A measurement scale of « aesthetic style » applied to luxury goods stores

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the recent evolution of the luxury goods sector as well as the distribution strategy of some major companies. The distribution strategy must consider two different issues: first, the need to control the value chain in order to gain a competitive advantage in a sector that is becoming concentrated; second, the need to meet a desire for emotions and for aesthetic experience, as expressed by the customers of luxury goods. Design/methodology/approach – For this exploratory phase, the paper chooses to draw the data from a convenience sample made of undergraduate students from the Rouen School of Management. Slides presenting a varied selection of luxury goods stores are exposed. On the basis of this sample, a principal component factor analysis with Varimax rotation is performed. This enabled us to find a three-factor structure. As a preliminary, tests are carried out on the suitability of the data sample for factor analysis. The paper also testes the internal reliability of this scale. Findings – The paper introduces and validates a scale measuring the aesthetic style of consumers of luxury goods and an extension of this scale to the outlets selling these papers. Originality/value – As for the academic aspect, it is the first application of a measurement scale of aesthetic perception to retail. Concerning the managerial aspect, the three dimensions of the scale could bring important indications to luxury goods firms as well as to shop designers concerning the elements which influence consumer perception.