ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has also challenged fashion brands to offer (potential) customers new and exciting online brand experiences and buying options. This study compared the effectiveness of two types of online fashion stores: an online pop-up store versus the same brand's web store, for a luxury brand (Louis Vuitton) and a mass-selling fashion brand (Nike). The effectiveness of the stores was measured by means of the following constructs: perceived brand experiences, social media buzz intentions, and buying intentions. Based on previous research on personality traits of fashion pop-up store visitors, we hypothesized that online pop-up stores would be more effective for customers with a high level of need for uniqueness (NFU). A sample of 212 female customers participated in our online experiment that had a between subjects-design. The results showed that customers who score relatively high on NFU are significantly more likely to buy from an online pop-up store. These customers also have superior brand experiences, and are more likely to share their experiences on social media, regardless of brand type. Overall, the results indicate that an online fashion pop-up store is significantly worth considering, especially for female customers who are looking for uniqueness.
ABSTRACT
Recent advances in social commerce and mobile technology have led to the emergence of new professions such as vlogging, blogging and virtual pop-up store owning. Starting initially as hobbies, the services provided by these ‘new professionals’ have become ubiquitous and are being used by customers from many different countries and backgrounds. This paper reports on a study that first explored the views and opinions of new professionals from several fields (using a qualitative approach), and then the views of their potential customers (a quantitative study informed by UTAUT2—the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology). The results indicated that new professionals both create and co-create value with their customers, peers, and some existing, traditionally established professions. The results also indicated that the intended audience/customers of the new professional businesses had a positive perception of their long-term commercial sustainability. Customers’ intention to use the new professional services in the future were predicted mostly by the behavioral characteristics of hedonic motivation and habit. The research contributes by empirically investigating the value creation and co-creation processes in a context that is yet to attract academic interest. It proposes a value creation and co-creation framework that draws on the interactions of the main players.