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Article
Publication date: 14 March 2016

May Aung and Ou Sha

A number of postmodern consumer scholars have their attention on the consumption behaviour of neo-tribes. Changing gender roles and households’ consumption practices have also…

2011

Abstract

Purpose

A number of postmodern consumer scholars have their attention on the consumption behaviour of neo-tribes. Changing gender roles and households’ consumption practices have also shaped new sets of cultural manifestations for the clothing consumption milieu. The purpose of this paper is to explore the clothing consumption culture of a neo-tribe, gay professionals within the subculture of gay consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

An extended conceptual framework built upon Ajzen and Fishbein’s (1980) theory of “reasoned action” served as the conceptual guideline for this study. Specifically, the attitude-behaviour framework is proposed and employed to better understand the clothing consumption behaviour of a neo-tribe consisting of gay professionals. Personal in-depth interviews were conducted in a metropolitan city as well as two small towns in Canada.

Findings

Stereotypical as well as non-stereotypical understandings are offered. The findings from this study portrayed the gay professions of this neo-tribe as rational and practical. Personal psychological factors, social factors and marketplace factors relevant to a neo-tribe of gay professionals are documented and deeper insights are presented.

Research limitations/implications

Findings challenge the existing understanding of fashion manifestation for this consumers group. However, this study may be of limited scope. Future studies should further examine the clothing consumption cultural manifestations of other neo-tribes within the gay community.

Practical implications

The interviewees consistently demonstrated their positive attitudes towards quality, stylish and conservative clothing. For marketers it is crucial to perceive the gay community as a non-homogeneous market segment. There is a need to understand different consumption practices within this community and to tailor marketing mix elements accordingly.

Originality/value

This study has extended the understanding of the neo-tribes of gay consumers. In addition, this study offers the clothing consumption reality of a neo-tribe encompassing gay professionals. This study illuminates their rational and practical clothing consumption cultural manifestations and clothing consumption behaviour. These insights further enrich the general understandings that exist in the area of consumer research.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Gary Mortimer, Syed Muhammad Fazel-e-Hasan, Kathleen A. O’Donnell and Judi Strebel

Off-price fashion retailers are expected to dominate the retail sector over the next five years. Surprisingly, selling excess designer labels, in what some describe as a…

1814

Abstract

Purpose

Off-price fashion retailers are expected to dominate the retail sector over the next five years. Surprisingly, selling excess designer labels, in what some describe as a disorganized manner, appeals to certain shoppers who enjoy the “thrill of the hunt.” Recent research conceptualized consumers, whose motivation for, and outcomes from, fashion shopping set them apart from previously reported shopper types. Referred to as “Sport Shoppers,” they view fashion shopping as an achievement domain. The purpose of this paper is to quantify such shoppers through the development of a valid psychometric scale.

Design/methodology/approach

Four studies, comprising depth interviews and online surveys, across two countries were employed to develop a three-dimensional scale of the sport shopping experience. Factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to analyze and test a theoretically hypothesized model.

Findings

Study 1 generated items aligned to the three theoretical dimensions of the sport shopping experience. Study 2 confirmed reliability and factor structure of the psychometric scale. Study 3 provides evidence of convergent and discriminant validity with previous shopper types. Finally, Study 4 demonstrates nomological validity through a theoretically hypothesized model of the sport shopping experience.

Originality/value

This is the first study to employ achievement goal theory in a consumer behavior context to delineate an emergent shopper type. The developed scale is the most comprehensive, multi-dimensional measure of the experience of this new consumer type. As such, it represents a valuable contribution to fashion retail and consumer behavior literature. The scale enables practitioners to quantify target markets and identify relationships to other factors, such as overall satisfaction and brand repurchase intentions.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2022

Niklas Sörum and Marcus Gianneschi

The aim of the study is to analyse negotiations about ownership and style in access-based apparel related to processes of identity construction.

1405

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study is to analyse negotiations about ownership and style in access-based apparel related to processes of identity construction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies a qualitative and interpretative method and relies on semi-structured depth interviews and focus group interviews with clothing library users as the main data source. The conceptual context of this paper is that of consumer culture theory approaches to consumer identity construction and the role of object ownership in consumer identity projects.

Findings

The empirical analysis highlights how processes of consumer identity construction related to symbolic values of clothing and self-possession mechanisms related to ownership are negotiated in encounters with access-based types of fashion consumption with effects on potential consumer adoption of access-based forms of consumption. The findings are structured in six analytical themes.

Social implications

There are several aspects of this research which are of relevance to the sustainability agenda and which have societal implications. Identity has been identified, in previous research, as a key conceptual tool for exploring, predicting and deepening the understanding of pro-environmental and sustainable behaviours. As such, if the aim is to strengthen the commitment of societies to environmental and sustainable behaviours, then this will require greater knowledge of consumers' identities and meaning-making processes. This is a challenge, not least in terms of recognizing the barriers identified in this study as relating to issues of consumer identity construction.

Originality/value

This study reveals multiple possibilities as well as barriers for implementing collaborative apparel consumption schemes in a fashion and apparel context. Some of the barriers might be explained by clothing's emotional character and close relationship to identity formation. Furthermore, the participants questioned whether access and renting services could substitute the meanings of owning. In conclusion, the authors argue that clothing may be a challenging type of goods to integrate in liquid forms of consumption and findings point out complexities amongst fashion-conscious consumers regarding meaning and identity values of collaborative apparel consumption. Theoretical contributions of an interpretative consumer identity approach for understanding barriers as well as possibilities for consumer adoption of access-based fashion are developed in the concluding sections of the article.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 February 2024

Olga Gurova

This paper aims to answer the questions of what clothing practices related to sustainable fashion can be observed in young consumers' daily lives in Finland’s capital region and…

2494

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to answer the questions of what clothing practices related to sustainable fashion can be observed in young consumers' daily lives in Finland’s capital region and what prevents their further proliferation.

Design/methodology/approach

This is qualitative research that draws from 22 semi-structured interviews with high school students in the capital area of Finland. The data were analyzed with the use of thematic analysis, a flexible method of data analysis that allows for the extraction of categories from both theoretical concepts and data.

Findings

This paper contributes to studies of young people’s consumption with the practice theory approach, putting forward the category of following sustainable fashion as an integrative practice. The three-element model of the practice theory allows answering the question of challenges that prevent the practice from shaping. The paper further advances this approach by identifying a list of context-specific dispersed practices incorporated into sustainable fashion.

Practical implications

The study suggests practical ways of improving clothing consumption based on the practice theory approach and findings from empirical research. Sustainable practices require competences, knowledge and skills that the school, as an institution working closely with high school students, could help develop.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the current studies of sustainability and youth culture of consumption with a practice theory approach and findings, related to a particular context of a country from Northern Europe.

Details

Young Consumers, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-3616

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 February 2012

Ayantunji Gbadamosi

Given that a “one size fits all” strategy might not be sufficiently robust enough to capture all the idiosyncrasies of the ethnic minority market in Britain, due to the…

4902

Abstract

Purpose

Given that a “one size fits all” strategy might not be sufficiently robust enough to capture all the idiosyncrasies of the ethnic minority market in Britain, due to the heterogeneous nature of their consumption behaviour, the purpose of this paper is to specifically explore clothing acculturation of Black African women in London, UK.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 20 in‐depth interviews were conducted with women of Black African ethnicity resident in London, as recruited through the use of purposive and snowballing sampling methods.

Findings

Essentially, the study shows that clothing acculturation among these women is influenced by a number of interconnected factors which are identified and categorised in this study to be weather condition, social factors, religion, and personal factors.

Originality/value

Theoretically, the study supplements the existing ethnic minority studies in the literature, and extends understanding on acculturation and women's consumption of clothing. The implications of the study for marketing practice are discussed especially in relation to the use of segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy by organisations towards satisfying their disparate target markets in the society.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2021

Magnum Man Lok Lam, Eric Ping Hung Li and Wing-Sun Liu

The purpose of the present study is to examine how local consumers disassociate themselves from migrants' acculturative practices and negotiate their identity through the symbolic…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the present study is to examine how local consumers disassociate themselves from migrants' acculturative practices and negotiate their identity through the symbolic consumption of fashion.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this interpretive study were obtained via phenomenological interviews with locally-born Chinese youth in Guangzhou, China, to examine their acculturative consumption practices as well as their subjective experiences of perceived threats to their lifestyle imposed by the influx of outsiders. Snowballing and purposive sampling methods were adopted in recruiting the research participants.

Findings

Data analyses revealed that local consumers adopt three dissociative strategies (stigmatization, avoidance and self-assertion) in order to ascribe meanings to their fashion consumption practices as a means of resolving identity conflicts and differentiate themselves from the migrant consumers.

Research limitations/implications

This research offers a single perspective (i.e. that of local-born young consumers residing in Guangzhou) on the locals' attitudes aimed at distinguishing and negotiating their identities in an intercultural setting via specific fashion-clothing choices. This research has theoretical implications for the consumer acculturation theory and identity negotiation.

Practical implications

Findings yielded by the present study have important implications for commercial companies focusing on fashion consumption, in particular for marketing practices aimed at rural-urban identification and youth market segmentation.

Social implications

This study contributes to the existing discussion on consumer acculturation by offering an intracultural perspective to the understanding of local consumers' responses to migrants' acculturation. It also provides managerial insights for fashion retailers, prompting them to rethink their market segmentation strategies to address population mobility in the marketplace and better understand how it alters the in-between social relationships that result in different consumption patterns and practices.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing discussion on youth consumer acculturation theories by offering an intercultural perspective to the understanding of local consumers' responses to migrants' acculturation attempts. It also offers managerial insights for fashion retailers, prompting them to rethink their market segmentation strategies to address population mobility and better understand how it alters the social relationships that result in different consumption patterns and practices.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Arpita Khare

The purpose of this paper is to examine affect of cosmopolitanism and consumers’ susceptibility to interpersonal influence on Indian consumers’ fashion clothing involvement…

3791

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine affect of cosmopolitanism and consumers’ susceptibility to interpersonal influence on Indian consumers’ fashion clothing involvement. Moderating effect of demographics was studied.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey technique through self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities in India.

Findings

Utilitarian, value expressive factors of normative influence and cosmopolitanism influence Indian consumers’ fashion clothing involvement. Type of city, income, and education moderated influence of normative values and cosmopolitanism on fashion clothing involvement.

Research limitations/implications

One of the major limitations of current research was that it had a large number of respondents in the age group of 18-40 years. Future research can attempt to reduce age biasness.

Practical implications

The findings can prove helpful to international apparel brands marketing luxury and fashion clothing in India. However, since conformance to social norms was important for Indians, clothing manufacturers should use reference groups, opinion leaders, and celebrities to generate awareness. A blend of global and local lifestyle should be used. International luxury brands can customize their products to combine ethnic tastes.

Originality/value

Fashion clothing market promises immense growth opportunities in India. There is limited research to examine influence cosmopolitanism on Indian consumers’ consumption behaviour. Knowledge about influence of global lifestyle, brands, mass media, and services on Indian consumers’ behaviour can help in targeting them effectively.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 November 2020

Tat-Huei Cham, Boon Liat Cheng and Caryn Kar Yan Ng

The clothing industry is one of the earmarked industries in many countries following the rising demand and consumption of clothing products among millennials. Malaysia and…

2070

Abstract

Purpose

The clothing industry is one of the earmarked industries in many countries following the rising demand and consumption of clothing products among millennials. Malaysia and Thailand are known to be promising markets for this industry in the South East Asia region. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of psychological and marketing factors on clothing interest among Generation Y consumers, as well as the interrelationships between self-confidence, product attitude and purchase intention. The impact of nationality was also examined as a moderator on the investigated relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected among Generation Y consumers using a survey questionnaire, which had successfully gathered a total of 388 usable cases from the capital cities of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Thailand (Bangkok). These cities were selected for being the largest cities in its country which contain the highest number of shopping malls, offices and Generation Y population. Data analysis was then performed using both the SPSS and AMOS software.

Findings

Findings obtained acknowledged the importance of both psychological (i.e. fashion innovativeness, self-concept, fashion consciousness and need for uniqueness) and marketing (i.e. social media marketing and fashion advertisement) factors towards the clothing interest among Generation Y consumers. Consequently, clothing interest would influence their product attitude, self-confidence and purchase intention, with product attitude and self-confidence as the mediators between clothing interest and purchase intention. Multigroup analysis confirmed that there are differences between Generation Y consumers in both Malaysia and Thailand, where Thai consumers hold a stricter emphasis concerning the influence of social media marketing on clothing interest and self-confidence on purchase intention.

Originality/value

This study is one of the very few studies that explored the minimally investigated territory on the consequential importance of clothing interest within the clothing industry, specifically, through extending the literature on the influence of psychological and marketing factors towards the individuals’ clothing interest. Moreover, this study also successfully highlighted the mediation role of product attitude and self-confidence in the relationship between clothing interest and purchase intention.

Article
Publication date: 24 February 2012

Ronald E. Goldsmith, Leisa R. Flynn and Ronald A. Clark

The purpose of this paper is to show how materialism, brand engagement in self‐concept (BESC), and status consumption influence clothing involvement and brand loyalty.

10735

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how materialism, brand engagement in self‐concept (BESC), and status consumption influence clothing involvement and brand loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data from a survey of 258 US college students to test a model using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results show that materialism, BESC, and status consumption positively influence clothing involvement and brand loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

The study findings are bounded by the country and sample providing the data. The results strongly support hypotheses derived from the literature and provide important insights into the motives for clothing involvement and brand loyalty.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that appealing to these three important motivators can influence some consumers to choose specific brands of clothing.

Originality/value

This study is the first to demonstrate the influence of materialism, especially operationalized by Kasser's scale, and brand engagement in self‐concept on these clothing behaviors.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2011

Elena Millan and Jonathan Reynolds

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of individualism and collectivism at an individual level, in the context of an emergent market economy of Eastern Europe…

3898

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of individualism and collectivism at an individual level, in the context of an emergent market economy of Eastern Europe. More specifically, the effects of the psychological constructs of independent/interdependent self on a number of clothing‐related consumer behaviour phenomena are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a home‐based face‐to‐face survey of some 1,000 Bulgarian respondents.

Findings

Evidence was found supporting the notion that the relationship between individualism and collectivism is complex, and individualist and collectivist values do not characterise two opposing cultural dimensions. Additionally, being autonomous or being interrelated with important, others were found to play an important part in consumer preference for self‐ and social‐symbolic meanings of clothing artefacts, as well as on shopping attitudes held and actual purchase behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

Conclusions and implications of the research are limited to the factors considered in the conceptual model. The use of face‐to‐face interviews can lead to the interviewer's intentional or unintentional influencing of the survey results. The use of self‐reporting measures in the structured interview can result in acquiescence.

Practical implications

Findings suggest that marketers and retailers will benefit from individualising their activities.

Originality/value

The paper develops further our understanding of the effects of the independent/interdependent self‐concept on diverse consumption phenomena and provides empirical evidence in support of the proposed conceptual model using a nationally representative sample.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 39 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

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