The Impact of E-Marketing on Consumer Behavior in Luxury Fashion

This research report investigates the significant impact of e-marketing on consumer behavior within the luxury fashion retail sector. It begins by outlining the background and aims, focusing on how e-marketing initiatives influence customer behavior and brand perception. The report explores the role of e-marketing in the industry, the ways it influences consumer behavior, and offers recommendations for improving its effectiveness. The methodology includes a quantitative survey to gather primary data from 100 customers, analyzed to understand the effects of e-marketing strategies. The literature review covers the conceptual framework, the role of e-marketing, and its influence on consumer behavior, highlighting the importance of factors such as brand value, transparency, and ease of use. The study also addresses ethical considerations, validity, reliability, and limitations, providing a comprehensive analysis of e-marketing's role in shaping consumer choices in the luxury fashion market.

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Abstract
The research will examine the impact of e-marketing on the consumer behavior in the luxury
fashion retail industry. The different steps that will be commenced during the research will focus
on identifying the customer behavior and the manner in which the e-marketing initiatives of
businesses affects the perception of the same. The research will make use of primary quantitative
survey in which the responses from 100 customers would be gathered and analyzed for the better
understanding of the impact of e-marketing.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background of the research...................................................................................................3
1.2 Aim of the research................................................................................................................3
1.3 Research objectives...............................................................................................................3
1.4 Research questions.................................................................................................................4
2. Literature review..........................................................................................................................5
2.1 Conceptual framework...........................................................................................................5
2.2 Role of E-Marketing in the luxury fashion retail industry....................................................5
2.3 E-Marketing influencing consumer behavior in the luxury fashion retail industry...............7
2.4 Recommendations for improving influence of E-Marketing on consumer behavior............9
3. Methodology..............................................................................................................................10
3.1 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................10
3.2 Research Approach..............................................................................................................11
3.3 Research Design..................................................................................................................11
3.4 Data collection process........................................................................................................11
3.5 Sampling..............................................................................................................................12
3.6 Ethical considerations..........................................................................................................12
3.7 Validity and reliability of the research................................................................................12
3.8 Timeframe............................................................................................................................12
3.9 Limitations...........................................................................................................................14

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Topic: The impact of e-marketing on the consumer behavior in the luxury fashion retail
industry
1. Introduction
1.1 Background of the research
The technological developments and the emergence of the E-Marketing platforms have
brought about significant amount of change in the operations of businesses. The growing needs
of the customers and the e- commerce integrations that are made by the luxury fashion brands
like Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Hermes has helped the same in enhancing the rate of sales volume.
On the other hand, the development of the E-Marketing platforms has helped the luxury fashion
industry in avoiding the intervention of the intermediaries and supported the same in reaching
out to large amount of audience in a limited period (Tran, Strutton and Taylor 2012). The
development of the E-Marketing platforms is based on the identification of the consumer buying
behavior. The delineation of the consumer behavior and the approaches that are commenced by
the same has helped in upholding the efficacy of the operations in accordance to the needs of the
customers (McCormick and Livett 2012). The research will be evaluating the different impacts
of E-Marketing on the consumer behavior towards the luxury fashion retail industry.
1.2 Aim of the research
The aim of undertaking the research will be to examine the impact of e-marketing on the
consumer behavior in the luxury fashion retail industry.
1.3 Research objectives
The objectives for undertaking the study will be:

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 To examine the role of E-Marketing in the luxury fashion retail industry
 To evaluate the manner in which E-Marketing influence consumer behavior in the luxury
fashion retail industry To suggest recommended actions for improving the influence of E-Marketing on the
consumer behavior
1.4 Research questions
The research question for the study will be:
 What is the role of E-Marketing in the luxury fashion retail industry?
 How does E-Marketing influence consumer behavior in the luxury fashion retail
industry?
 What are the recommended actions for improving the influence of E-Marketing on the
consumer behavior?

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E-Marketing Consumer behavior in the luxury
fashion retail industry
Consumer awareness
Brand value
Transparency
Simplicity of marketing
Expansion
Minimized differences in the
perceived and the real value
2. Literature review
2.1 Conceptual framework
Figure: Conceptual framework
(Source: As created by author)
2.2 Role of E-Marketing in the luxury fashion retail industry
E-Marketing plays a major role in identifying the customer behavior and thereby supports
the luxury fashion retail sector in positioning the product in the markets. On the other hand, the
E-Marketing platforms have helped organizations in the industry in maximizing the range of the
target customers. Magrath and McCormick (2013) stated that the different changes in the luxury
fashion industry are dependent on the greater exposure to the target customers, which is offered
by the E-Marketing platforms. It has not only helped the industry in making an aggressive

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expansion but also helped the same in eliminating the different intermediaries in order to
minimize the operational costs. On the other hand, Yang, Song and Tong (2017) noted that the
differences between perceived value and actual value of the luxury fashion products might affect
the buying behavior of the customers. However, Brogi et al. (2013) noted that the brand name of
the luxury fashion brands create a positive impression in the minds of the target customers while
influencing the same to make a buy of the product. Therefore, E-Marketing plays a major role in
maximizing the rate of target customers for the businesses while enhancing the productivity of
the same.
The different changes that are commenced by the organizations are dependent on the
identification of the needs of the customers. Therefore, in this relation, the E-Marketing
platforms have helped organizations in identifying the specific buying behavior of the customers
and the market trends. Most essentially, Gautam and Sharma (2017) stated that the introduction
of E-Marketing platforms helped organizations in making an aggressive expansion in the
different markets, which has helped the same in upholding the efficacy of the operations. For an
example, the integration with E-Marketing platforms has helped Gucci in offering their products
to different developing economies, which contributed to the maximized rate of sales revenue
through market exposure (Magrath and McCormick 2013). Chiu et al. (2012) noted that the
development of the E-Marketing platforms has helped the luxury fashion retail industry in
avoiding the complex structure of marketing and positioning. Therefore, the emergence of the E-
Marketing platforms has helped the industry in maximizing the productivity of the same while
developing resources in accordance to the needs of the customers.
Wolny and Mueller (2013) stated that the development of the internet and maximized
accessibility of the same has helped the customers to make a purchase from different convenient

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locations. Therefore, the development of the e-marketing platforms and the online buying
options helped the concerned industry in targeting the range of customers and supplying them
with the products in their convenient locations. On the other hand, Wu (2013) stated that the
development of the E-Marketing platforms has helped the luxury fashion retail in minimizing the
cost of infrastructure and marketing operations, which would have been incurred by the same
through the brick and mortar stores. The utilization of the E-Marketing platforms has helped the
concerned industry in targeting a wider spectrum of customers, which has enhanced the rate of
profitability.
2.3 E-Marketing influencing consumer behavior in the luxury fashion retail industry
E-Marketing plays a major role in influencing the consumer behavior while making the
same aware of the different features of the product or service. It has helped the luxury fashion
retail industry in drawing the attention of the customers towards the product offerings. Yadav
and Rahman (2017) stated that the visual appearance of the product that is being offered by an
organization appeals to the needs of the customers. On the other hand, Moretta Tartaglione and
Antonucci (2013) noted that the reviews and the description of the utility derived from the
product in the E-Marketing platforms helps an organization in drawing the attention of the
customers. In this relation, the luxury fashion retail industry has taken steps to integrate with the
E-Marketing platforms and provide specific product descriptions in order to enable the rational
decision making of the customers before making a buy. On the other hand, Papista and
Dimitriadis (2012) noted that the visual representation of the products has also helped the
industry in upholding the efficacy of the operations in accordance to the needs of the customers.
The E-Marketing platforms has helped the concerned industry in facilitating support
chats with the customers, which will help the same in persuading the audience while making

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them aware of the benefits of the product. Khan and Rahman (2016) stated that the support chats
helps an organization in influencing the emotional and cognitive elements of the customers.
Kasemsap (2016) stated that the delineation of the consumer concerns and behaviors through the
market response theory and the cognitive response theory helps an organization in measuring
the behavior of the customers relating to the product offerings. The persuasiveness of the
industry is based on the different elements of change that are commenced by the businesses in
accordance to the needs of the customers.
On the other hand, Bilgihan (2016) noted that the easy payment options that are available
with the e-marketing platforms and the convenience of making a buy of the products attracts the
attention of the customers. In this relation, the integration of the luxury fashion retail industry
has helped the same in amending to the needs of the customers relating to easy payments and
convenience of shopping without visiting the shops physically. Jana and Chandra (2016) noted
that the fast-paced life style of the people has brought about significant changes in the buying
behavior, as most of the customers prefers buying products online through the E-Marketing
platforms. In this relation, the integration of the E-Marketing platforms with the concerned
industry has helped the same in adhering to the changing market and buying behavior trends.
Moreover, Bowen (2014) stated that the growing trend of social media has evoked the
need of reviews which is observed by the customers before making a buy of the products. In this
relation, the E-Marketing platforms support the needs of customers relating to the evaluation of
the reviews on the product, which influenced the rate of buying options. Therefore, the
integration of the concerned organization with the different E-Marketing platforms has helped
the same in making the customers aware of the quality of the products through the reviews left
by the other existing customers.

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However, Sano (2014) stated that the differences in the actual value of the product and
the perceived value that is being positioned by an industry through the E-Marketing platforms
might affect the loyalty and trust of the customers. In various cases, it was found that most of the
products that are delivered through the E-Marketing platforms have a huge gap between the
perceived value and the actual value that resulted to customer dissatisfaction. Ng, Chow and
Choi (2015) also added that the dissatisfaction of the customers towards the products might
affect the capabilities of the organizations in retaining the loyal base. On the other hand, Khan
and Rahman (2016) argued that most of the reputed companies in the luxury fashion retail
industry like Gucci, Zara and the like provides the customers with products with a lower
difference between the perceived and actual value of the products which has helped the same in
retaining the loyalty of the target base of customers. Therefore, it might be stated that the
introduction of the E-Marketing platforms has helped the concerned industry in maximizing the
rate of expansion through understanding the customer behavior and simplify the supply chain
processes for sustenance.
2.4 Recommendations for improving influence of E-Marketing on consumer behavior
The recommended actions that might be commenced by the concerned industry while
utilizing the E-Marketing in order to influence the consumer behavior is specifically dependent
on the steps for improving the transparency. Moretta Tartaglione and Antonucci (2013) stated
that the transparency in the operations of the businesses helps the same in upholding the efficacy
of the operations while operating in diverse global markets. The concerned industry must take
steps to make the target customers aware of the benefits of the product offerings in order to
enable the same in undertaking rational decisions while making a buy of the product. The
transparency in the operations will be helping the concerned industry in reducing the difference\s

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between the perceived and actual value of the product. Yang, Song and Tong (2017) stated that
the maximization of the difference between the actual value and the proposed value might bring
forth dissatisfaction among the customers. The enhanced differences in the value propositions
affect the capabilities of the industry to undertake aggressive expansion in the different markets.
On the other hand, integration of e-cart options along with the e-marketing will help the luxury
fashion retain industry in enabling the customers to make a buy of the products from the
convenient places (Wu 2013). It will also help the concerned organization in upholding the
efficacy of the operations in accordance to0 the needs of the business. Therefore, the concerned
industry must take steps to maintain the transparency while distributing their products through
the different E-Marketing platforms in order to retain the trust and loyalty of the target
customers.
3. Methodology
3.1 Research Philosophy
The research will be commenced through the utilization of the positivism philosophy,
which will assist in understanding the existence of reality through the implementation of
scientifically proven techniques. The research will undertake an evaluation of the impact of e-
marketing on the consumer behavior in the luxury fashion retail industry. In this relation, the
research will evaluate the consumer behaviors through the implementation of psychological
theories and models. The research will also delineate the manner in which the e-marketing
initiatives of the luxury fashion retail industry affect the customer behavior in order to maintain
the efficacy of the operations in accordance to the needs of expansion.

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3.2 Research Approach
The research will be commenced through the implementation of the deductive approach,
which will help in deducing data from the different primary sources. Data for the research will be
retrieved from the survey of the customers of the concerned industry in order to identify the
manner in which the e-marketing initiatives influence the buying behavior of the customers.
3.3 Research Design
The research will follow the descriptive design in order to explore and define the
different aspects of consumer behaviour and the manner in which e-marketing initiatives of the
luxurious fashion retail industry affect the behaviour. The different changes that are commenced
by the businesses are dependent on the delineation of the needs of the customers and the manner
in which the e-marketing initiatives support the needs of making the customers awre of the
brand. The descriptive design of the research will explore the different pros and cons of the e-
marketing initiatives that are commenced by the concerned industry and the manner in which it
influence the buying behaviour of the customers.
3.4 Data collection process
The research will be commenced through the utilization of the primary data collection
method. The utilization of the primary data collection method has helped in retrieving data from
a comparatively large sample size. Larger sample size assists in enriching the research through a
detailed identification of responses and thereby results to an unbiased outcome of the study. The
study through the primary data collection will assist in gathering data from the respondents based
on the research objectives. Therefore, the concerned research undertook a primary quantitative
survey will be circulated to 100 customer respondents for analysis. The closed ended questions
for the survey will be aligned to the research objectives in order to identify the impact of the e-

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marketing initiatives of luxury fashion retail industry on the consumer behavior. The responses
from the respondents will be analyzed through the utilization of correlation and regression.
3.5 Sampling
The research will be undertaking the Systematic sampling method through which the
sample members or the customers from a larger population will be selected at a random starting
point and fixed periodic intervals. The sampling interval in systematic sampling is obtained by
dividing the entire population by the desired sample size. Systematic sampling being a
probability sampling method will help in gathering the consensus and responses from a variety of
customers and thereby analyze their viewpoints on the impact of e-marketing on the individual
buying behaviors.
3.6 Ethical considerations
The major ethical consideration for the study will be ensure that the identity of the
respondents are not revealed. On the other hand, the research will be commenced through the
consensus of the respondents and the supervisory authorities in order to maintain the code of
conduct of the study.
3.7 Validity and reliability of the research
The data for the research will be derived from the different respondents during the
quantitative survey. The reliability of the response from the customers irrespective of the
customer loyalty towards any brand in the luxury fashion retail industry will be helping to ensure
the unbiased outcome of the study.
3.8 Timeframe
Task Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Selection of topic
and search for
justification
Constructing
literature
Selecting
appropriate
methods
Data collection
Data analysis and
representation
Reviewing the
outcomes
Conclusions and
recommendations
Submitting draft
of the project
Printing and final
submission
Table 1: Table showing the timeframe of the entire research
(Source: As created by author)

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3.9 Limitations
The research will be limited through the short time span for data collection from 100
respondents. On the other hand, the different activities related to analysis of the collected data
and presenting the same on charts require a huge amount of time. However, due to the short span
of time, the research might face limitations related to biased outcomes.

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