A research on digital gaming and virtual reality applications of luxury fashion brands

From a different and new perspective, there is a need to examine the digital game and virtual reality applications created by luxury fashion brands on Generation Z individuals based on brand attitude. The aim of this study is to investigate how Generation Z individuals who experience the digital game and virtual reality applications developed by two international luxury fashion brands of French and Italian origin form a brand attitude towards these brands after these experiences and how the experiences affect the attitudes of Generation Z individuals towards these two brands. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. Research participants were selected by criterion sampling from purposive sampling types. A total of 20 people participated in the study. Generation Z individuals represent the participants. The data obtained through face-to-face, individual interviews in the research were analyzed by qualitative content analysis through Maxqda program, the interviews were interpreted and suggestions were presented. The findings of the research were analyzed and discussed under the themes of brand attitude, ease of use, brand awareness/relationships and attitude towards gaming. The results show that luxury brands can offer a more impressive experience to consumers by using VR technology. The brand logo used in the digital game caused a positive emotional state on the participants and as a result, it was observed that the participants experienced a sense of interest in the brand, a desire to purchase and a greater liking for the brand. The brand designs in the VR application and the detailed information transfer obtained through the application positively affected the emotional state of the participants. It was observed that the fact that the participants could not buy the brand's products due to financial reasons affected their positive emotional state, and that the application design and content can play a critical role in establishing positive emotional bonds with the brand. It was observed that the fact that the real products of the brand were not presented in the virtual environment in the digital game made it difficult to form the intention to use the goods and services, while the display of real product images in the VR application increased this intention. Digital game and VR application experiences had no effect on the behavior of forming an emotional attachment to the brand. It was observed that the VR application had a significant impact on the participants' purchase tendencies and positively affected the brand attitude by enabling users to establish a deeper and more meaningful connection with the brand.