Hashtags for #fashion on Instagram: Examining hashtag utilization and customer engagement

With the popularity of Instagram, the hashtag (#) symbol has emerged as an important marketing tool. By using hashtags, brands can increase their visibility and reach among Instagrammers. The purpose of this research is to examine how fashion brands utilize hashtags and captions on Instagram and how Instagrammers respond to different hashtag and caption patterns. A computational analysis of a large collection of hashtags and captions posted with fashion images was conducted to identify patterns of utilizing hashtags and captions in terms of frequency, form and content. Specifically, 65,107 hashtags attached to 29,557 fashion images posted on Instagram by ten global fashion brands were analysed. This study also examined how customer engagement levels vary for each variable. Several important findings emerged from this study: (1) while most fashion images were posted with hashtags and captions, indiscriminate use of hashtags (i.e. hashtags that are too frequent or too long) were likely to lower the number of likes and comments; (2) using a hashtag in combination with a caption or only using a caption could be more effective than using a hashtag alone in increasing customer engagement levels; and (3) hashtags containing promotional messages, in general, were less effective in promoting likes and comments.