A study of consumers’ pre-purchase evaluation of apparel products in Ethiopia
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
ISSN: 1361-2026
Article publication date: 30 November 2021
Issue publication date: 9 December 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore pre-purchase apparel evaluation cues and examine the effect of demographic variables empirically in the context of a developing country. The initiation for the study was driven by the absence of such prior research and supplemented by the big market opportunity for clothing products in the country under investigation.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered online survey was used for data collection. Demographic questions, 23 apparel measurement items composed of 17 product-based and 6 sustainability-based items, and an open-ended question were included in the questionnaire. Factor analysis was used for dimension reduction and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for hypotheses testing.
Findings
Garment fit, design features, colour, fabric type and seasonality are the five important characteristics most Ethiopian consumers consider while buying apparel products. Factor analysis resulted in five important factors used for pre-purchase apparel evaluation amongst which the design and extrinsic cue is found to be the most important. Environmental factors in the apparel industry got higher emphasis than social factors. While age and educational background made differences in apparel evaluation, gender did not show a significant difference.
Originality/value
The paper provides a founding insight in exploring apparel evaluation cues by considering product- and sustainability-based cues in a developing country context. It also examines the effect of three demographic variables which are rarely studied in such combination.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology, Bahir Dar University for supporting the research financially.
Citation
Bizuneh, B., Hailemariam, S.S. and Tsegaye, S. (2022), "A study of consumers’ pre-purchase evaluation of apparel products in Ethiopia", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 776-791. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-08-2020-0162
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited