Merchandising/Marketing/Retailing: Management

Loath to Luxury, Love to Fast-fashion: Comparing Customer Shopping Experiences through Online Reviews

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Abstract

With rising interest in online consumer opinions, consumer satisfaction from comparing their expectations and actual experiences varies across brand types (e.g., luxury vs. fast fashion). Luxury consumers, with higher expectations tied to brand reputation and cost, often provide more negative reviews, while fast fashion customers, holding lower expectations, leave more positive feedback. However, customer experiences communicated through online reviews remain underexplored. Based on expectation-disconfirmation theory, this study explores: (1) what customers talk about in their online shopping experiences, specifically in terms of expectations and disconfirmations? (2) what are the similarities and differences between luxury and fast fashion brands in their online reviews of shopping experiences? Using structural topic modeling (STM) with 12,132 online reviews, we identified ten distinct topics per retailer type. Luxury reviews highlighted purchase regret, online service, and e-WOM, while fast fashion emphasized fashionable finds, delivery service, and variety. Insights reveal critical implications for theory, methodology, and practice.

Keywords: consumer shopping experience, luxury, fast fashion, online reviews, structural topic modeling, Consumer shopping experience, online review

How to Cite:

Lee, Y. & Ha, S., (2025) “Loath to Luxury, Love to Fast-fashion: Comparing Customer Shopping Experiences through Online Reviews”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 81(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18547