M(Art)Worlds: Consumer Perceptions of How Luxury Brand Stores Become Art Institutions

•Our ethnography shows luxury stores embody elements of art galleries and museums.•Our “M(Art)World” construct captures this aesthetically oriented strategy.•We analyze how consumers experience luxury stores as contemporary art institutions.

Through an ethnographic study of how consumers perceive and experience Louis Vuitton flagship stores, we show that luxury stores are becoming hybrid institutions, embodying elements of both art galleries and museums, within a context of exclusivity emblematic of luxury. We create the term “M(Art)World” to capture the essence of this aesthetically oriented strategy. Participants take note of the company's sleekly elegant architecture, interior design, and adroit use of lighting that are modelled after those of museums housing world-class exhibits. The store's merchandize is artisanal, often produced in collaboration with artists. Objects for sale are displayed alongside actual art, rendering both products equivalent. Employees function as curators, offering guidance and knowledge, as well as goods for sale. We analyze how luxury consumers experience and evaluate the ways in which luxury stores operate as contemporary art institutions, and extrapolate those insights into managerial implications for other retail venues.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide