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The purpose of this paper is to examine the desired benefits affecting consumer’s attitude and attitude’s consequent influence on behavioral intentions toward pop-up retail, an experiential marketing practice emerging in Taiwan, and to explore the effect of individual differences (consumer innovativeness and materialism) on desired benefits and the moderating effect of cultural values (independent self/interdependent self-construal).

A survey containing modified scales, distributed to college students from various majors in ten Taiwanese universities, produced 902 useable responses. Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the hypothesized relationships.

Hedonic benefits and a new utilitarian benefits variable (self-enhancement (SE)) influenced Taiwanese consumers’ attitude toward pop-up retail, and attitude affected patronage intentions. Consumer innovativeness and materialism affected desired benefits. Interdependent self-construal moderated the relationship between materialism and the perceived utilitarian benefit of SE.

Respondents from one narrow, but appropriate, demographic group in one non-western society were examined. Comparison across demographic groups and non-western and western societies would reveal the prevalence of SE associated with pop-up retail acceptance.

Pop-up shop design that emphasizes hedonic experience and social status of consumers could lead to successful experiential marketing in Taiwan and perhaps other Chinese societies.

This appears to be the first empirical study in English examining consumer acceptance of pop-up retail in a non-western society. It verifies the importance of the perceived utilitarian benefit (self-enhancement), absent in previous pop-up retail studies, and the impact of individual differences and cultural values on Taiwanese consumer behavior.

To examine the relationships among website design features, consumer experience responses and patronage intention toward online mass customization (OMC) apparel websites.

A total of 312 useable online surveys were obtained from Mainland China consumers. Multi-item scales were adopted to measure eight constructs: visual design; information quality; entertainment, aesthetic, educational, escapist experiences; flow; and patronage intention. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to determine factor structures and to test the hypothesized relationships among website design features, 4Es (entertainment, aesthetic, educational and escapist experiences), flow and consequent purchase intention toward OMC apparel websites.

All hypotheses, but one, were supported. OMC website visual design; information quality; and entertainment, aesthetic and educational experiences had a positive effect on consumer patronage intention.

Limitations include using a sample of consumers from major cities in China; results cannot be generalized to all Chinese consumers. Websites were not actively navigated. Additionally, the present study examined only two dimensions of OMC website quality, visual design and information quality; more tangible and specific features could be considered in future research.

The findings provide website designers and marketers with insights into experiences that may lead to an increase in patronage intention toward OMC websites.

The study provides evidence that flow helps explain the impact of experiential value (i.e. 4Es) from website design features on patronage intention.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether experiential offerings from two types of retailers play a significant role in consumer responses toward Indian malls. Specifically, this study examined the relationships between consumer perceptions of experience economy 4E constructs (i.e. educational, entertainment, escapist, and esthetic experiences) and experiential value associated with merchandise retailers and service retailers in Indian shopping malls, and between perceived experiential value and mall patronage intention.

A mall intercept survey conducted in two shopping malls in India resulted in 552 useable responses. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships.

Experience economy constructs (i.e. entertainment, escapist, and esthetic experiences) contributed to the experiential value associated with merchandise retailers and/or service retailers in the mall. Experiential value associated with both merchandise retailers and service retailers in the mall positively influenced mall patronage intention.

The results have practical implications for mall retailers, mall managers, and mall developers; particular experiential strategies for both merchandise retailers and service retailers may improve patronage intentions toward the mall, which includes a measure of purchase intentions.

Although academic articles support the idea that retailers can obtain benefits by offering experiences to consumers, this is the first study to empirically validate the role of specific consumer experiences, the 4Es, resulting from both merchandise retailers and service retailers, in a non-Western mall context on value creation for shoppers and the consequent influence on patronage intentions.

The purpose of this study was to understand factors affecting market mavens' use of social media for fashion-related information provision. The study examined market mavens' motivations to share fashion-related information. Specifically, this study investigates the impact of their motivations (i.e. pleasure from helping, a sense of obligation) and technology acceptance model variables (i.e. beliefs about and attitude toward using social media) on intention to use social media for sharing fashion-related information.

An online survey yielded 862 responses from US female respondents. A subset (N = 307) representing those high in market mavenism was used for the study. Structural equation modeling was employed for the analysis.

The results confirmed that market mavens were driven by pleasure from helping and a sense of obligation to share fashion-related information. These motivations and attitude toward using social media to disseminate fashion-related information positively influenced market mavens' intention to use it to disseminate fashion-related information. Furthermore, belief variables (i.e. perceived usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment associated with social media) indirectly impacted this intention.

The study adds to the scant research examining market mavens' motivations for sharing fashion-related information with others and their intention to use social media. It provides valuable insights for fashion retailers looking to enhance the impact of social media marketing through the deployment of market mavens – very knowledgeable, motivated and trusted consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the roles of telepresence and fantasy in an online apparel shopping experience. Online apparel consumers undergo a virtual product experience (telepresence) that simulates the product experience in a brick‐and‐mortar store. Fantasy entails the pleasurable mental imagery involving product use.

A total of 86 female university students completed a survey after browsing a stimulus web site in a laboratory setting. Path analysis was used to identify hypothesized relationships between telepresence, fantasy, shopping enjoyment, willingness to purchase, and willingness to patronize the online retailer.

Results showed that telepresence influenced consumer fantasy and both telepresence and consumer fantasy led to shopping enjoyment (experiential value). Telepresence, fantasy, and shopping enjoyment directly contributed to willingness to purchase from the online retailer, whereas telepresence, fantasy and shopping enjoyment contributed indirectly to willingness to patronize the online retailer.

The study used a sample of female university students in the USA. This limits its generalizability to all consumers. It also examined one web site feature; other features may produce different effects.

Findings suggest that business practitioners implement features on their web sites to yield telepresence and fantasy, which may enhance purchase and patronage responses towards their site.

This study enhances understanding of two variables requiring further study, telepresence and fantasy, in online apparel shopping experience.

In line with changes in consumer demand, models used in empirical study of the shopping experience have expanded. Reflecting the integrative (experiential and utilitarian) nature of shopping experience, the paper aims to propose an overarching stimulus‐organism‐response based shopping experience framework.

This conceptual paper offers a framework that integrates components of both the hedonic experience related consciousness‐emotion‐value model and the utilitarian experience‐related cognition‐affect‐behavior model. In this paper, articles crossing hedonic and utilitarian boundaries are briefly presented, and the array of variables used in empirical studies of shopping experience, with an emphasis on brick‐and‐mortar shopping experiences, are synthesized for each component of the framework.

The resulting framework is an inclusive overarching structure that explains the consumer shopping experience. This framework is useful for both academia and industry. It may help orient academics to the diverse body of existing shopping experience literature and help researchers develop empirical studies blurring hedonic and utilitarian boundaries of consumer experience. For industry professionals, it may be used to guide development of successful shopping experiences.

The paper does not provide empirical testing of the proposed framework. However, the paper suggests directions for future research, including empirically examining the framework's structural relationships.

The paper presents the framework as a means of giving order to the ever‐expanding body of shopping experience literature.

Image interactivity allows the customer to create and manipulate visual images of a product on a Web site. We measured the effect of exposure to an image interactivity function from an apparel retailer’s Web site on approach responses towards the retailer. The image interactivity function from the Web site allowed participants to mix and match apparel product images to help determine how well they coordinated. Dependent variables used to tap approach responses were attitude towards the online store, willingness to purchase from the online store, willingness to return to the online store, probability of spending more time than planned shopping on the site, and likelihood of patronizing the online retailer’s bricks‐and‐mortar store. We employed a repeated‐measures experimental design with 103 subjects. Paired t‐tests provided empirical support for the effect of image interactivity on enhancing approach responses towards the retailer. However, differences in approach responses existed between males and females. Marketing implications were provided.

This study aims to examine the relationships between fashion innovativeness (FI) and brand image dimensions (cognitive, sensory and affective associations) for favorite fashion-related brands, the contribution of these dimensions to lovemarks (brand love and respect) and lovemarks’ consequent effect on brand loyalty.

A Web-based survey was conducted using a national sample of 2,492 US male and female consumers between the ages of 18 and 76. Structural equation modeling tested the hypotheses.

Results indicated positive, statistically significant associations between the six variables. Among the three brand image dimensions, sensory associations exhibited the strongest relationship with FI, whereas lovemarks displayed stronger relationships with cognitive and affective associations. Lovemarks affected loyalty toward fashion-related brands.

The survey of the US consumers and the focus on fashion-related brands may limit the generalizability of the findings. This empirical study illustrated how FI impacts an extended consumer-based brand equity model.

Fashion-related brand managers should not only promote pleasant sensory associations to attract those with a high level of FI but also promote cognitive and affective associations to foster lovemarks (high brand love and respect) to achieve the end goal of customer loyalty.

Even though consumers with a high level of FI may contribute significantly to long-term brand success, past research has not explored the relationship between FI and the factors that lead to consumer-based brand equity. The present study is the first to examine the role of FI in fostering brand equity.

Mass customisation, defined as the mass production of individually customised goods and services, aims at providing products and services that are more suited to the needs or desires of today’s fragmented consumer markets. Mass customisers should identify how needs or desires of the fragmented market shape the customisation of not just the product and service, but also the mass customisation experience. Towards this end, the authors examined whether an individual’s preferred level for environmental stimulation defined as optimum stimulation level (OSL) was associated with the types of products, services and experiences desired from mass customisation of apparel. As the authors hypothesised, OSL had significant positive correlations with willingness to use co‐design services to create a unique design, trying co‐design as an exciting experience, overall commitment to using co‐design, and trying body scanning as an exciting experience. OSL did not have significant correlations with the more banal willingness to use body scanning services for better fitting products or overall commitment to using body scanning. There was also a significant positive correlation between OSL and interest in customising experiential products, but not between OSL and interest in customising utilitarian products, as hypothesised. Results support research of the influence of OSL on consumer behaviour. Implications for the industry include considering experience aspects and environmental stimulation when developing a mass customisation programme.

Consumers’ needs are satisfied by the pleasurable experience from a product’s promotional environment (e.g. store setting, advertisement, or catalogue page). The present paper examined whether components of experiential pleasure from a catalogue page influenced approach responses towards the featured fashion apparel product. Most hypotheses were supported. Specifically, sensory and cognitive pleasure from a catalogue page positively affected approach responses of global attitude, multi‐attribute attitude, and willingness to buy the featured product, but not price willing to be paid for the product. Statistically significant multiple regression analyses revealed that “experiencing oneself in the imagery involving the product” was the component of cognitive pleasure that affected the dependent variables, as hypothesized. Implications for marketing/consumer behavior research and promotional environments are provided.