Luxury fashion brand extension: A qualitative exploration of new experiences and social media sharing motivation

Abstract

In recent years, luxury fashion brands have branched out their businesses to experiential services, such as restaurants and cafés. Given the trend, this study explores the experiences of US and Korean consumers in luxury fashion brand restaurants and cafés as an extension of the brand, along with their motivations for sharing these experiences on social media, using a qualitative approach. In total, 419 responses were collected (US consumers = 209, Korean consumers = 210). Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified the dimensions of restaurant and café quality, the theory of consumption values, and brand loyalty in luxury fashion brands’ experiential services. Leximancer analysis further highlighted that US consumers place a high value on food quality in their experiences, while Korean consumers emphasize the importance of the atmosphere. Regarding social media sharing motivations, four main themes emerged for both groups: promoting brands, building a sense of belonging, recording memories, and pursuing psychological well-being. This study provides a novel conceptual framework that can be distinctly identified in consumer experiences at luxury fashion brand restaurants and cafés and their motivations for sharing on social media.