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Visual merchandising has a direct impact on shopping experience, making it pertinent for the retailers to ensure that their store environment has an effective design. This study blends fuzzy numbers and Analytical Hierarchy Process to create a fuzzy evaluation model prioritizing the relative weights of visual merchandising dimensions of online fashion apparel store. This study will help the fashion retailers in creating more engaging and informative online stores leading to subsequent increase in online retail sales.

Visual merchandising dimensions and sub dimensions used by retailers for online stores were identified through review of literature and discussion with experts. Twenty experts were interviewed and their responses captured. The responses were analyzed using Fuzzy AHP technique resulting in prioritizing the dimensions according to the weight. For testing the stability of the results, sensitivity analysis was conducted.

Four key dimensions and sixteen sub dimensions were extracted. Weights were calculated using FAHP. “Pictorial Presentation” has the highest weight followed closely by “Product Information” dimension. Amongst the sub-dimensions “Number of Product Images” scored highest followed by “Product Presentation mode”. “Alterable Background” scored the least weight.

Previous studies have identified Online Visual Merchandising dimensions and have also studied the impact of some of these dimensions on consumer buying behavior, but the relative significance has not been determined yet. This study fills the gap.

The function of an apparel merchandising office in Hong Kong is to act as an agent or a representative for international apparel buyers to develop, source and procure large volume of regional textile and apparel products. This sort of offices conventionally provides professionoriented services, much characterized by high degree of buyer-interaction and professional identity. Because of its nature of individualism and operational autonomy, the apparel merchandising offices are seeking a novel concept of monitoring and improving their service performance to retain their international buyers. In this paper, we discussed a case study in which a Hong Kong-based Australian merchandising office adopted an instrument to measure and analyze its provision of quality service. The instrument evolved and was refined pertaining to the well-known “Servqual” model, that measured service quality on the customer’s expectation-discrepancy basis. The result findings provided specific and proximate evidence for the office to assess the service quality levels and diagnose the potential service gaps, from the perspectives of buyers’ perceptions and expectations in use of apparel merchandising services. The research also provided insights for today’s management of professional merchandising service to achieve a more meaningful service excellence.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to merchandising theory development by testing and refining Rupe and Kunz’s Volume per Stock‐keeping unit for an Assortment (VSA) and Assortment Diversity Index(ADI), using multiple merchandising performance measures. Behavioural Theory of the Apparel Firm with a Quick Response construct (BTAF/QR), was used as the theoretical framework for the study. The data were generated by a computer simulation of the merchandising process called Sourcing Simulator. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation coefficients and regressions. The VSA had significant correlations with all 14 merchandising performance measures (p < 0:001), and the ADI was a consistent indicator of financial productivity considering all 14 merchandising performance measures. The results of the study supported the proposal of additional assumptions as well as propositions and hypotheses related to merchandising responsibility for BTAF/QR.

The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between visual merchandising elements and consumer affective response by focusing on a function‐oriented product – intimate apparel.

In this paper, a different perspective on visual merchandising is offered through the different types of intimate apparel retailers (from fashion‐oriented, mass market‐oriented to fashion forward). This is presented in an interpretive study of Hong Kong Chinese female consumers, between the ages of 25 and 35. A qualitative approach is employed and the grounded theory method is chosen. A total of eight focus group interviews are conducted with 64 subjects.

The findings indicate that participating subjects have two points of view when evaluating visual store displays, which include utilitarian and hedonic aspects. The utilitarian aspect relates to the actual needs of consumers, such as garment deterioration, seasonal changes and occasions. The hedonic aspect finds that the perceived female image governs consumer interpretation and acceptance of visual displays. It also reveals that the need to be feminine sets the guidelines to evaluating visual stimulus in stores. Display elements, such as mannequins, colour, lighting and props that emphasize feelings of feminine sexuality, tend to trigger negative affective responses in consumers which finally affect purchase intentions.

The authors aim to explore consumer affective response on visual stimulus in stores by considering the aesthetic, symbolic and cultural perceptions of a function‐oriented product – intimate apparel. The literature to date tends to focus on the interaction between individual visual merchandising elements (e.g. colour, lighting) with consumers. However, the product nature and its symbolic meaning have not been seriously taken into consideration. Due to the immense market potential in the East, applying western‐developed theories may not be universally appropriate. There may be different results and patterns in consumer behaviour. Thus, this study aims to enrich existing knowledge of atmospheric management by including the interaction of Eastern values and product nature on affective responses.

The purpose of this study is to examine the ability of supply chain merchandise replenishment strategies to minimize merchandise plan errors when assortments are diverse.

Sourcing Simulator 2.1, a computer simulation of the merchandising process, was used. Sourcing Simulator generated a total data set of 4,320 and determined financial outcomes of the merchandising processes based on multiple scenario inputs.

The impact of supply chain merchandise replenishment strategies on merchandising performance outcomes significantly differed, depending on assortment diversity and merchandise plan errors. The ability of supply chain merchandise replenishment strategies was limited in minimizing problems inherent in diverse assortments and over‐volume errors.

Sourcing Simulator does not necessarily simulate merchandising processes and performance in real retail stores but principles developed through simulation can be applied in retail stores. Future research based on real information is suggested for additional realistic understanding.

The study suggests that apparel and retail firms should develop both up‐front assortment planning and replenishment strategies, considering the level of assortment diversity.

Based on Behavioral Theory of the Apparel Firm, the study contributes to understanding the importance of merchandising functions in an apparel firm. In addition, the study illuminates assortment diversity as an important factor of merchandise planning, especially when apparel and retail firms plan replenishment strategies to minimize merchandise plan errors.

Mixed reality (MR) applications should now be developed for product merchandising. In the light of recent advances in apparel 3‐D design and merchandising technology we argue that MR could now be applied to the sales of relatively low‐end, high volume items, such as clothing and especially sports equipment. The disadvantage that relatively few shoppers could experience the MR application at firsthand, could be offset by the massive leveraging effect of displaying the mixed reality merchandising events within a networked multi‐channel marketing context, which could truly begin to define a shared zone within which on‐line virtual trading can merge with the richly crafted physical environment of a department store. The existence of an MR infrastructure in a store could begin to open the retailing space to on‐line virtual visitor access. Two technical sketches of mixed reality merchandising scenarios (featuring women’s garments and ski equipment) are given as examples.

The purpose of this study is to provide detailed information about the shopping behaviors and brand/product preferences of college students. To accomplish this purpose the following objectives were proposed: to identify college student segments’ underlying clothing shopping orientations; to profile these consumers by demographics and brand/product preferences; and to use apparel expenditures to further characterize the market segments.

A survey of college students at a major university was conducted. After adopting the listwise deletion method, 185 useable questionnaires were available for analysis. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, K‐means cluster analysis, Chi‐square, ANOVA, and Dunnett T3 tests were employed. Results showed that three segments were identified (i.e. apathetic price‐forward shoppers, hedonic fashion‐forward shoppers, involved price‐forward shoppers), and the three hypotheses were supported.

The paper shows that the three segments can be characterized by distinct profiles of demographics and brand/product preferences. Marketing and merchandising strategies for retailers are provided.

Few studies have examined college students’ specific brand/product preferences even though information about these consumer preferences can be directly and practically utilized by apparel retailers for their merchandise planning. There is also a lack of studies that examined college students' clothing behavior based on their major. With the increasing importance of brand as a marketing tool, this information is important to academic researchers and retailers.

Retail buying is an under‐researched activity which is of crucial importance to retailers. Conducts a survey of buyers in large UK retailers to investigate the range of activities in which buyers are involved and explore the interface between the buying function and other functional areas. Demonstrates the breadth and challenging nature of the buyer′s role and explores the qualities needed by individuals wishing to make a success of retail buying. Finally, suggests that buyers carry the main responsibility for implementing a company′s marketing activities and suggests areas for further research.

Protectionist legislation has experienced a resurgence in the US. The legislation aimed at the textile and apparel industry has proceeded the furthest. It serves as an excellent case to examine the arguments for and against protectionism, the strategies for textile and apparel marketers should such legislation be enacted and alternatives to protectionist legislation. The possibility that some form of legislation may succeed is high. Both policy‐makers and managers in potentially affected industries need to be aware of strategies and problems after a trade enforcement act.

The purpose of this paper to examine how Chinese consumers’ perceived functional and symbolic values of lifestyle fashion stores (i.e. merchandise quality, price, convenience, emotional value, aesthetic value and social value) affect their shopping behaviors (i.e. repurchase intention (RI), impulse buying (IB) and time spent (TS)).

In total, 223 eligible responses were collected via an online questionnaire survey. The psychometric properties of the proposed CPV-shopping behavior research model were examined, and the multiple regression method was applied to test the hypotheses.

The findings show that Chinese consumers’ RIs toward and TS in lifestyle fashion stores are determined by their perceived merchandise quality value, price value, emotional value and aesthetic value of lifestyle fashion stores. In contrast, Chinese consumers’ perceived price value and emotional value trigger their IB in the lifestyle fashion stores. The perceived values show satisfactory explanatory power for the variances of Chinese consumers’ shopping behaviors (R²=55, 50 and 49 percent for RI, IB and TS, respectively).

A better understanding of the Chinese consumers’ shopping behaviors toward emerging lifestyle fashion stores may assist retailers in targeting China as the soon-to-be largest consumer market.