Social Media, Online Brand Communities, and Customer Engagement in the Fashion Industry

Abstract

Fashion brands have shifted communication to social media as part of evolutionary modern-day marketing approaches to reaching consumers. Brands have adjusted to a vocal customer through back-and-forth interchange on social media platforms that have progressively facilitated for online brand communities. Social media brand communities serve to engage audiences in interactive settings that resonate with individual consumers across different levels. As brand awareness is augmented, brand impressions are conceived, brand-customer relationships are formed, and a sense of community is fostered around a brand, consumers exploit association to such social media brand communities in advancing social identity. The following chapter explores the impact of social media brand communities on Millennials in the fashion industry, while considering the social identity theory. The chapter focuses on theoretical and managerial implications. This chapter considers the influence social media brand communities and social identity may have on a fashion brand.

Cruising down millennials’ fashion runway: a cross-functional study beyond Pacific borders

“…From one end, purchasing behaviours were assessed through exploring the cognitive standpoint, constituting variables of uniqueness, value consciousness (Henninger et al, 2018), cultural and religion endorsements (Zainudin et al, 2019), attitude and subjective norms (Nash, 2019). From the other end, marketing and social dimensions were appraised, with accounts for content sharing (Natalia, 2019), social influencers (Sanmiguel et al, 2018), online communities (Helal, 2019) and collaborative consumptions (Iran and Schrader, 2017). Further acknowledged by Jones and Kang (2019), the importance of browsing freedoms, previewable function, immediate fulfilment, interactivity, source credibility and the virtual storage mechanism are highlighted as contemporary motivators on apparel purchases.…”

Multifaceted Impact of Social-Media: In the Context of Customers’ Fashion Products Buying Behaviour - A Comprehensive Review

“…10 Helal, G. (2019). [54] The article investigates the impact of social media communities for brands on Generation Y in the fashion industry, with an emphasis on social identity theory. It demonstrates how these communities build community, involve consumers, and raise brand recognition.…”

The Role of Social Media Usage and Engagement on Purchase Intentions for Fashion Brands

“…Disclosing feelings of love and attachment for fashion brands is one way people choose to communicate and express themselves. In light of the Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1985), individuals' self-concepts are based on their membership in social media brand communities that allow self-expression on a larger scale (Helal, 2019). From a broad perspective, social media are described as a five-dimensional construct that enables interaction, entertainment, customization of communications, electronic word of mouth, and up-to-date information for customers (Kim and Ko, 2010;Wang et al, 2019).…”