Abstract
The luxury market has experienced considerable growth over recent years, being one of the sectors that have been the most resistant to the current economic recession. Selective fragrances make up one of the primary categories of the so-called accessible luxury consumed by a middle class that is seeking to approach the upper classes by copying their lifestyle. Despite the importance of this market, there is relatively little literature existing in regard to the study of the image of luxury brands due to the complexity of the luxury phenomenon. This article presents the results of an initial qualitative study conducted on focus groups of luxury fragrance consumers, making it possible to identify the types of attributes to be considered when studying the brand image of said luxury products. Subsequently, a quantitative study was conducted to determine the perceived image of the main luxury fragrances brands by consumers. Thanks to this study, it has been possible to determine the typical profile of each of the analyzed brands, to define the underlying dimensions of the image of luxury fragrances brands, and to analyze the correlations and dependency relations existing between the luxury brand dimension and the other attributes of image for the studied brands and between all the image attributes themselves.
Highlights
According to research by Euromonitor International (2015), sales in the luxury market reached US$330.786 billion in 2014, 3% higher than the previous year
One of the largest product categories in this luxury market is that of “Perfumes & Cosmetics,” which makes up some 11% of the same, increasing by 3% from the previous year (Euromonitor International, 2015)
The final 21 image attributes were grouped into five categories linked to the dimensions of the brand image
Summary
There are numerous and varied reasons for this increase in the consumption of luxury goods, including the continuous growth of economic wealth in developed countries, the rise of the middle class and its income level, and more recently, the incredible economic development of the so-called “emerging countries” (Cavender & Kincade, 2014). According to research by Euromonitor International (2015), sales in the luxury market reached US$330.786 billion in 2014, 3% higher than the previous year. One of the largest product categories in this luxury market is that of “Perfumes & Cosmetics,” which makes up some 11% of the same, increasing by 3% from the previous year (Euromonitor International, 2015). According to data from Euromonitor International (2015), “perfumes” make up 5% of the luxury market, with sales of US$15.767 billion in 2014 (+23% from 2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
