THE EMOTIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF FASHION: A LITERATURE REVIEW OF NEUROMARKETING AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Kiran Panjwani; Harish Sudhir Kulkarni

doi:10.29121/ShodhPrabandhan.v3.i1.2026.87

Authors

Kiran Panjwani Research Scholar, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, India Author
Dr. Harish Sudhir Kulkarni Professor and Head, MBA Department, IPER, Bhopal, India Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/ShodhPrabandhan.v3.i1.2026.87

Keywords:

Neuromarketing, Fashion Consumption, Consumer Psychology, Emotional Decision-Making, Impulse Buying Behavior

Abstract

Fashion consumption is no longer only motivated by functional needs but is also influenced by feelings, identity, aspirations and unconscious psychological reactions. In the new millennium, neuromarketing is becoming a significant area of research that enables marketers to gain insights about how consumers emotionally and cognitively react to fashion-based stimuli. This review systematically analyses the emerging research on neuromarketing and the psychology of fashion consumption in the areas of emotional decision making, impulse buying behavior, symbolic consumption, consumer identity and subconscious behavioural influence in the fashion retail environment.
The research derives from systematic literature review of the extant literature from academic databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Peer reviewed articles relevant to the topic, review papers and conceptual works published within the last 20 years were thematically analysed. The review also outlines key psychological factors affecting fashion consumerism and discusses the way in which neuromarketing tools (eye-tracking, EEG, Facial Coding and Biometric Analysis) have been utilized to investigate consumers’ reactions in the fashion industry.
The results indicate that the consumption of fashion is driven more by emotional and hedonistic motives than by cognitive ones. Neuromarketing research indicates that self-expression, social identity, aspirational appeal, emotional branding, and subconscious sensory stimulation play a pivotal role in shaping consumers attitudes and purchasing decisions. The review also draws attention to ever-increasing ethical concerns with the psychological manipulation of consumers, consumer privacy and the growing use of subconscious persuasion techniques in the marketing of fashion. The study advances the body of knowledge by combining consumer psychology, fashion marketing, and neuromarketing perspectives into one review framework. Furthermore, the paper highlights significant gaps in the literature and provides direction for future research in the areas of consumer behaviour, emotional consumption and neuromarketing applications within fashion retail.

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