From Clicks to Conflicts: A Digital Brand Hate Model for Fashion

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the phenomenon of digital brand hate in the fashion industry and to develop a comprehensive model explaining its antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences. Despite the increasing level of consumer–brand interactions in digital environments, limited research has examined how negative emotions are amplified through online platforms. This study sought to conceptualize digital brand hate as a distinct construct beyond traditional dissatisfaction, focusing on how factors such as low product quality, unethical practices, and unmet expectations contribute to brand hostility in digital contexts.Method: The research employed a qualitative grounded theory approach, using semi-structured interviews with ۲۲ experts, including marketing professors and fashion industry executives, selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding with ATLAS.ti software. Reliability was ensured through triangulation, test–retest reliability, and inter-coder agreement, while validity was established through construct, content, and external validation procedures. For the quantitative phase, the statistical population consisted of clothing consumers, and a sample of ۳۸۴ respondents was selected based on an unlimited population. A questionnaire was developed based on the qualitative findings, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS ۲۳ software.Findings: The results revealed six causal conditions (e.g., poor product quality and inappropriate pricing), five contextual conditions, and five intervening conditions (e.g., ethical violations and legal misconduct), three strategic responses (cost management and production expansion), and three main consequences (brand boycott, negative word-of-mouth, and economic instability). The core category identified was brand hate, which emerged from unmet expectations and ethical conflicts intensified by digital interactions. The results of the quantitative phase also indicated that the proposed model demonstrated a good fit.Conclusion: The proposed Digital Brand Hate Model provides a structured understanding of how digital environments amplify consumer hostility toward brands. It offers practical strategies for fashion brands to enhance transparency, improve service quality, and engage in ethical practices in order to mitigate reputational risks and foster long-term brand resilience in the digital marketplace.

کلیدواژه ها:

Digital Brands ، Brand Hate ، Consumer Behavior ، Fashion Industry