How is NFT fashion distinct from digital fashion? insights from mixed-methods research combining social listening and Consumer surveys

In the Web 3.0 era, both Digital Fashion (DF) and Non-Fungible Token Fashion (NFT fashion; NF) play pivotal roles in reshaping the fashion industry. Despite sharing a digital foundation, these two entities occupy distinct roles. However, the ongoing conflation of these terms creates ambiguity regarding their specific product attributes, roles, and inherent value. This confusion is further amplified by fragmented research streams between DF and NF. The lack of comparative analysis hinders a clear understanding of each form's unique value and conceptual boundaries. To address this ambiguity, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach comprising three studies to explore how users perceive and interact with NF and DF differently, with a particular focus on NF's distinctive characteristics and its identity within the digital creative economy. Study 1 analyzed extensive Twitter data (124,615 DF-related tweets and 52,751 NF-related tweets) using social listening and Latent Dirichlet Allocation analysis, identifying six key themes for DF and nine for NF. These emergent themes, interpreted through the lens of Means-End Chain Theory, served as the foundation for the development of two survey-based research models tested in Studies 2 (DF) and 3 (NF). Study 2 (n = 201) found that DF is primarily perceived as digital content, driven by its attributes of digital renderability, visual appeal, and customizability. These characteristics encouraged consumer engagement and positively influenced purchase intent. In contrast, Study 3 (n = 203) revealed that NF is perceived as a digital asset, underpinned by its collectability, licensability, and ownability. These asset-like attributes similarly fostered engagement and purchase behaviors. Together, these findings offer a more nuanced understanding of DF and NF by revealing that—despite being rooted in the same digital foundation—consumers perceive NF as a distinct variant with unique attributes—collectability, licensability, and ownability—that position it as a digital asset rather than digital content. This perspective advances the literature by clarifying that, although NF is not mutually exclusive of DF, it clearly holds a differentiated role and distinct value within the broader digital creative economy.