Store coolness in luxury fashion: Antecedents, outcomes, and the moderating role of price consciousness

In the context of luxury fashion stores, this study investigates the mediating role of the dimensions of store coolness (extraordinary, subcultural, iconic, and high status) in linking service quality of employees, store display, and store creativity with customers' behavioral intention and positive word-of-mouth (WOM). Additionally, the study examines whether price consciousness moderates any of these relationships. To gain a deeper understanding of how coolness is perceived in luxury fashion stores, we collected customer insights through interviews with 16 frequent store visitors. We then tested our proposed model using a survey administered to shoppers immediately after they visited luxury stores ( N = 213). Our results indicate that the extraordinary and subcultural dimensions of coolness positively mediate the effects of store display and creativity on behavioral intention and positive WOM. However, the iconic dimension did not play a mediating role, while the high status dimension negatively mediated these paths, including those involving service quality. Finally, we found that price consciousness weakens the path from store creativity to the studied outcomes via the extraordinary dimension. Building on these findings, we provide managerial insights for designing luxury fashion store experiences that foster store coolness and positive customer responses.