Fashion brands are influenced by multiple identities. Even though, for example, the brand name might still be associated with one or more creative founders (Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hermès, Adidas, Joop) the brand image, and moreover the overall brand reputation are influenced by many different identities. For instance, a specific product identity (e.g., Gucci’s Bamboo Bag), the identity of the city or country of origin (Florence, Italy), the identities of well-known key customers as brand ambassadors (Sophia Loren, Vanessa Redgrave, Lady Diana, Naomi Watts etc.). Of course, also fashion brands who are not directly associated with the name of creative founders are composed of the effects of several identities. In the case of e.g. Nike especially successful athletes (Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan etc.), specific sports and sport events, and product lines tailor-made for them did help to build a strong brand reputation. All in all, it seems to be expedient to understand fashion brands as more of less complex systems composed of several identities. To deal in more detail with such “brand systems” is becoming particularly important against the background of several strategic challenges – e.g., when fashion brands are growing older and the creative founders lose their specific gravitational power, when in the process of internationalization new countries gain more and more importance who’s citizens might not have a strong access to the existing brand reputation drivers, or simply when in the context of the growing global competition the fashion brand needs to be “refreshed”. Against the background of cultural differences, or even - as within countries - lifestyle differences between different groups of customers, it can also be quite possibly that very different reputation drivers account for the success of a brand. Thus, it is necessary to identify, in different contexts, the relevant reputation drivers, and to analyze which interplay of those drivers might be particularly promising. Is it the creative founder, the corporate heritage, the country and/or city of origin, a special designer, a specific corporate culture, an outstanding product design, attractive key customers etc.? Which combination of such identity factors leads to what kind of success (e.g., brand loyalty, brand trust, price premium)? Will, for instance, heritage especially lead to brand trust, whereas an outstanding product design and specifically attractive key customers create the readiness for a higher price premium? And, is it necessary to create sub-brands to especially highlight specific identities in the process of building a brand system (e.g., the sub-branding of a Michael Jordan product line in the case of Nike)? Or is sufficient to only communicate an alignment with the brand (e.g., ads showing Naomi Watts wearing a Gucci Bamboo Handbag)? In other words, which kind of brand system, and which kind of brand communications has to be designed to attract specific target groups and to sustain competitive advantages? The present contribution aims to present a conceptual framework for analyzing “brand systems” in the fashion industry. Concomitantly, an approach of measuring such brand systems will be presented. Furthermore, a concept for analyzing the impact of several sub-identities on the development of the overall brand reputation and brand success against the background of existing contingencies will be outlined. With the introduction and discussion of such a conceptual framework it especially is intended to initiate the launching of an international research project which attempts to find an answer basically to the following question: Which via an integrated branding and brand systems communication carefully crafted composition of sub-identities might be how successful under what kind of situational conditions?

Attitude and ability of frontline employees in customer interaction influence company reputation. Since respective theory is scarce, this paper – based on a qualitative interview study – presents an examination of the status quo of the topic in luxury watch retail. Theories of service quality, identity and impression management are briefly addressed.

For many brands, offering valuable and original experiences for customers is the main means of gaining awareness, image values and hence, strategic competitive advantage. Brands like Abercrombie and Fitch, BONOBOS and Victoria’s Secret have understood the opportunities offered by experiential marketing as a new philosophy of thinking, conceiving and proposing a marketing offer. This challenge is as important for online fashion brands that target millennial customers considered as internet addicts (Bergman et al., 2005) always looking for information, exhibitionism and enjoyable online experiences. With the growth of online fashion shopping it is important that fashion retailers pay attention to the relationship between specific website quality dimensions and customer satisfaction (Kim and Stoel, 2004). Fashion brands must go beyond the vision of the website as a medium of information to a medium of entertaining proposing additional extraordinary and optimal experiences for these customers. As noted by Kim (2007), online fashion retailers need to be able to communicate the product information virtually in order to create accurate product perceptions for consumers who are visiting their website. Thus, the main question is “what are the elements of the website which could help achieve these aims?” There has been little empirical research which focuses on how information features affect consumers` commitments to a shopping site on the web (Park and Kim, 2006). Consequently,the main aim of this paper is to further research in the domain by illustrating how the online fashion brand provides a valuable shopping, consuming and cognitive experience that fits with the consumer’s expectations aligning these with the extraordinary and symbolic world of the brand. From this perspective, the website of the brand – due to its multisensory, interactive and hyper-mediatized nature – can be a very effective digital support for achieving these goals. It represents the virtual environment that enables the brand to create and open up a universe that transcribes its functional, experiential and symbolic values. From the consumer’s psychological perspective, this online communication strategy questions the psychological process that underlines the perception, elaboration and reactions of the consumer during his online experience: To this is end, it is relevant to focus on the influences of the usability of the website on the attributes of the mental images the consumer experiences and the moderating role that brand attitude and involvement in the product category could have in this. Also, based on MacInnis and Price (1987) recommendations, it is relevant to analyze the role the consumer’s style of processing could have in this process. Thus, the research questions are: How do the attributes of the website impact the mental imagery experience of the consumer during his/her website visit?; and what are the consequences of these psychological reactions on the consumer’s post-visit attitude and behavior. In attempt to respond to these questions, we explore the psychological process that underlies consumer online behavior. We draw on the literature which emphasizes the link between the website attributes and the imagery processing of the online consumer. We present and empirically test our conceptual model within the current quantitative study. We follow with a discussion of our results and presentation of the implications of our study for theory and practice.

Greece wine production has shown swinging trends: in 2013 it grew by 17,9% reaching 3.7 Million Hectoliters (USDA), but it 2014 it decreased by 15% (Greek Wine Federation), whilst grape prices went up. Greece has a huge potential, but it is still a small producer in Europe. The Greek wine industry got through several phases: before the 80s the product was quite “poor”, but with the entrance in the market of some educated winemakers who have introduced a new business philosophy and approach to wine, production has changed (GaiaWines.gr). The population of firms consist of a few larger producers, and most of the companies are relatively small. Although the quality has been improved, most of the production is addressed to the domestic market, since only few producers have established export networks (Vlachvei et al., 2012). Thus, the economic crisis that affected Greece has created difficulties also for domestic sales. Background research has outlines some of the limits of the Greek wine industry: according to Vlachvei et al. (2012),the new competitive challenges require owner and managers to achieve a better understanding of operational and marketing process that can contribute to the development of their brand in order to develop an integrated marketing communication approach. The Greek wine sector is extremely fragmented with a high predominance of small size firms; as size increases, the degree of professional organization grows, as well as the relative presence of foreign markets (Papalexiou, 2009). Thus, it has been recognized that Greek wine export is disorganized (Baiocchi, 2011; Papalexiou, 2009). The limits imposed by UE to plantings have affected Greece growth strategy: Greece is still a small producer and although it shows similarities with the south of Italy, it is impossible to think to follow the “Italian Style” (Baiocchi, 2011). Thus the urgency of undertaking a propter model for the development of the industry is seen as a priority for the Greek wine system. Wineries have seen in related businesses an effective tool for improving the competitiveness of the wine industry (Papalexiou, 2009); a lot has been done for achieving an integration between wine tourism and the wine business. Background research describes the experiments undertaken around wine routes, conceived as a useful tool for improving the wine sector (Hall & Mitchell, 2000) and for the development of rural areas (Karafolas, 2007). In 2014 the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission has undertaken a Smart Specialization pilot project that involves rural areas in Northern Greece, in order to foster local economic development by adopting an entrepreneurial discovery approach (EDP). JRC can be considered as a source of technology generation and a service that provides expert advice to the institutions of the European Union and more specifically to the European Commission and the European Parliament (Moncada-Paterno`-Castello, 2003). It can be guessed how JRC outcomes could impact citizens’ lives. From September 2014 for 15 months JRC has been involved in the European Parliament Preparatory Action; the aims of this project are: to facilitate the refinement and implementation of the RIS3 strategy in a region heavily hit by the crisis; and to serve as a model for other convergence regions in Greece and Europe (from JRC website). The project has seen the collaboration of JRC – IPTS (Institute for Prospective Technological Studies) with DG Regio and the Managing Authority of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The wine sector has been selected, together with few others for the preparatory action. The approach that has been adopted was the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP), in order to allocate resources under the guide of entrepreneurial actors, from the public and private sector. EDP is “a process in which the entrepreneurial actors are discovering and producing information about new business and innovation activities and the government is collecting, assessing and transforming this knowledge into policy action” (http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/s3-governance).EDP plays a leading role in the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3): EDP suggests that the allocation of resources is the result of a process undertaken by entrepreneurial actors. It emerges how innovative this process is, if compared to past industrial policies. EDP contributed to minimise failures of market innovation. The Smart Specialisation perspective let entrepreneurs discovering the right domains of future specializations (Foray, 2012). A newer approach to regional competitiveness (Ketels, 2013) has been followed by European Commission, that, in order to promote an efficient and effective public funding policy in regional economic development (Mempel-Śnieżyk, 2013), has actively supported Smart Specialisation Initiatives. On the other side, S3 has a prior role in the EU Regional and Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 (Martínez-López & Palazuelos-Martínez, 2014). This paper examines the role that EDP and S3 have had in the definition of a strategy for the development of the local wine industry. The paper aims to answering to the following research questions: What are the elements seen as priorities from entrepreneurs for developing the local wine industry in Greece? Is there an overlapping between the findings emerging from JRC workshops and those that have been pointed out by relevant opinion makers and experts in the Greek wine industry? What about the effectiveness of EDP in wine? The paper is structured as follows: In the first part a description of the Greek wine industry will be carried out; in a second section authors will point out JRC’s EDP approach; thirdly an analysis of data collected from JRC sessions and from interviews with international experts in Greece will be performed. 9 experts that took part to the workshop will be interviewed. Data will be collected through telephone interviews and web based survey; once collected data will be analyzed through a text analysis. A literature review on EDP and theoretical issues that have inspired the organization of JRC sessions will be presented in order to support Research Questions. The papers ends up with a discussion and conclusions in order to provide inputs for professionals, and policy makers.

Among the current trends that set the social and cultural scenario pertinent to marketing, the search for authenticity by consumers has taken the highlights, to the point that it is considered “one of the cornerstones of contemporary marketing” (Brown et al. 2003, p. 21).This trend is normally interpreted as a reaction to the traits of current post modern society, characterized by hyper materialism, globalization, virtualization and commercialization of experiences (Arnould e Price 2000). In this context, individuals turn with growing interest towards what is “genuine”, “real” , “faithful to the original” or “of undisputed origins” (Boyle 2004). In our paper we propose, under a consumer-based perspective, to explore the role played by corporate museums in the search for authenticity by individuals. Based upon this, the museum -- in the quality of “ bearer” of the corporate identity and image -- would consent to offer its visitors a holistic view of the brand’s original culture and values, in a synthesis that integrates past and present. From this point of view, the experience offered to visitors would reinforce their connection to the brand (Mitchell e Mitchell 2001), consolidating their involvement and loyalty towards it (Mitchell e Orwing 2002). The corporate museum would therefore arise as a vehicle to create and consolidate a profound relationship between brand and consumers. However, only a few of the research efforts sustained so far have tried to explore empirically the museum’s potential as a platform to enrich and strengthen brand authenticity. Our attention is focused on a museum created by a well known luxury brand (Gucci Museum, located in Florence) for the purpose of investigating its role as a tool for authentication, capable of strategically connecting past, present and future. After a synthetic literature review and a brief introduction of the museum under research, the methodology of the explorative research will be explained and finally, the main results obtained will be presented. Literature review According to Beverland (2009, p. 16), brand authenticity must be interpreted as “subjective, socially constructed, and given to an object by consumers, marketers and others”. Overcoming the modernist concept, authenticity is redirected towards individual valuations that are socially negotiated, more than towards objective attributes (Beverland e Farrelly 2010). The extant literature has identified the multidimensional and multi attribute aspect of the construct. In regards to the former aspect, the seminal work of Beverland (2005), theoretically identifies three dimensions that are conceptually relevant for brand authenticity: - objective, connected to the object and its artistic, historical or qualitative veracity; - subjective, deriving from the individual attribution of an authentic status to the objects, understood as expressive of formal harmony, equilibrium or of a connection with a determined time and location; - self expressive, connected to the genuine manifestation of individuality which is conveyed by the consumption of certain objects. Once the multidimensional nature of the construct is ascertained, it is possible to outline the various attributes that define it (Beverland 2006; Gundlach e Neville 2012; Brown et al. 2012; Grayson, Radam, 2004; Napoli et al. 2014). In view of the objective dimension, the perceptions of authenticity appear to be rooted in the brand’s tangible reality, which can be evaluated based on its observable characteristics: the corporate exponents; the geographical roots; the longevity; production characteristics; the product attributes. As to the subjective dimension, a brand can be interpreted as authentic if it is capable of conveying certain associations. These may initially regard the connection of the brand with individual history, as well as its evolution over time (in terms of continuity of positioning, style, aesthetics and image coherence). Also, the commitment towards quality, which expresses the brand’s responsibility towards its own products and the promises conveyed to the market (credibility, reliability) come together to induce the image of authenticity. In the same direction, there are also several perceptions in operation which are connected to the brand’s peculiarities, such as originality, pioneering and exclusivity. Furthermore, brand authenticity is also fuelled by an ensemble of value associations, connected to the pursuit of non purely commercial objectives, to its genuine priority of artisanal objectives or, more generally, to its integrity, naturalness or sincerity. Finally, for the self expressive dimension, brand authenticity may derive from its capacity to connect to the image and concept that customers have of themselves. The perception of authenticity can result from the fact that it suscitates in individuals sensations of self effectiveness, problem solving capabilities and therefore perceptions of having reached performance related objectives. A brand can then be understood as authentic also by its capacity to make consumers feel that they are part of a social or territorial community to which they feel linked. Furthermore, for people who attribute a particular value to moral principles, authenticity is associated to ideals and virtues which the brand continuously follows by means of ethical standards which allow individuals to feel truer to themselves. In conclusion, brand authenticity can be interpreted as the result of the interaction between objective factors, subjective constructs and existentialist motivations. Beverland and Farrelly (2010) observe that consumers seek different forms of authenticity, based on their own personal objectives. The understanding of how consumers associate a variety of authenticity attributes to brands and the ways in which those components reciprocally influence each other appears to be an extremely useful from the point of view of brand management. In fact, the brands that propose to refer to uniqueness in their strategies, must find leverage on the dimensions that are reputedly relevant for consumers and, for each one, identify the most critical attributes. Research methodology To investigate the capacity that brand museums of fashion luxury brands have to contribute towards the perception of brand authenticity, we conducted an esplorative research on the Gucci Museum’s visitors. The survey was held based on content analysis of the reviews posped on Tripadvisor by the visitors themselves. The research was therefore based upon 79 reviews, heterogeneous in terms of the geographic provenance of the commentators, date of visit and overall evaluation. Of these, 45 were published in English, 26 in Italian, 4 in Portuguese, two in French and two in Russian. Considering the evaluation, that is the rating expressed by visitors on a scale of 1 to 5, the most part (77,22%) of comments expresses a medium-high rating (corresponding to ratings 4 and 5). Finally, more than half of the comments were published during the same month as the visit and less than 5% within the following six months or more. Those reviews underwent a content analysis, a methodology considered appropriate in the extant literature (Pan et al. 2007; Banyai 2010; Volo 2010; Li e Wang 2011) for the purpose of investigating the perceptions, impressions and general feeling associated to a certain tourism destination, or a visitation experience. Discussion In trying to understand how the museum structure might add value to the brand’s meanings, in strengthening the perceptions of authenticity, we attempted to insert the brand authentication process into the broader museum visit experience, investigating how the brand’s authentication tools may have been influenced (positively and negatively) by the perceptions of authenticity of objects and experiences. The Gucci Museum acquires a real museum legitimacy, standing on the same level as other Florentine cultural sites; it was interpreted as a memory site, where the brand’s history and fashion history are connected thanks to the remembrance of past events, people or periods, effectively “dignifying” the museum and the visit as a fundamental part of Florentine tourism. Some visitors “authenticate” corporate structures as true cultural institutions. As such, they are legitimized in the righteous pursuit of preserving and being custodians not only of brand history but also of the precious testimonials of Italian fashion. Concerning the contents, that is, the objects displayed at the museum, several reviews attributed to these a real and proper museum aura, bearing artistic worth and interpreted as true masterworks. The process by which these visitors project their own perceptions of authenticity to the objects observed, seems to be tied as a conceptualization of constructivist nature to several elements that go from stylistic-aesthetic value and quality of the products, a result of knowledgeable artisanal mastery, to the refinement and creativity of the objects themselves. For some visitors, the objects collected in museums acquire authenticity in view of their antiquity and rarity. What is relevant is the indexical authenticity of objects. It is conceivable that this process for the authentication of objects may be susceptible of influencing the brand image perceived by visitors. For some visitors, the products displayed in commercial venues acquire, by the end of the visit, an aura that brings them closer to museum pieces, expressive of the same creativity, artisanal mastery or symbolic connection with the past. The same visit to the maison’s points of sale is lived by some as an occasion to observe up close the brand’s masterworks, showcased but distant and untouchable during the museum visit. Most reviews, when describing the museum visit, made reference not so much to impressions and evaluations regarding the museum structure or the objects it contains, but instead, to the visiting experience as a whole. For these reviewers, the corporate museum represents a platform on which to experiment authentic moments. From this viewpoint, the notion of existential authenticity seems more relevant than the authenticity of the objects, as postulated in a post modern approach. In reference to the dimensions of authenticity that can be imbued in an experience, it was possible to conceptualize the role of the corporate museum as a vector for the experimentation of different types of authentic experiences. In the first place, the corporate museum – thanks to its setting and content displayed – was identified as a medium capable of conveying a surreal experience. As such, it allows an authentic experience from the intrapersonal point of view, offering the opportunity for immersion into an atmosphere, a world far from reality, feeling transported into the past or into a world of imagery, thus departing from the commonplace. The museum was also understood as an occasion to live an evasive experience in regards to traditional Florentine museums.. Finally, the museum visit is lived by some as an opportunity to consolidate existing personal connections and/or to establish new ones. Deepening the analysis, it is possible to verify that the exhibition spaces are interpreted as a frame for the consolidation of personal relations with the individuals that share the visit experience. The visit to the museum distinguishes itself because it is a collective experience, an opportunity to spend time with other people that allows for the sharing of common passions towards the brand and its history.

This paper aims to investigate the alignment between fashion companies’ CSR policy, as communicated through company website, and CSR retail practices customers can actually observe or get information about when visiting company’s retail stores. The case study analysis is carried out using the Mystery Shopping technique. The sample is made up of companies belonging to the top of the fashion luxury pyramid, whilst the visited stores are located in Italy. The purpose of this paper is to provide a classification of companies’ behaviours in deploying CRS policy at the retail level, and to highlight different levels of fit between companies’ CSR policy and CSR practices communicated at the retail-store level. Our results reveal that several companies show a mismatch between their CSR policy and CRS practices communicated in stores to customers.

This research was conducted in order to investigate how customer experience could be built in the hospitality industry, more specifically with the aim of becoming memorable (Lindgreen et al., 2009). The hospitality industry is at the crossroad between providing simple services and selling a good to be actively consumed (the room occupation). However, studies show that consumers do expect more than before from their stay in a hotel (Williams, 2006; Zeithalm & at., 1990): a clean well-heated room with proper shower and a qualitative breakfast does not meet anymore people’s expectations and in no way drives them towards delight… Besides, the power of customers have gained importance, being the first source of information for prospects when considering a choice of hotels to stay in: Booking.com and the such are now huge challengers to their success. Hence the importance of exceeding customers’ expectations to create positive word-of-mouth and hence attraction for new clients, while building some closer relationship with the initial customer which should lead towards repeat stay, if applicable. One way found by the industry to enhance stays and stimulate customers’ delight potential focuses on providing ‘memorable customer experience’. Such experience is the fusion between tangible (sensorial) and intangible (symbolic) attributes of an offering (Kwortnick & Ross, 2007), leading towards the engraving of its unique souvenir in the consumers’ minds. It becomes some kind of engagement, of co-creation act between the experience provider and the consumer (Poulsson & Kale, 2004). Such positive, enduring and unique souvenir is a rational for relationship-building and thus positive word-of-mouth on along with loyalty towards the experience provider (Berry & Carbone, 2007). During the past years, the hospitality industry has been witnessing the increasing success of the so-called boutique-hotels that appeared in the 80’s in the USA. They are hard to define, as ontologically refusing any of the traditional marketing approach of the hospitality sector (no classification, no norms to respect, etc…). However, they could be characterized as “middle-size hotels, usually located in urban or semi-urban areas, and distinguishing itself by a personalized service and a sophisticated elegant environment” (Source: World Hotel Rating). Their exponential development and success raises questions regarding the relevance of their business model as a source of inspiration for the overall hospitality industry. In this research, we use the case study of the boutique hotels to grasp the various dimensions of a memorable customer experience in hospitality. More specifically, we aim at answering the key question on the triggers of positive emotions in such experiential offers. To reach this goal, we combine participant observation and in-depth interviews with clients in boutique-hotels (theoretical sampling, 13 interviewed equally representing men and women). Data was analyzed using content analysis (Belerson, 1952). Results confirm the fact that the experiential nature of the offer of the boutique-hotels match current consumers’ desires. It concludes with the need to retain customers through an innovative loyalty strategy that would communicate with them in an effective manner, and turn the concept into a long-term profit-raising one, turning consumers into real customers.

So far much of the academic literature on luxury goods has been written from a Western perspective, with the result that our understanding of luxury consumption in the Chinese context remains rather limited. This paper aims to close this gap by examining how reference groups influence contemporary luxury brand consumption amongst young aspirational middle class consumers belonging to the Post-80s generation. It explores from a socio-cultural perspective the role which luxury brands play in their everyday lives and how this impacts on how they construct their identity at both a social and an individual level. In East Asian societies there has traditionally been a Confucian emphasis on the ‘collective self’ being more important than the individual self, and the need to take into account face saving (mianzi) and its corollary shame when understanding consumer behavior. Indeed, according to Wong and Ahuvia (1998), it is this notion of the interdependent self and the importance of maintaining ‘face’ which explains the significance given to possessions that are public and visible such as luxury goods and designer fashion brands. The present study examines luxury consumption through the lens of Social Identity Theory (SIT), which posits that individuals define their self-concept in relation to their connections with particular social groups or organizations. As people make comparisons between themselves and groups, they judge themselves as being similar to members of those groups which they feel they belong to (i.e. in-groups) and different from those which they feel they do not belong to (i.e. out-groups) (Hogg & Abrams, 2001). Fifteen in-depth interviews lasting around one hour each were conducted with a convenience sample of luxury consumers aged between 20 and 25 years, who were studying at a private university in mainland China. They were asked about the role which luxury brands play in their life. Major findings revealed different reasons for their strong desire to engage in luxury consumption. Some want to stand out as a luxury consumer within the wider community, while others use their luxury purchases to stand out from members of their in-group. Equally, there was evidence of participants using luxury goods to fit in with others in their in-group, as well as using them to of distance themselves from various out-groups.

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, informed by cultural research on branding and active audience media uses, we develop a general tenet that consumers interpret luxury brand meanings to fulfil specific gratifications. Therefore, the consumer-perceived meanings ascribed to brand luxury can be explored as multiple themes of uses and gratifications (U&G’s). Second, we draw on this tenet to investigate a situated emic account of how consumers use luxury brands to gratify their specific needs. Third, we derive several etic concepts around emic themes that comprise higher-order, more abstract conceptual layers of the consumer-perceived brand luxury. Specifically, our interpretive reading of consumer narratives suggests that luxury brand U&G’s are multiple and divergent; however, they are not completely idiosyncratic – that is, these U&G’s can be understood more holistically in relation to how consumers perceive the dominant value(s) that are being gratified from luxury brands, and whether the U&G’s have a personal or social orientation. In so doing, we illustrate that by dialectically iterating between the emic (informants’ points of view) and etic (theoretical) perspectives, we are able to offer a more complete understanding of luxury brand meanings and their emergence in the broader context of daily life.

The purpose of this study is to investigate which of the main social and personality factors affect the attitudes of consumers towards counterfeit products and their purchase intentions in one of largest counterfeit product market as much as the attractive one for the Global Luxury goods ,namely Turkey.

Context – The luxury market has, in recent years, continued to grow substantially and has been helped by the boost and growing appetite of emerging economies. Indeed Luxury is one of the fastest-growing brand sectors (Berthon et al., 2009). Due to the high supply and vast choice available in the various segments including luxury goods, consumers nowadays are no longer loyal to one single brand but they prefer to choose and have a demanding and critical attitude towards exactly what they want to purchase (Okonkwo, 2007). By looking at the recent transformations in the globalised and ever more connected world, we can see that the luxury market has expanded, from a limited availability to a select group of consumers (the few who could afford the price), to a market with more people of moderate means having access to the product and all its inherent passion (Okonkwo, 2009, Silverstein and Fiske, 2003). However, the concept of luxury, although defined widely (Dubois et al., 2001 and Vickers and Renand, 2003, among the most popular definitions), does not appear to have a consensus on the definition (Choi, 2003; Wiedmann, Hennigs and Siebels, 2009). It is crucial to understand the reasons why consumers buy luxury (Kapferer and Bastien, 2009; Keller, 2009) and the perception process (Tynan, McKechnie and Chhuon, 2010; Wiedmann, Hennigs and Siebels, 2007). Learning how consumers process their knowledge from the attributes of a luxury brand and attribute them a meaning (perception process) followed by a certain conditioned response (learning process experienced due to culture or brand’s marketing strategy), appears relevant to unveil the effectiveness of luxury brands across European consumers. Moreover this understanding should be framed in a cross-cultural context in order to be relevant for the sector (Dubois, Czellar and Laurent, 2005; Shukla, Shkula and Sharma, 2009). Purpose – The aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of luxury brands strategies, through a cross-cultural comparison. By doing so, the authors attempt to develop a framework that intends to measure the perception process alongside purchase intentions, mapping it with the marketing strategies that have been proposed by brands at different segments. Design/methodology/approach – The methodological approach followed in this paper was to systematically review the academic literature on luxury brands and identify the different concepts of luxury as well as provide an overview of the segment from a European perspective. Through the analysis of the brand strategies used by different typologies of luxury brands (inaccessible, intermediate and accessible), the researchers intended to clarify the learning process and meaning transfer that takes place in the studied markets: UK, Spain, Germany and Italy. Motivations for buying luxury were also measured from a transnational perspective to fully understand matchability in the perception process and purchase intentions. This research has used existing theories based on the areas mentioned above to create hypotheses that were statistically tested using SPSS, evaluating if hypotheses raised can be supported or not. By deductive reasoning, established theories were used to develop and examine hypotheses in contemplation of the explanation of laws (Bryman and Bell, 2011), using a deductive research approach. Through quota sampling the results can be generalized to a larger population. Originality/value – Several authors have pointed out the need for further analysis on luxury value perception (Shukla and Purani, 2012; Tynan, McKechnie and Chuon, 2010; Christodouilides, Michaelidou, N. and Li, 2009; Vigneron and Johnson, 2004; Wiedmann, Hennings and Siebels, 2009) The knowledge on consumers’ perception of luxury should be enlarged and better methodologically oriented, making a transnational research project like this of greater importance. With this in mind, the findings provide valuable strategic insights for luxury brands to use across the different EU markets. Findings –We are running the research so to have the results and provide the expected contribution with this paper.

New lead-free piezoelectric ceramics 0.96[{Bi0.5 (Na0.84 K0.16)0.5}1-xLax(Ti1-y Nby)O3]-0.04SrTiO3 (BNKT-ST-LN, where x = y = 0.00 ≤ (x = y) ≤ 0.015) were synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction method. Their crystal structure, microstructure, and electrical properties were investigated as a function of the La and Nb (LN) content. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of a single-phase perovskite structure for all the LN-modified BNKT-ST ceramics in this study. The temperature dependence of the dielectric curves showed that the maximum dielectric constant temperature (Tm) shifted towards lower temperatures and the curves became more diffuse with an increasing LN content. At the optimum composition (LN 0.005), a maximum value of remnant polarization (33 C/cm2) with a relatively low coercive field (22 kV/cm) and high piezoelectric constant (215 pC/N) was observed. These results indicate that the LN co-modified BNKT-ST ceramic system is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric materials.

Over the years, luxury has built-up a reputation as recession proof industry. Even though the industry growth has slowed down in the mid 2000s, luxury firms have managed to cope with economic contingencies and shortening traditional demand by widening their clientele base to prestige mass consumption ― the “masstige clientele”. Doing so, luxury firms have been pursuing a dual strategy by wooing aspirational consumers as well as their traditional elite customers, thus managing the challenge of handling both a differentiation strategy based on scarcity and uniqueness, and increased volumes of sales. This has been a trend in mature markets such as Europe, the United States and Japan, but was significantly fostered by expanding into emerging markets. Sector specialists thus expect China to remain a major structural growth area in the medium term, where the number of both high-end clients as well as new aspirational consumers will substantially increase and influence firms strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to explore underlying motivations relating to the purchase of counterfeit luxury brands. Due to an increased demand for counterfeit goods in the luxury sector, understanding the motivations and determinants of counterfeit purchasing behaviour is becoming increasingly important for both academics and managers (Wee et al 1995; Perez et al 2010; Bian and Moutinho 2011). Counterfeit products rely on original brand features and leverage the brand’s evocative power and symbolic values, even if they don’t possess its intrinsic attributes and original materials. Therefore, consumers might choose a specific brand (and the associated brand values) and in the meantime compromise on the functional values of the product itself, because they are attracted more towards the symbolic features of recreating a brand experience (Gentry et al. 2001). This “brand importance” in counterfeit consumption represents for Grossman and Shapiro (1988) the possibility for consumers to “unbundle the quality and prestige attributes of branded products”, so that counterfeit consumers can “enjoy the status of displaying a prestigious label without paying for a high-quality product” (Grossman and Shapiro, 1988, p.98). Wiedmann et al (2012, p. 554) highlight the need to “examine the reasons why consumers choose the counterfeit over the authentic product,” arguing that an understanding of counterfeit purchase behaviour has to be informed by an understanding of the motivational value dimensions related to genuine luxury brands and goods. This paper uses their luxury value framework to explain the values related to counterfeit consumption. This study focuses on European consumers of luxury products, specifically Italians and Germans. Using a qualitative research approach we were able to evaluate consumers’ multidimensional luxury and counterfeit consumption decision making patterns. Since counterfeit is ultimately an illegal trend, there was a risk that consumers might not want to discuss their perspectives in front of other peers (Bryman and Bell, 2007). Hence, in order to avoid the appearance of potential bias linked to social desirability issues, this research has been structured around in-depth interviews. These semi-structured interviews were informed by existing literature (Saunders et al., 2009). Overall, the sampling frame had to exhibit different socio-demographic psychographic characteristics, so to give a more widespread overview on the response type. Therefore, the sample consisted of consumers with a differentiated educational and employment background and different lifestyles. All respondents were domiciled in larger cities, which increased the possibility for previous interaction with the counterfeit market. Analysis focused on the key themes and patterns that that emerged throughout the interview process (Yin, 2011). Findings have shown how there are major differences in how German and Italian respondents value and engage with counterfeit consumption. Indeed, the research has underlined the presence of varied counterfeit value dimensions that are linked to a consumer’s own luxury values (Wiedmann et al., 2012). Moreover, while luxury consumption is motivated by a consumer’s intrinsically and extrinsically driven desires, counterfeit consumption has been assessed to be motivated more by the values attached to the financial or functional dimensions of a counterfeit product, which complies with past researches on consumer’s value consciousness and on the possibility to engage with short-term trends without the economic investment of purchasing a genuine product (Geiger-Oneto et al., 2012). The research outcome emphasises how consumers from both countries are stimulated to engage with counterfeit goods according to the values they attach to. Since the evaluated consumers are mainly also active luxury goods purchasers, who therefore are aware of and can recognise the difference between a genuine and non-genuine good, it appears as restrictive and ineffective to highlight differences between luxury and counterfeit goods. Additionally, as highlighted by Hieke (2010) and Hart et al. (2004), the more consumers grow familiar with purchasing counterfeit goods, the more they reduce dramatically the consideration they have for the illicitness of this purchase behaviour. The contribution of this study is twofold; theoretical and managerial. Using Wiedmann et al’s (2012) framework we develop theory by delineating motivations of counterfeit buying behaviour. We present practical suggestions to managers for mitigating against the negative impact of counterfeiting on legitimate luxury brands.

This research aims to understand how an interdisciplinary approach could help Italian firms to enhance their offer to the market. In this perspective, authors have studied benefits and obstacles of an interdisciplinary research approach, by describing the case of RITRATTO, a project by University of Florence referents of various disciplines (agronomy, design, engineering, history and marketing).

Over the past decades, researchers devoted considerable attention to the impact of store environments on shopping behavior (e.g. Baker et al., 2002; Kotler, 1973; Turley & Milliman, 2000). More recent, practitioners and academics alike have argued that a greater challenge for brands is the creation and enhancement of compelling shopping experiences along, and beyond, the entire path-to-purchase (Interbrand, 2014; Shankar et al., 2011). In a luxury brand context, where the shopping experience is a significant motivator for purchases (Yoon, 2013), the interaction of multiple retail environments greatly affect consumer behavior towards the brands. Accordingly, brand experiences is created at both ends of the marketing supply chain, by brand manufacturers and retailers. Yet, although research has developed fruitful areas for new perspectives on the relationships between manufacturers and retailers (Ganesan et al., 2009), the vast majority of existing research predominantly focuses on consumer response to brand experiences with respect to manufacturer cues (Dolbec & Chebat, 2013; Tynan et al., 2010), store cues (Baker et al., 2002), or retail settings (Möller & Herm, 2013). The evolving business world needs to implement more comprehensive and holistic approaches (Choi et al., 2014), where integrated strategies must emerge. The objective of this study is to present an explanation of luxury brand experiences across manufacturer and retailer’s settings. By overviewing the literature on the interaction between brand management, store atmospherics, and consumer behavior, and applying qualitative methods, the authors provide relevant insights for academics and practitioners toward a more comprehensive understanding of the luxury brand experience. Customer experience and luxury brands In the field of contemporary marketing, customer experience has been defined as a construct which “encompasses the total experience and may involve multiple retail channels” (Verhoef et al., 2009, p. 32). It includes the search, purchase, consumption, and after-sale phases of the experience. In a holistic brand perspective, this definition enlightens the key role of luxury brands in delivering the same brand promise and brand message across each connection between the consumer and the brand. Among the characteristics of luxury brands, consumers are willing to pursue luxury products as these products provide psychological benefits rather than functional benefits (Kapferer, 1997). Further, luxury brands are associated with status, wealth, exclusion, and pride (McFerran et al., 2014). As result, strong experiences with luxury brands derive when consumers develop deep emotional bonds with brands (Grisaffe & Nguyen, 2011). From a marketing perspective, consumers that develop deep emotional relationships with a brand have a lot of positive and strong associations (Yoo et al., 2000), such as the perception of the brand uniqueness and inimitability, and loyalty to the brand. However, when it comes to analyze the brand experience, research confers a conceptually different meaning from other brand constructs. According to Brakus et al. (2009), brand experience has distinct dimensions from evaluative, affective, and associative brand constructs, such as brand attachment, brand attitudes, customer delight, and brand personality. The concept of brand experience encompasses multiple dimensions, which refer to the sensorial, affective, intellectual, and behavioral sphere (Zarantonello & Schmitt, 2009). More specifically, the intrinsic concept of luxury brands as hedonic products with high symbolic value, holistically incorporate manufactures and retailers in fulfilling these various dimensions of brand experience. By assuring consistency across the manufacturer and retailer’s settings of the luxury brand, customer experiences evoke the exclusivity of the brand and transfer the authenticity of the brand message. From a consumer’s perspective, consumers reach brand authenticity when they perceive both the internal consistency, which focuses on maintaining the luxury brand standard and style, honoring its heritage, preserving its essence, and avoiding its exploitation, and the external consistency, which pertains to appearances and claims of the brand (Choi et al., 2014). Similarly, consumers tend to perceive the exclusivity of the luxury brand when they encounter consistent experiences across multiple brand touch points. Accordingly, in the experiential view, the principle of consistency and contiguity proposes that sensations, imagery, feelings, pleasures, and other symbolic or hedonic components are paired together to create mutually evocative consumer response (Holbrook & Hirschmann, 1982). The integration between the marketing and consumer’s perspectives suggests that luxury brands create and maintain powerful customer experiences when there is consistency across the manufacturer and retailer’s environments. However, in the landscape of luxury brand management, the conceptualization of customer experience requires the understanding of how consumers respond to luxury brand messages. This investigation is particularly important when examining brand experiences emerged in the manufacturer versus retailer physical environment. Existing literature on brand experiences, retail atmospherics, and luxury brands cannot fill the gap we address. Prior studies aiming to investigate the brand experience have analyzed the phenomenon of this construct from a theoretical perspective (Verhoef et al., 2009), case study analysis (Payne et al., 2009), or focused only on the direct relationship between manufacturer and consumer (e.g. Dolbec et al., 2013; Kim, 2009). For example, Dolbec et al. (2013) have studied in-store brand experiences on consumer response to flaghship vs. brand stores, and highlighted how their study suffers from not considering the continuity between current, previous and future experiences. Regarding the impact of store atmospherics and retailer’s settings on customer experiences (e.g. Baker et al. 2002; Bloch, 1995), research has found that specific combinations of atmospherics elements influences consumers’ perceptions about merchandise, service quality, and the overall store image. More recently, Möller & Herm (2013) showed how retail settings may shape consumers interpretation and evaluation of the brand, and in-store bodily experiences transfer a metaphoric message to customers’ perceptions of the brand. However, the authors empirically tested a mono-brand fashion retail store, and stressed the importance of examining the interaction between brand and store personalities in transferring meaning “from the product to the retailer and the other way around” (Möller & Herm, 2013, p. 8). The retail landscape has dramatically changed the dynamics of consumer-brand interactions in the physical encounter. The main challenge of these interactions concerns the effective integration of multichannel brand experiences into an exciting, emotionally engaging, and coherent brand experience. However, in-depth studies on consumer perceptions to these multi-environment experiences have not yet emerged. In this paper, we aim to fill that gap. By addressing the attention to the customer’s sphere, we specifically investigate how consumers perceive luxury brands in relation to brand experiences across various retail settings. Method and studies Owing to the lack of relevant research, this study applies a direct qualitative and exploratory approach to develop deep insights of consumers response to luxury brand experiences in different retail settings (Creswell, 2012). Two sequential studies investigate consumer cues of brand experiences across various environments. Study 1 provides the identification of luxury brand elements that are pivotal in the creation of exciting shopping experiences. In study 1, respondents named a luxury brand which they had frequently experienced in the last year, and to which they felt being in a deep relationship across multiple retail touch points of the brand. Respondents were asked about what elements of the brand they were more engaged to. The authors imposed no constraints on the elicitation. Following the categorization of luxury brands (Jackson, 2004) which comprehends fashion, perfumes and cosmetics, wines and spirits, and watches and luxury, respondents chose whatever brand they wanted. One of the authors provided the instructions to respondents. This study includes in the first sample a variety of 35 consumers from various age (20 to 65 years old consumers), as well as various education levels. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and evaluated with content analysis, following quality criteria of Kassarjian (1977). The luxury brand elements emerged from Study 1 were used in Study 2 as thematic basis for investigating how these elements provide exciting experiences across multiple retail setting of the luxury brand. The same interviewer of Study 1 undertook in-depth interviews with eight of the above respondents, two from each consumer profile identified in line with the hedonic profiles of Arnold & Reynolds (2003). Each interview discussion lasted between 30 and 45 minutes, was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The text was analyzed by the authors following the generalized sequence of steps of data reduction and transformation, data display and conclusion drawing/verification (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The code development followed thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998), and coding was multivariate within subjects. With multiple ideas per respondent, we extracted a large list of properties. We sorted thematic elements into logically related clusters and assigned representative headers. The authors now describe results regarding respondents’ perceptions of luxury brand experiences in multiple retail environments. Results and discussion Consumers identified a wide range of experience factors that they seek in luxury brands, and highlighted how the brand and retail environment fulfill these expectations. They considered the brand evocation to exclusivity and authenticity as the primary reason for purchasing luxury brands. One of the respondents stated: “I buy brand X because it is a nice and deeply authentic brand to have. When I use the brand X I feel I am wearing something very exclusive. And I feel exclusive”. Regarding experiencing luxury brands in the stores, respondents stressed the importance of “finding the same brand appealing in the monobrand store as well across retailers’ stores”, and added that when they did not perceive this coherence of message they often switched to other brands in the purchasing stage. Another determinant element of holistic experiences concerns the products presentation of the brand in various settings, which has to be very similar and related across the brand touch points. Respondents explained to feel confused when they visit one store and encounter “colorful display with a charming presentation of the brand Y in the store of retailer 1”, while finding in store of retailer 2 “black and white displays and an awful presentation for the brand Y”. Concerning the specific impact of the retailer’s environment on luxury experiences, we identified that the overall store setting of the retailer influences the luxury brand even when consumers do not experience the brand in the specific. For example, one respondent highlighted that “If I have to buy brand Z, I never go to retailer 3. I know that brand Z does not feel luxury at all in retailer 3 because of its very old fashioned store”. This study shows how consumers respond to luxury brand strategies across manufacturer and retailer’s brand setting. By providing deep insights on their relationship with luxury brands, consumers contributed to understand key elements for living consistent luxury brand experiences. They stresses the pivotal role of a coherent brand exclusivity. This is an evident implication to motivate consumers in purchasing the luxury brands. Retailers can also make important considerations from our study. They must create more appealing and overall exciting store images. By enhancing luxury experiences in the store, retailers can leverage opportunities of stronger connection with consumers. Simultaneously, brand manufacturers can build upon retailers enhanced in-store experience to magnify the holistic luxury brand experience. Finally, this study is one of the first explorations concerning the cross-effect of brand experiences and store atmospherics. In an empirical context, the authors investigate the conceptualization of consumer experiences in a multichannel view, and provide relevant contributions to analyze the brand and the environment as interdependent elements. Further research may test empirically our findings on the interaction between luxury brands and multi-retail experiences.

The Chinese market has played an important role for the luxury industry in the past years, with double-digit yearly growth (except for last year). Luxury brands have tried to design strategies to meet the local requirements, be it in terms of retail formats or communication strategies. However, Chinese luxury consumers are evolving in terms of consumption habits and materialistic value: observations from the field show that there is less and less emphasis on logo display among certain consumers (Dubois & Laurent, 1994; Lin & Wang, 2010). Such changes might affect also young consumers, which already stand for a great share of luxury consumers (Source: Red Luxury,2012). Besides, past studies on Chinese consumers’ attitudes toward luxury and values behind luxury consumption have often relied on student-samples, acknowledging the potential limitation to their results due to a potential lack of representativeness of the population interviewed. Few studies have provided analyses of the causes of the values and behaviours of young Chinese customers towards luxury product consumption, focused on them as ‘young people’ (Wang et al., 2012; Xue & Wang, 2012). Besides, most of those that tried to do so relied upon student samples of Chinese students studying abroad (in the USA or Europe) (Chen & Kim, 2013). This paper attempts to investigate the contemporary young Chinese consumers’ behaviour towards luxury consumption, segmenting them into two groups : the international student group and mainland Chinese young consumer group. A quantitative survey collected data from 104 respondents within a month where the snowball sampling method was applied to broadcast both online and offline questionnaires. Qualitative data was analyzed through lexical analyzis, while quantitative data was analyzed with the help of SPSS (Levene-test and T-tests). This study mainly focuses on four features: Chinese culture, materialism, young Chinese generation culture and buying motivation. The results of the study mainly indicate that there have been some changes between generations. One such change is that Chinese youths are more individualistic than what was found in previous studies, and another change is that young Chinese consumers hold different points of view towards the values of luxury consumption. As far as differences between international students and local young people from Mainland China are concerned, we found the following differences: • Finding 1: International students purchase luxury products to fit-in with their friends & because they want others to view them as a member of the upper class & as a successful person more than their local fellows. • Finding 2: International students’ income is more able to support them purchase luxury products than for young locals, and they are more inclined to save money to buy luxury products that their local fellows. • Finding 3: Mainland Chinese young people usually go luxury shopping with their parents more than international students do and claim they will still purchase luxury products even if prices increase more than them as well. • Find 4: Purchasing luxury products make local young people happier than international students, and they care more about the style (as opposed to price) of luxury products than these lasts.  We believe such findings will help luxury companies refine their strategies for the coming generations and help researchers notice on which dimensions of luxury consumption using expatriated Chinese students might have an impact and lead towards biased results.

The study was carried out to assess the production performances of Japanese quail parent stock raised under open housing system and the study was conducted in a local farm with 2000 Japanese parent stock quail birds (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Observed body weight gain was recorded in each weekend up to 7 weeks of their age; birds gained weight 15.73, 31.45, 47.20, 90.80, 125.27, 153.14 and 175.20 grams, respectively. There have been observed sharp decline of fertility and hatchability of birds with increase of their age. Optimum fertility was recorded at third week and optimum hatchability at fifth week of their age. Average flock uniformity was found 83.68%. The hen day egg production of the flock was recorded 81, 83, 85, 86, 89, 89, 89, 89 and 88% in each weekend, respectively. It may therefore be concluded that Japanese quail parent stock performs well under open housing system in Bangladesh and future study can be taken to better understand their production performances.

Today’s consumers experience the brands within numerous in-store and out-of-store contexts, and tend to focus on their holistic experience with the brands across various retail scenarios. Companies, especially in the luxury industry where multiple retail settings contribute to the formation of the brand image, invest considerable funds to create entertaining, exciting, and emotionally engaging experiences. However, researchers have not yet examined how traditional luxury brand factors interplay with experiential factors across multiple retail settings of the brand. In marketing literature, researchers have devoted considerable attention to the effect of store environments on consumer behavior (e.g. Baker et al., 2002; Donovan & Rossitier, 1982; Kotler, 1973). At the same time, academic research has also been conscious of the central role of brand image in the consumer-buying process (e.g. Keller, 1993; Kwon & Lennon, 2009). More recently, these two streams are coming together. Practitioners and academics have argued that creating compelling shopping experiences across multiple environments, and along, and beyond, the entire path-to-purchase is a key challenge for maintaining a certain brand image (Interbrand, 2014; Verhoef et al., 2009). In a luxury brand context, whereas brand managers design most of the strategic implementations of the brand, retailers can increasingly craft value to the brand via the creation of multisensory retail experiences (Spence et al., 2014). Luxury brands, such as Chanel, are continuously growing their retail presence, and identifying ways to cultivate the tradition of the brand and create distinctive and unique brand experiences. However, the academic perspective of investigating luxury brand images in contemporary business contexts has been underdeveloped (Berthon et al., 2009; Miller & Mills, 2012). While this call for more comprehensive and holistic approaches to luxury brand experiences has been raised (Atwal & Williams, 2009), current research predominantly focuses on single aspects of the luxury brand experience, such as in-store multisensory factors (Möller & Herm, 2013), brand owner cues (Tynan et al., 2010), in-store environment cues (Baker et al., 2002), or luxury brand specific factors (Beverland, 2005). The evolving business world needs to implement more holistic and contemporary approaches. By employing the approach of three dimensions store atmospherics (Baker et al., 2002) to luxury brand experiences, this study investigates how consumers integrate traditional brand factors with new factors of consumption. The objective of this article is to understand how various retail settings affect emotional states, which, in turn, affect behavior toward luxury brands. This study addresses the relationship of luxury brand experiences in tight and less controlled retail scenarios, and the ways in which luxury experiences trigger effective successful brand experiences. Utilizing two qualitative studies, the authors consider the interaction between luxury brand experiences and store atmospherics. The paper concludes with relevant implications for academics and practitioners to enable new perspectives on luxury brand strategies, and consumer response to the luxury brand image in the challenging retail landscape.

The paper analyses the effect of Country Related Product Image (CRPI), as Country of Origin construct, and Country Product Familiarity (CPF) on retailers’ Intention to Buy (INTB). Despite the relevance and richness of the country-of-origin (COO) research, this body of literature is mainly based on investigating purchasing behaviours of consumers rather than professional buyers. Therefore, the effect that this construct exerts on retail buyers requires further understanding. Moreover, the study contributes to the literature by testing the impact of CRPI, and its multidimensional nature, jointly with CPF. A cross product analysis is considered to verify whether these effects on retailers’ INTB change in relation to specific product categories. The research hypotheses are tested by conducting a survey on a sample of 257 Chinese retail buyers and considering two different Italian product categories: shoes, that is a traditional fashion sensitive product, and ceramic tiles, that is a less fashion-based product whose technical attributes are more prominent for buyers’ evaluations. Results show that 1) the CRPI is a multidimensional construct that influences the intention of Chinese retail buyers to buy Italian products; 2) when CPF is considered, the impact of CRPI dimensions on intention to buy decreases; 3) the joint effect of CRPI dimensions and CPF on retailers’ INTB varies according to the product considered. Theoretical and managerial implications are derived.