who have the resources and willingness to purchase luxury fashion goods on
the Internet.
The evolution of e-retail since the DotCom crash of the late 1990s and
early 2000s has enabled a prolific environment for e-retail. The widespread
adoption of high-speed internet connections has changed the perception of
consumers to online shopping. Also, the introduction of secure payment
systems and development of e-CRM methods have dispelled consumer fears
related to payments, refunds and after-sales services. As a result, consumers
currently exhibit a high level of confidence in online shopping and in spend-
ing vast sums on the internet.
However, consumers that are likely to purchase luxury goods online are
those with a prior offline relationship or exposure to the brands. This is
because consumers are influenced by their previous shopping experiences
and brand relationships both online and offline. This experience affects their
assessment of the current online purchasing process. If the consumers already
have a positive brand experience, it enhances their evaluative process and the
decision to buy the products of the brand online. At the same time, the website
must satisfy consumer needs and exceed their expectations.
The website of a luxury brand is expected to meet more than the minimal
requirements of e-shopping, like ease of navigation and appealing design.
This is because the luxury-purchase decision process utilizes a high dose of
emotions and irrationality which are boosted by high-impact experiences. The
emotional responses of online consumers must be enhanced through captur-
ing the right moods and feelings on the website. This is key to ensuring the
ultimate goals of increasing online shopping traffic, high sales turnover and
profitability!
The online buyer behaviour is comparatively different from the offline
behaviour in several aspects. The conventional offline consumer buying deci-
sion-making process starts from recognizing the need for the product to the
product information search, purchase, utilization and after-use evaluation.
Shopping for luxury goods both online and offline however does not follow
this path as a result of the significant role that sentiments and psychology play
in luxury goods purchasing decisions. In addition, the online consumer atti-
tude is shaped by an auxiliary series of emotions and feelings, indicating a
distinct process, especially in relation to luxury goods. These feelings include
the total web experience and prior relationship with the brand, among others.
Luxury fashion consumers have an emotional affair rather than a cognitive
bond with luxury brands. This factor is also reflected in the online product
evaluation and consumer behaviour.
The online luxury buying decision-making process has been excellently
captured in the ‘Experience Hierarchy’ model of R. Mohammed et al. (2002),
in their book, Internet Marketing. This model follows a four-stage process and
is based on the principle that the sum of the consumer experience while shop-
ping online determines their evaluation of the website, which subsequently
chapter 6 187digital luxury