Marketing logics and developments have progressed in lockstep with the whirlwind innovations that primarily define the fashion industry over the years. Because of the fast-paced nature of marketing, fashion houses are constantly on the lookout for the next big thing.
The technological Millennial approach to communication is one example of a sought-after phenomenon that has dramatically revolutionized today’s society. Traditional marketing has gradually lost traction as one-way communication has been supplanted by active two-way communication (Houman Andersen, 2001; Ozuem, Howell, & Lancaster, 2008).
As a result of the shift in communication, global organizations are increasingly embracing Internet technologies and their various manifestations, such as social media, as a platform for brands to create content for their followers (Evans, 2012; Hoffman & Novak, 1996; Zarrella, 2009).
As a result, a plethora of literature has emerged examining the evolution of social media’s influence in everyday life. Further research has looked into how social media can be used as part of a brand’s marketing strategy (Luo, Zhang, & Duan, 2013; Naylor, Lamberton & West, 2012; Simmons, 2008; Tuten & Solomon, 2014).
Kim and Ko (2012) looked at the promising relationship between luxury fashion brands’ social media marketing and the resulting customer equity. The goal of the study was to show how luxury fashion brands can benefit from social media marketing activities such as entertainment, interaction, and word of mouth.
The study concluded that the use of social media is directly related to increased purchase intentions and customer equity in the luxury fashion industry, based on the findings. The study, on the other hand, paid little attention to a demographic age group that is familiar with social media and capable of providing useful feedback that improves the accuracy of research findings.
According to a study conducted by Statista on global daily social media usage in 2016, global users aged 25 to 34 years old had the highest level of daily social media usage in 2016. (Statista, 2016). A recent study found that people between the ages of 16 and 34 spend the most time engaging in visual activities on social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, whereas previous generations spent fewer percentages of their time doing so (Statista, 2017).
As the most active social media users, the Millennial generation outpaces all other age groups. Despite the large body of research on social media, few studies have looked at how it is used in the fashion industry, particularly among the Millennial generation.
Social media is a Web development that gained traction in the late 1990s and early 2000s, eventually gaining worldwide prominence by the late 2000s (Dewing, 2010). However, before delving into the global impact of social media, it is important to consider the events that led up to its inception.