to the changing environment, we argue that dematerialization in fashion is still at its infancy, and some deliberate actions on the part of economic policy-makers may be required in due course as this is connected to social sustainability amongst others. This article contributes new empirical data to the understanding of luxury fashion business in a circular economy, which is a departure from the linear economy with its attendant externalities. The adoption of a sustainable fashion business model may be pivotal to combating the inefficiency costs built into the fashion industry, and if successful, may be replicated in other jurisdictions in due course.

COVID-19 has heightened consumers environmental and social consciousness in the luxury industry, which fosters luxury consumers’ appetite for sustainable luxury, thus, puts renewed interest and pressure on the industry to act upon. Past research highlights that sustainability and luxury may be paradoxical, due to a lack of information on material adoption. Yet, sustainable luxury products are positively perceived by consumers, who see luxury and sustainability as compatible. Material innovations can enhance this perception further, which requires careful communication strategies. Sustainability communication enables companies to broadcast material innovations through a manifold channel. Luxury brands predominantly communicate these innovations through official websites, as it is often the first touchpoint between consumers and the brand. This article addresses a knowledge gap on how to communicate sustainable luxury in an effective and efficient manner, by focusing on material innovations that are increasing in popularity in the sector. This article explores the role of corporate websites in communicating material innovations based on two luxury brands. Data are extracted from company websites to perform a qualitative content analysis. Data highlight that terminologies used affect information accessibility. Sustainable information can be a key selling point for consumers that are more environmentally, thus it is vital to provide this information in a straightforward manner. Data may not be generalized from only two case studies, yet it provides insights that can guide future research.

This article explores the role of social media promotions in the marketing of luxury, from the perspectives of both representatives of global brands and the local influencers contracted to promote them online. It provides insights into role of social media in marketing luxury in ‘new’ markets (African cities) and the complexities attendant to the relationship between brand representatives and influencers. It reports on in-depth interviews with brand representatives and social media influencers working in the luxury sector in large anglophone African cities. Empirical findings show the role of social media in how luxury is promoted by those working in the industry. Three key complexities to do with value, trust and authenticity were evident in how global brand representatives and local influencers discussed social media. In terms of value, influencers emphasize strategies for monetizing visibility, while brand managers emphasize the need to get their money’s worth. Regarding trust, influencers express caution about brands trying to exploit them, while brands express scepticism about the extent of influencer’s abilities. On the topic of authenticity, influencers emphasize how the integrity of their personal brands is paramount, while brand representatives are mostly concerned with how genuine the social media posts seem. The article provides original empirical details about the relationships between brand managers and social media influencers, as well as to the nuances of social media luxury marketing in African cities. It contributes to critical theories of branding practice in media economies of the global south.