Measures driving the internationalisation and adoption of African luxury fashion brands

Abstract

The study identified the lack of academic attention on the internationalisation and marketing of emerging African luxury brands. While the luxury category is growing globally, African luxury brands were gaining prominence and experiencing steady growth. However, they were not well covered in luxury goods studies and were not substantially represented in global trade. In order to identify the gaps, the study aimed to investigate how African luxury brands internationalised and marketed themselves when expanding globally. The study sought to understand the preferred modes of internationalisation, the motivations behind expanding outside of their home countries, the strategies used to create demand in unfamiliar markets, and the marketing capabilities developed during the internationalisation process. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the challenges faced by these brands in differentiating themselves from international competitors. A phenomenological qualitative approach was followed for the study. Overall, the study focused on the internationalisation and marketing of African luxury brands so that the body of knowledge could be enriched for academics and assist other emerging African luxury brands. What emerged was the importance and role of global connectedness in facilitating exposure to international consumers; and the importance of different stakeholders such as facilitators, strategic partnerships and policymakers’ involvement.