Simulating attachment to pure‐play fashion retailers

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how pure‐play fashion retailers can simulate attachment to their web sites (through trust, loyalty and purchase intentions) by using different communication mediums (static image, moving image, and text/image combination) to overcome the intangible nature of the online sales environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling using AMOS 16.0 are used to test 12 hypothesized relationships generated from the literature review. A sample of 688 female young fashion consumers from The University of Manchester participated in this study.

Findings

There is a clear difference in the build up of attachment when a consumer shops for products communicated via a static or moving image. Static images have direct relationships with trust and purchase intention, whereas moving images are related to building loyalty. Analysis shows that product recommendations (using a combination of text and image) are found to be directly related to developing consumer trust and loyalty towards a pure‐play fashion retailer.

Research limitations/implications

Generalisation of results is limited due to the use of a student sample and the focus on the UK fashion industry. Further development of the constructs used in this study is needed to further test the conceptual model.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first to empirically study pure‐play fashion retailing, providing insightful and pragmatic advice by identifying which communication mediums foster trusting and loyal relationships with consumers.

Citation

Ashman, R. and Vazquez, D. (2012), "Simulating attachment to pure‐play fashion retailers", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 40 No. 12, pp. 975-996. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590551211274955