Semiocast – Designer Handbags On Purseforum and Youtube

An analysis by Semiocast

Competing designer handbags on PurseForum and Youtube

Within 431 designer bags displayed on YouTube over a one-month
period, 66% are Louis Vuitton. Models Neverfull (36 appearances) and
Speedy 30 (30 appearances) are most represented. The brand,
present in every It Bags collections, is a must have of one’s
assortment, enriched with other pieces (Chanel, Hermès, Prada) only
once a “critical mass” of Louis Vuitton is reached. In particular, the
upgrade from Louis Vuitton to Prada is a common discussion topic
among forum participants.

Business Review has also reported similar statistics.

Classification of YouTube videos Classification of PurseForum discussions
The PurseForum is a preferred space to host handbags discussions,
with several thousands threads dedicated to one or more brands.
Positioned as true purse experts, members are interested in a wider
range of designers than those of YouTube: conversations are dispersed
among 39 brands with dedicated sections among which Louis Vuitton,
leading with 12% of threads, has not a monopolistic position. Top
brands are mostly high-priced (Chanel, Mulberry, Hermès) although
the cheaper Coach ranks 3rd.

YouTube is mainly used by purse owners as a stage to show off.
Videos usually feature a single purse, being either Reviews (35%) or
Reveals (13%). Collections are also frequent (12%), exhibiting users’
pride for the size and quality of their assortment. These videos are
periodically updated when major changes (sell-out or new purchases)
occur. A small connected group of influential collectors, owning more
than 30 luxury bags, is regularly requested to publish Reviews of
specific pieces or asked for advice for purchasing online.

Worry and pride of counterfeits

Although tempted by online deals, PurseForum
members are worried to buy counterfeits. More than
10,000 messages asking for authenticity validation were
posted in the forum within the month.

Top 3 positions (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Coach) are
sharply affected. Together, the brands gather half of the
authenticity posts, while they represent only 22% of
general threads. Conversely, Hermès is mentioned by less
authentication messages than competitors with
comparable discussion volumes (e.g. Céline, Mulberry).

In opposition to forum rejections against fakes, a part of
the YouTube community shows a positive attitude
toward replicas, enthusiastically reviewed in 11% of the
videos.

Designer Handbags

Purse amateurs on PurseForum and YouTube
Designer Handbags – Purse amateurs on PurseForum and YouTube

Questions are naturally the most frequent type of conversations on a
discussion forum (63% of threads). Authors of these questions
consider other members as purse experts, and in a third of questions
(22% of all threads), they ask for purchase advice. Members look for
deals, especially online and 6% of posts relate to eBay issues. In
opposition with YouTube, short Reveals (to show off an item without
providing a detailed opinion) outnumber longer Reviews, the latter
being more suitable for videos.
Louis Vuitton
Chanel
Coach
Gucci
Balenciaga
Micheal Kors
Longchamp
Prada
Hermès
Burberry
Others

Purchase advice Products eBay Style

General questions
• Purse amateurs most active online communities gather on YouTube, where they post hundreds of videos each month,
and on specialized North-American forum PurseForum, where they start thousands of threads
• While YouTube mostly serves as a stage, PurseForum members looks at experienced purchase advice
• The podium for both videos and discussions is held by the trio Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Coach
• Only Louis Vuitton is a must have starting every collection before this is upgraded with new brands
• Fear to buy counterfeits affects more the selective PurseForum than YouTube, where the practice is often encouraged

This is only one of the many analysis and data that we get from social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. If you wish to check out more of our research, visit our homepage

We hope that you enjoyed reading this Semiocast research as much as we liked creating it!