Which Dress Do You Like? Exploring Brides’ Online Communities

Abstract To find the perfect wedding dress, a bride will consult bridal magazines, bridal fairs, family, and friends. Today’s bride might also watch popular television shows such as TLC’s, “Say Yes to the Dress,” or read and/or post comments on popular online wedding planning sites such as TheKnot.com, Weddingchannel.com, and Brides.com. According to Nelson and Otnes (2005), “Many brides use the Internet as a resource because it enables them to easily access information and communicate with widely dispersed providers of wedding resources” (p. 90). Nelson and Otnes (2005) found that many brides are participating in online virtual communities (i.e., Internet-based message boards) that “focus on the shared ritual and offer camaraderie and information exchange” (p. 90). In fact, the Bridal Association of America reported that 77% of brides in 2009 used the Internet to aid in the planning and/or purchasing of wedding related products and services. The purpose of this exploratory research is to investigate the types of information shared on social media sites by brides who are searching for a wedding dress. This research is unique because it explores the types of information shared in a popular wedding online community, www.Brides.com. As the influence of online communities on purchase decisions, including wedding dresses, continues to grow; it is important that designers, retailers, and manufactures understand how a brides online community friends many influence her purchase decision. For quite some time, marketers have recognized the potential of online communities to generate word of mouth. Research has shown that consumers seek advice and brand meaning from online communities (Brown, Broderick, & Lee 2007; Fischer, Bristor, & Gainer 1996; Granitz & Ward 1996; Moore, Mazvancheryl, & Rego 1996; Muniz & O’Guinn 2001; Scarpi 2010). Jepsen (2006) found that, when researching products, consumers prefer gathering information from people in online communities rather than through commercial sources (i.e., sales people, brochures, and advertisements). This preference may be due to the fact that people join online communities because these forums share valuable information (Dwyer 2007). Our research builds upon the work of Kozinets, deValck, Wonjnicki, and Wilner (2010) by examining the types of information shared in a popular wedding online wedding community. The information shared on Brides.com differs from product reviews as it is more identity and community driven. In other words the information shared is not driven by traditional apparel product evaluative criteria of product quality, performance and price. Instead this study provides a unique and valuable perspective on the types of information shared via consumer-to-consumer word of mouth in online communities that is far beyond the traditional evaluative criteria used for apparel purchased. Using established netnography research methods a total of 739 individual posts were examined. The conversations analyzed revealed four categories of discussion: community rituals and artifacts, communal norms, community cohesion, and communal sharing. Our findings expand marketers’ understanding of word of mouth and its relationship to online communities. Specifically, information shared on www.Brides.com is different from product reviews as it is more identity and community driven. The conversations analyzed in the sample of 739 posts revealed four categories of discussion: community rituals and artifacts, communal norms, community cohesion, and communal sharing. In exploring how community rituals and artifacts shape and influence the “dream dress” concept, we uncover the holistic influence of community members on wedding dress purchase decisions. The posts on Brides.com discussed how the brides felt deep emotions as they searched for and identified the perfect wedding dress. The communal norms discussion focused on how much to spend and where to shop. This is not surprising because many brides have a limited budget for the wedding and want to purchase high-quality items within that budget. Community cohesion around brands was evident in the data as the brides questioned and discussed various brands and designers of wedding gowns. The fourth category of discussion was centered around the emotional tension and physical isolation from family and friends. In their research on intercultural wedding message boards Nelson and Otnes (2005) found that members of the online community often serve as friends and counselors. The brides seem to trust the other members of the community and are comfortable seeking their advice and accepting as truth their opinion. Findings from this exploratory study provide insight into the word of mouth that impacts complex choices and decisions involved in the purchase of a wedding dress. Unlike previous research on brand communities (Algesheima, Dholakia, & Herrmann, 2005; Kates, 2004; Leigh, Peters & Shelton, 2006; Muniz & Schau, 2007), this study has not focused on the characteristics of the community members, but more on the holistic socio-emotional interactions that exist among community members. By becoming members of these types of communities, wedding dress designers, manufacturers and retailers could better understand the questions and issues posited by brides. Findings from the current study identify opportunities where designers, manufacturers, and retailers can better connect with brides. We believe the first strategy is to build social media into the business model. Our findings demonstrate that brides want to talk to others about their wedding gown purchase decision process. However, for many companies associated with bridal gowns, social media is more akin to a fan or information page. There needs to be more engagement with brides. While consumers might understand the evaluative criteria for purchasing a winter coat or a skirt, they may not know how to evaluate the price of a wedding dress. Wedding dress designers, manufacturers, and retailers need to educate consumers on the pricing of wedding dress. Videos where designers talk about how a wedding dress is constructed and construction elements that are worth paying more for and those that are not essential could be posted on the designer’s website with easy links for sharing with online community forums like Brides.com. Finally, there is an opportunity for creating online experiences that lend themselves to mobile (i.e., smart phones and tablet) devices. Apps that connect brides to advice and reassurance would be useful when the bride is shopping and/or in need of connecting with members of the bridal community for advice.