From Armani to Zara: Impression formation based on fashion store patronage

Fine fashion and fast fashion are ever converging. Just as consumers buy luxury fashion brands to express or enhance their self-image, so also can they patronize fashion stores with a self-congruent personality positioning. This article addresses the following research question: Do people use store personality traits to infer store patron personality traits? Two studies following the continuum model of impression formation examine this question. The findings of a consumer survey (study 1) demonstrate that people do indeed associate particular stereotypes with a store's patrons. The experiment in study 2 shows that the impression of others may substantially differ depending on the shopping bag (i.e., external cue of store patronage) the other carries. Apparently, besides “dress to impress”, consumers may also well mind where they shop. Retailers can benefit from creating a particular store personality as a unique selling proposition: a trend for luxury brand managers to attend to.