<p>Abstract</p><p>Date: June 2, 2010</p><p>Program: MIMA – International Marketing</p><p>Course name: Master Thesis (EFO 705)</p><p>Title: An Exploratory Study on Thailand‟s Young Women: Consumer Behavior toward Purchasing Luxury Fashion Brands</p><p>Authors: Kamolwan Tovikkai (851125)Wiwatchai Jirawattananukool (841111)</p><p>Group number: 2462</p><p>Tutor: Konstantin Lampou</p><p>Problem: If and how personal value, social recognition, and demographics impact Thai female students luxury fashion brand purchases and which marketing strategies should be used to influence their purchase intention?</p><p>Purpose: -To identify what motivates Thai female students in purchasing luxury fashion brands -To identify the most effective strategies to use in penetrating the market and keeping the loyalty of customers Thailand.</p><p>Method: Quantitative research method via survey was used for this research. Survey questionnaires were distributed to sample groups. The variables used in this paper personal values, social, recognition, intention to buy products, and demographics. Both primary and secondary type of data collection were used for this research.</p><p>Conclusion: Based on the demographic information, there are two indicators that are significant to purchase intentions of Thai female students on luxury fashion brands. Social status is one of the significant indicators of socialiiirecognition variable. There is a strong level of relationship on Thai female students toward luxury fashion products. Personal Values‟ indicators can be utilized on Thai female students as the following; materialism, the need for uniqueness, conformity, and vanity. All of them have strong levels of significance. However, Ethnocentrism has no relationship and effect with the luxury fashion product in Thailand.</p><p>Key words: Thai female students, Luxury fashion products, Luxury fashion brands, Consumer behavior</p>

<p>Recent years have seen a significant increase in growth of the Asian luxury market, of which China has clearly come to make up the new major market. As the strategic considerations for international companies differ between countries, an individual approach needs to be adopted to customize operations. With this master’s thesis, the author aims to map out the key current challenges for international luxury fashion companies in China. Through in-depth interviews with industry experts, the study identifies and analyzes a set of thirteen challenges, and finds unique issues within each of the challenges investigated. While further research is needed to further validate the findings of the study, its results points towards a broad spectrum of challenges and considerations, thus purposedly acting as a springboard for future research.</p>

Abstract Date: June 2, 2010 Program: MIMA – International Marketing Course name: Master Thesis (EFO 705) Title: An Exploratory Study on Thailand‟s Young Women: Consumer Behavior toward Purchasing Luxury Fashion Brands Authors: Kamolwan Tovikkai (851125)Wiwatchai Jirawattananukool (841111) Group number: 2462 Tutor: Konstantin Lampou Problem: If and how personal value, social recognition, and demographics impact Thai female students luxury fashion brand purchases and which marketing strategies should be used to influence their purchase intention? Purpose: -To identify what motivates Thai female students in purchasing luxury fashion brands -To identify the most effective strategies to use in penetrating the market and keeping the loyalty of customers Thailand. Method: Quantitative research method via survey was used for this research. Survey questionnaires were distributed to sample groups. The variables used in this paper personal values, social, recognition, intention to buy products, and demographics. Both primary and secondary type of data collection were used for this research. Conclusion: Based on the demographic information, there are two indicators that are significant to purchase intentions of Thai female students on luxury fashion brands. Social status is one of the significant indicators of socialiiirecognition variable. There is a strong level of relationship on Thai female students toward luxury fashion products. Personal Values‟ indicators can be utilized on Thai female students as the following; materialism, the need for uniqueness, conformity, and vanity. All of them have strong levels of significance. However, Ethnocentrism has no relationship and effect with the luxury fashion product in Thailand. Key words: Thai female students, Luxury fashion products, Luxury fashion brands, Consumer behavior

Recent years have seen a significant increase in growth of the Asian luxury market, of which China has clearly come to make up the new major market. As the strategic considerations for international companies differ between countries, an individual approach needs to be adopted to customize operations. With this master’s thesis, the author aims to map out the key current challenges for international luxury fashion companies in China. Through in-depth interviews with industry experts, the study identifies and analyzes a set of thirteen challenges, and finds unique issues within each of the challenges investigated. While further research is needed to further validate the findings of the study, its results points towards a broad spectrum of challenges and considerations, thus purposedly acting as a springboard for future research.

ABSTRACT Title: Teenagers and their perception of fashion brands (Ungdomar och deras uppfattningar om modevarumärken) Number of pages: 42 Author: Louise Kindblom Tutor: Göran Svensson Course: Media and communication studies C Period: Autumn term 2007 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala university Purpose/Aim: To achieve a deeper level of knowledge and a better understanding of high school teenager`s perception of the three fashion brands Gucci. H&amp;M and Canada Goose and too distinguish potential gender related differences in their perceptions. Material/Method: A questionnaire about fashion brands delivered to three schools in the Stockholm area. Main results: Teenagers perceptions of the three fashion brands Gucci, H&amp;M and Canada Goose are more different than similar. This differences in teenagers perceptions are discernible in a comparison between the most usual and unusual associations that are related to each of the brands. Gucci is associated with success, wealth, excitement and uniqueness. H&amp;M is for example seen as earth-bound and has in a comparison with the other brands reached the highest level of positive associations. Canada Goose is seen as dishonest, and has the highest level of negative associations. Gucci and H&amp;M are the strongest brands. They are strong regarding different aspects. Canada Goose is the least strong fashion mark. There are differences in perceptions of gender but they are quite seldom very big even if there are exceptions from this rule. The differences are more subtle. Keywords: fashion brands, teenagers, perceptions, strong brands, associations, image, Kellers pyramid

Social media is widely expanded worldwide with increasing number of users in social networks. Social media allows the consumers to connect directly with companies, which has led to a shift from traditional one-way communication to a two-way communication between both consumer to company and consumer to consumer. A successful two-way communication on social media engages both the consumers and the company. The rise of social media has quickly changed the marketing approach, as it creates new opportunities for the consumer to connect and communicate in a greater rich. In a two-way communication, the communication needs to create engagement from the consumers even though the consumer may not want to engage, contributing to a challenge for companies to communicate to customers in order for them to engage. It could be argued that companies should in some way get their customers to be more engaged even though the engagement can generate several outcomes in this complex communication approach. Furthermore, customer engagement could have an impact on the purchase intention for the consumer. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to investigate motives that create customer engagement with fashion brands on social media and the relation between customer engagement motives and purchase intention with a fashion brand. According to previous research, personal interest, entertainment, rewards and information acquisition and sharing are the most encouraging motives for customer engagement. Due to that fact, these motives were in focus in the study and the motives were also put in relation to their effect on purchase intention. The research was conducted by a quantitative study through a survey, in order to gather an overviewing perspective in customer engagement on social media towards fashion brands. The sample size reached a valid number of 109 respondents. The findings of this thesis give the impression that overall customer engagement is still low even for the investigated motives. This indicates that the respondents do not usually take part of the two-way dialog. The reliability seems to lie with other consumers rather than fashion brands on social media when searching for information. In addition, information acquisition was ranked as the most encouraging motive while personal interest is the motive that most encourage to purchase intention.

Brand heritage and consumer perceived value are two concepts which separately have received a growing interest among academics for quite some time. However both of them combined, hence consumers’ perception of the value of brand heritage is a relatively unexplored field of research. This study therefore intends to explore how consumers perceive the value of brand heritage of luxury fashion brands. To achieve this purpose, the study will investigate consumers’ perception of the value of brand heritage of four European luxury fashion brands – Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton – which serve as illustrative/reference brands in this study. These four European luxury fashion brands are chosen as illustrative brands in this study based on the determination that heritage is a central part of their brands. Secondary data was collected through Internet based document analysis of the illustrative brands to determine whether these qualify as heritage brands. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect primary data for the purpose to explore how consumers perceive the value of brand heritage of the illustrative brands. The findings of the study reveal that consumers perceive the value of the brand heritage of the illustrative brands because it serves as a source of credibility and trust between the consumers and the brands. There is a perception that the brands have managed to maintain a certain standard regarding quality and craftsmanship, and likewise delivered according to consumers’ expectations over time. Furthermore consumers perceive the value of the brand heritage of the illustrative brands since it contributes to a sense of belongingness and social acceptance. They value the identity and meaning of the illustrative brand, hence the perception that the brands have managed to persistently deliver according to their core values and promises over time. It provides the consumers with the opportunity to connect with the brands on a personal level and to create their own individual identities and lifestyles through the brands. All this, in combination with the perception of the brands as timeless and durable, that they inhabit a sense of credibility and trust, which in the long run may generate loyalty - they value that the brands are loyal to them - conclude how consumers perceive the value of the brand heritage of the illustrative brands.

The Master's Thesis deals with the marketing communication of fashion industry with the focus on two particular global fast fashion brands. The main goal is to identify the specifics of marketing communication strategies of fashion industry, to analyze the approach difference of the two chosen fashion brands H&M and Zara and to define their influence on consumer's body image through qualitative and quantitative research. The thesis is divided into several parts. The first chapter follows up the peculiarities of fashion marketing communication including the use of particular communication instruments and new trends. The second part deals with the pivotal points of marketing communication of H&M and Zara and also analyzes the relations between the fashion industry and the currently much discussed issue of body image. The next section concentrates on the methodology of the research and describes the techniques of data collection and the surveyed group. The last practical part evaluates the results of the primary data obtained by the research with the purpose of defining the impact of fashion brands communication campaigns on the consumer.

This research aims to present, analyse and discuss how to sustain a competitive advantage in the Fashion Luxury market throughout a case study of Emerging Fashion Brands. The analysed data determines that considering the customers’ demands, the attributes of the Emerging Fashion Brands and the idiosyncrasy of the Fashion Luxury Market these brands must apply a Differentiation Strategy directed to a focal target group in order to sustain their competitive positions in the market. Furthermore, the findings of the research prove the relevance for Emerging Fashion Brands to identify their innovative capabilities where to design or redefine their Business Models. Also, this research describes a future scenario of the Fashion Luxury Market whereby the identification of the upcoming trends and opportunities are identified. Therefore, a holistic approach of the Fashion Luxury Market is provided in order to help the managerial decision-making.

During the last decades, fashion brands and retailers in Sweden have experienced the effects of technological advancement and changes in customer behaviour, which have opened up new ways of doing business. Customers expect online and offline marketing and sales channels to be integrated through instant interaction, which have made the concept of omnichannel retailing, gain momentum. This thesis explores this concept in relation to four small Swedish fashion brands based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Using a qualitative method, in-depth interviews have been made with the companies in order to understand what these companies are focused on and in what way omnichannel strategies are encouraged in their business. A solid theoretical framework was collected in the early stage of the process and has worked as a foundation for relating previous studies to current developments. This research presents a literature review that is based on topics such as brand identity, omnichannel marketing and customer experience in order to investigate this topic further. The findings in this research  shows that these small fashion brands are integrating channels through working with a few media channels and do not put significant attention on data analyses. Their focus has proved to be on finding a few, right channels and enforce the brand values in all activates, which creates a connection between channels, rather than on creating technologically advanced solutions between online and offline channels.