Content area
Full text
Special issue on retailing, operations, and supply chain management in the luxury sector
Edited by Alessandro Brun
Introduction
The internet has profoundly transformed the industry practices of modern retailing and distribution management ([11] Doherty and Ellis-Chadwick, 2006; [27] Pentina et al. , 2011). The luxury sector, however, has been slow in embracing the digital revolution because of its concern for losing the aura of exclusivity ([25] Okonkwo, 2007). The situation started to change during the past five years. As more and more consumers have accepted internet purchasing, luxury vendors have quickened their adoption of the internet and begun to use sophisticated information technologies to improve their online presence and promote brand awareness ([26] Okonkwo, 2009). Both marketing scholars and retail executives are particularly interested in better understanding the unique challenges and opportunities that have been brought to the luxury industry by the internet.
Generally speaking, the research on online luxury purchasing is still at a rudimentary stage. Much marketing research has been conducted either on luxury shopping behavior in the non-internet context or on Internet purchasing behavior of non-luxury goods buyers ([12] Donthu and Garcia, 1999), but few studies have investigated the unique characteristics of luxury consumption in the online environment. Many questions remain to be answered. For example, what are the main factors that influence the online purchase behavior of luxury consumers? Do luxury consumers have different attitudes towards online and in-store shopping? An extensive investigation into the motives for online luxury consumption will provide useful insight for future research regarding luxury retailing. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first exploratory, comparative study on luxury consumption in the online and physical store environments. It compares and contrasts the motivational factors that drive the shopping behavior of internet and in-store luxury buyers. In addition, it provides managerial insights and helps the luxury brand companies to develop marketing strategies to better reach their potential online consumers.
This paper proceeds as follows. First, conceptual background in shopping motivation and luxury consumption is provided. Second, two studies are presented. Study one is qualitative in nature. We use a mixed method approach and explore why luxury consumers decide to purchase luxury products online or in store. The second study is quantitative. It tests the...