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Selling luxury : Sensory labour and communication in the perfume store

Petersson Mcintyre, Magdalena LU (2024) p.57-80
Abstract
In “Selling luxury” perfume and cosmetics stores are approached as mediated physical experiences of luxury. The elusive character of smell has forced perfume brands to invoke guides to explain how their products should be experienced. These guides may be human, in the form of sales assistants, or non-human, in the form of visual marketing materials, packaging and store displays. In the context of the physical store, these guides all work together to communicate the significance of the products and to educate consumers on the meaning and value of luxury. Drawing on visual ethnography of perfume and cosmetics stores, the chapter examines how sales assistants communicate the feeling of luxury to customers with the use of different senses such... (More)
In “Selling luxury” perfume and cosmetics stores are approached as mediated physical experiences of luxury. The elusive character of smell has forced perfume brands to invoke guides to explain how their products should be experienced. These guides may be human, in the form of sales assistants, or non-human, in the form of visual marketing materials, packaging and store displays. In the context of the physical store, these guides all work together to communicate the significance of the products and to educate consumers on the meaning and value of luxury. Drawing on visual ethnography of perfume and cosmetics stores, the chapter examines how sales assistants communicate the feeling of luxury to customers with the use of different senses such as vision, smell and touch. By referring to the practice of guiding as mediation, the chapter thus examines how physical stores and sales assistants actively contribute to the meaning-making of luxury. Furthermore, the prominence and necessity of guides in this context imbue the product with a level of complexity and exclusivity that suggests luxury. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Luxury Fashion and Media Communication : Between the Material and Immaterial - Between the Material and Immaterial
editor
von Wachenfeldt, Paula and Petersson McIntyre, Magdalena
pages
57 - 80
publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN
9781350291065
9781350291072
9781350291089
9781350291096
DOI
10.5040/9781350291096.0008
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bc8d10a6-6918-47a2-874a-798bd516a787
date added to LUP
2024-04-19 06:44:40
date last changed
2024-04-22 09:10:05
@inbook{bc8d10a6-6918-47a2-874a-798bd516a787,
  abstract     = {{In “Selling luxury” perfume and cosmetics stores are approached as mediated physical experiences of luxury. The elusive character of smell has forced perfume brands to invoke guides to explain how their products should be experienced. These guides may be human, in the form of sales assistants, or non-human, in the form of visual marketing materials, packaging and store displays. In the context of the physical store, these guides all work together to communicate the significance of the products and to educate consumers on the meaning and value of luxury. Drawing on visual ethnography of perfume and cosmetics stores, the chapter examines how sales assistants communicate the feeling of luxury to customers with the use of different senses such as vision, smell and touch. By referring to the practice of guiding as mediation, the chapter thus examines how physical stores and sales assistants actively contribute to the meaning-making of luxury. Furthermore, the prominence and necessity of guides in this context imbue the product with a level of complexity and exclusivity that suggests luxury.}},
  author       = {{Petersson Mcintyre, Magdalena}},
  booktitle    = {{Luxury Fashion and Media Communication : Between the Material and Immaterial}},
  editor       = {{von Wachenfeldt, Paula and Petersson McIntyre, Magdalena}},
  isbn         = {{9781350291065}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{57--80}},
  publisher    = {{Bloomsbury Publishing}},
  title        = {{Selling luxury : Sensory labour and communication in the perfume store}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350291096.0008}},
  doi          = {{10.5040/9781350291096.0008}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}