Dream Perception in the Luxury Industry: Internet, Vector of Democratization or Disenchantment? An Exploratory Study

Recent research shows that luxury brands and online marketing are not so obvious and need strong links to keep dreams alive online. Considering those elements, this exploratory qualitative study explores the perception of dreams in the luxury industry, focusing on the Internet as a vector of democratization or disenchantment. Six customers and four corporate experts were interviewed. The main results show that (1) for customers, luxury brands need to have a website but they refuse to buy online because of the lack of senses solicitation. On the contrary to the in-store experience, the virtual window does not bring them into the imaginary of the brand: they do not dream anymore. And (2) for experts, website and e-shop are essential. They agree with customers regarding the lack of polysensoriality on the Internet. The dreams inspired by the virtual window remain a dividing topic.