Instagram Is the Front Door, Not the Whole House

For many consumers, the first encounter with a luxury brand now happens on a screen. In this project’s survey, 73% of respondents identified Instagram as a source of luxury-fashion discovery, 52% pointed to influencers or celebrities and 51% to friends or family. These are results from this sample, not market-wide estimates.

The focus groups showed what that discovery can do. Social platforms introduced participants to emerging labels, gave visibility to craft stories and made products desirable before any visit to a store. Godey et al. (2016) link social media activity to brand equity, and the participants’ accounts support that link.

The same reach raises an old luxury question. When a product is everywhere, can it still feel rare? Park, Im and Kim (2020) found that overly familiar social media marketing can weaken luxury value perceptions, and participants voiced a similar unease.

The industry interview drew the distinction neatly: “It can accelerate awareness and desirability very quickly. But awareness isn't the same as long-term luxury status.”