Abstract

To reach new clientele, luxury brands make strategic extensions into new product categories with more accessible prices resulting in less selective retail strategies that also feature stores not directly operated by the luxury brands (non-DOS). Entering such stores entails challenges as the luxury brand steps outside its luxury environment and loses direct control of the salesperson that interacts with the end consumer. Furthermore, in a less selective non-DOS, a luxury brand’s sales may get impacted due to image discrepancies in the salesperson’s mind, while the luxury brand competes for the salesperson’s attention. This study proposes several motivational levers that direct the efforts of a salesperson in a less selective non-DOS: the salesperson’s perceived fit between the brand and the store, the level of identification with the luxury brand, and luxury sensitivity. With empirical support in a unique dataset, the authors show that a salesperson’s perceived fit increases effort allocation for a luxury brand, and luxury brand identification strengthens it. Counterintuitively, the results show that a salesperson with a high level of luxury sensitivity is not predisposed to sell luxury outside a luxury environment. Finally, suggestions for performance implications are offered to luxury brand managers and retailers selling luxury brands.

摘要

为了吸引新客户，奢侈品牌将战略扩展到价格更实惠的新产品类别，从而导致零售策略的选择性降低，这些零售策略也包括不由奢侈品牌直接经营的商店（非 DOS）。随着奢侈品牌走出其奢侈品环境并失去对与最终消费者互动的销售人员的直接控制，进入此类商店会带来挑战。此外，在选择性较少的非DOS中，奢侈品牌的销售可能会因销售人员心目中的形象差异而受到影响，而奢侈品牌则争夺销售人员的注意力。本研究提出了几个激励杠杆来指导销售人员在选择性较低的非 DOS 中的努力：销售人员感知到的品牌与商店之间的契合度、对奢侈品牌的认同程度、和奢华的敏感性。在一个独特数据集中的经验支持下，作者表明，销售人员的感知契合度增加了对奢侈品牌的努力分配，而奢侈品牌识别则加强了它。与直觉相反，结果表明，具有高度奢侈品敏感性的销售人员并不倾向于在奢侈品环境之外销售奢侈品。最后，向奢侈品牌经理和销售奢侈品牌的零售商提供对绩效影响的建议。结果表明，具有高度奢侈品敏感性的销售人员不会倾向于在奢侈品环境之外销售奢侈品。最后，向奢侈品牌经理和销售奢侈品牌的零售商提供对绩效影响的建议。结果表明，具有高度奢侈品敏感性的销售人员不会倾向于在奢侈品环境之外销售奢侈品。最后，向奢侈品牌经理和销售奢侈品牌的零售商提供对绩效影响的建议。