Scarcity in luxury brand digital communication: unveiling its effect on consumer perceptions

On Instagram, new trends in communication strategies are emerging. An increasing number of luxury brands struggle to attract consumers' interest in the digital environment through communication scarcity. This study reveals the effects of Instagram communication scarcity on consumers' perceptions of luxury brands by following uses and gratifications theory. By exploring recent examples of luxury brand digital communication strategies based on scarcity in three online experiments on luxury consumers, the current work reveals the negative effects of these strategies on perceived brand exclusivity via consumer interest, demonstrating the role of brand familiarity as a boundary condition in mitigating these effects. This study contributes to the digital luxury brand communication literature by considering the antecedents of perceived brand exclusivity. Furthermore, this study offers practical insights into the development of social media communication strategies in the luxury context.