Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether consumers in pre-owned durable goods markets (such as pre-owned automobiles) purchase products with higher premium/luxury positioning in a vertical line-up compared to consumers in new durable goods markets. The moderating role of brand loyalty on choice is also investigated.

The hypotheses are tested using a data set that includes the sales of new and pre-owned vehicles from an independently owned automotive dealer in the Northwestern USA during the first nine months of 2017 (N = 200). An ordered logit regression is used to estimate the relationship between consumers’ purchase of pre-owned vs new vehicles and the premium-level of the model that they choose, while controlling for the vehicle price. Two experimental robustness tests are conducted to provide empirical evidence of the proposed theoretical process.

Consumers who purchased pre-owned vehicles chose models with higher premium/luxury positioning compared to consumers who purchased new vehicles, even when controlling for price. This effect was moderated by brand loyalty, such that consumers’ premium-level of purchase was magnified if they previously owned a vehicle of the same brand. The results of an experimental robustness test indicated that consumers’ preference for pre-owned vehicles with higher premium/luxury positioning was because of greater perceptions of the quality along the dimensions of versatility, performance and prestige.

Sellers of complex durable goods (e.g. automobiles) should consider segmenting their upselling strategies for pre-owned vs new products. They should specifically focus more effort on the upselling of pre-owned durables as buyers appear more likely to pursue premium/luxury alternatives compared to new durables. Further, they should focus upselling efforts for pre-owned durables on brand loyal consumers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first to examine consumers’ desire for pre-owned durable goods with premium/luxury positioning in a vertical product line-up. Further, it is also the first to explore the role of brand loyalty in shaping consumer preferences for premium/luxury pre-owned durable goods. As such, it makes an important contribution to an emerging literature exploring the appeal of premium and luxury pre-owned goods. Much work in this area has focused on the motivations that consumers have for buying pre-owned premium and luxury nondurable goods, such as vintage clothing or accessories. By contrast, the present research investigates the appeal of premium/luxury positioning for complex, pre-owned durable goods (vehicles), which are more difficult for consumers to evaluate at the point-of-purchase.

The purpose of this paper is to identify opportunities and challenges for small- to medium-sized pre-owned fashion enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. While recent studies have identified the growth of pre-owned fashion in developed economies, pre-owned clothing remains negatively associated by some consumers with overseas charity donations of second-hand clothes to Vietnam, following the economic upheaval of the 1980s.

Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured in-depth interviews with founders and/or owners of pre-owned fashion SMEs (n = 5, aged 25–40 years) with physical stores located in Ho Chi Minh City alongside online retail platforms. All interviewees are significant industry and consumer influencers.

Younger Vietnamese consumers are motivated by (1) pre-owned fashion's value for money compared to buying new western branded luxury items and (2) the ability of pre-owned and vintage fashion to allow the wearer to create a unique personal style. While Vietnamese consumers and retailers associate “sustainable fashion” with various, often unrelated concepts, the impact of global and local discourse around sustainable fashion in the last five years has generally supported wider interest in pre-owned fashion.

This study contributes to the relatively modest pool of English-language research on the fashion and textiles industry in Vietnam, a global fast-fashion manufacturing hub. The findings advance understanding of how pre-owned fashion is growing as a high-end niche market despite significant supply chain restrictions as well as a lingering perception of pre-owned fashion as charitable donations.

This study explores reasons for and against secondhand luxury (SHL) fashion adoption among young consumers in an emerging nation, India. As a trend, SHL has witnessed tremendous growth in the past few years, but scholarly interest remains scant.

Drawing from an interpretivist paradigm, this study uses an exploratory qualitative approach with 26 semi-structured interviews with SHL buyers, analyzed using NVivo software.

The findings shed significant light on value drivers and find support for status value, uniqueness value, quality value and monetary value, while adding the role of emotional value in reasons for SHL adoption. The results reveal an interesting trait of Indian consumers: price, fashion and celebrity association outweigh sustainability concerns, where an attitude–behavior gap is observed. Also, the findings add depth to risk perceptions as a major reason against SHL adoption.

While most existing studies have only focused on the motivational drivers, this study offers in-depth insights into the growing SHL literature by drawing attention to the enablers and equally important inhibitors by applying the novel Behavioral Reasoning Theory. It also intends to enhance practitioner knowledge in understanding a culturally diverse market and developing strategies relevant to a new set of consumers. The study calls for SHL retailers to sensitize young consumers in India about the sustainability aspect of SHL consumption, which is currently less appreciated.

This study systematically explores the literature on global niche market strategies within the fashion industry to allow the mapping of niche practices and examine the benefits, success factors and characteristics of a niche strategy. Additionally, it identifies data gaps and necessitates a detailed examination to uncover areas with inadequate information.

This study utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA 2020) method for systematic review and included 70 studies to analyze their findings.

This systematic literature review pinpoints niche strategies shaping the future of the fashion industry while developing sectors of the textile and apparel industry, fashion technology, fashion retail business, fashion media and communication, luxury fashion, sustainable fashion, adaptive clothing and transgender fashion within the fashion supply chain. A niche market strategy utilizes both pull and push marketing in the fashion industry. Scholarly literature commonly underscores the understanding of the consumer as a pivotal factor in the success of fashion niche market strategy.

This review offers a comprehensive overview of fashion niche strategy practices, aiming to inspire fashion industry professionals. It also serves as a guide for fashion industry professionals, summarizing best practices across various fashion industry sectors to help develop effective niche strategy competencies for firms.

This review thoroughly analyzes niche strategy implementation in the fashion industry, presenting an important resource for individuals new to this sector. It highlights the significance of niche strategies in improving the comprehension of emerging participants in the fashion business.

The case is written based on publicly available data from primary sources such as the company’s annual reports, company website and the company’s presentations, as well as from secondary sources comprising newspaper articles, research papers, research magazines, magazine articles, industry reports, research reports, etc. as indicated in the references. The company’s financials and peer data are sourced from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database.

The case examines the financial position of Macy’s, Inc., America’s largest and one of the oldest premier departmental stores, with a consolidated annual turnover of US$18,097m in the fiscal year 2020/2021 (FY, 2021). Over the previous few years, the company had been struggling with decreasing market share and profitability mainly due to increasing competition from online retailers and deep discounters, which was affecting the company’s share price. With the appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO) in fiscal year (FY) 2017, Macy’s, Inc. undertook several changes to revive its financial health and improve its market share. However, it still registered heavy losses of US$3,944m in the FY 2020/2021, the company’s first time in the past decade. With many retailers filing for bankruptcy, was there more that Macy’s could do to improve the company’s position and regain lost investor confidence? Will its entry into emerging markets play a crucial role in its turnaround?

The case can be used in undergraduate and postgraduate courses such as accounting for managers, financial statement analysis, management accounting, introduction to accounting and advanced financial statement analysis. The case can also be effectively used to understand the primary fundamental analysis of the company that involves understanding the company’s positioning and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis. The case would also help business management and entrepreneurship students to get a preliminary idea about the change management process. Finally, the case can be used to familiarize students with using Microsoft Excel to build financial analysis worksheets.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Despite the growing popularity of SHVL fashion, there is little empirical focus on the antecedent factors that influence consumers’ intention to purchase and recommend SHVL fashion. Drawing on insights from the stimulus–organism–response framework, this paper aims to investigate the motivational factors influencing the consumers’ attitudes and their intention to purchase and recommend SHVL fashion.

Primary data was gathered from 232 present customers of SHVL fashion products and analysed using the partial least square structural equation modelling.

Research findings show that eco-consciousness, treasure hunting, status consumption and the need for uniqueness were positively linked to intentions to purchase SHVL fashion through the intervening role of attitude. Attitude was positively linked with purchase intentions, which also positively influenced intention to recommend SHVL fashion.

The study findings assist brand managers in understanding how they can cater to the diverse needs of SHVL fashion consumers.

This research contributes significantly to the SHVL domain by examining core antecedents that motivate consumers’ intention to purchase and recommend SHVL fashion.

A pesar de la creciente popularidad de la moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano (SHVL), hay poco enfoque empírico en los factores antecedentes que influyen en la intención de los consumidores de comprar y recomendar moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano. Basándose en ideas del marco S-O-R, este documento investiga los factores motivacionales que influyen en las actitudes de los consumidores y su intención de comprar y recomendar moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano.

Se recopilaron datos primarios de 232 clientes actuales de productos de moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano y se analizaron utilizando el modelado de ecuaciones estructurales de mínimos cuadrados parciales.

Los hallazgos de la investigación muestran que la conciencia ecológica, la búsqueda de tesoros, el consumo de estatus y la necesidad de unicidad están vinculados positivamente con las intenciones de comprar moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano a través del papel intermediario de la actitud. La actitud se vinculó positivamente con las intenciones de compra, lo que también influyó positivamente en la intención de recomendar moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano.

Los hallazgos del estudio ayudan a los gerentes de marca a entender cómo pueden atender las diversas necesidades de los consumidores de moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano.

Esta investigación contribuye significativamente al dominio de la moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano al examinar los antecedentes clave que motivan la intención de los consumidores de comprar y recomendar moda de lujo vintage de segunda mano.

尽管二手复古奢侈品时尚（SHVL）日益流行, 但关于影响消费者购买和推荐二手复古奢侈品意图的前因因素的实证研究却很少。基于S-O-R框架的洞察, 本研究探讨了影响消费者态度及其购买和推荐二手复古奢侈品时尚意图的动机因素。

从232名现有二手复古奢侈品时尚产品的顾客中收集了主要数据, 并使用偏最小二乘结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）进行了分析。

研究发现, 环保意识、寻宝乐趣、地位消费和独特性需求通过态度的中介作用, 与购买二手复古奢侈品的意图正相关。态度与购买意图正相关, 购买意图也正向影响推荐二手复古奢侈品的意图。

研究结果帮助品牌经理了解如何满足二手复古奢侈品消费者的多样化需求。

本研究通过考察核心前因因素对消费者购买和推荐二手复古奢侈品时尚意图的动机的影响, 为二手复古奢侈品领域做出了重要贡献。

One of the major concerns in the emerging phenomenon of collaborative consumption (CC) is the issue of contamination (i.e. feeling “grossed out” when sharing items with others). Guided by the law of contagion and the consumer contamination effect theory, this research investigated the ways in which companies can manipulate in order to reduce the negative contamination when renting or purchasing used fashion items from others. Specifically, this research examines this issue of contamination through the ownership type of the shared goods (e.g. corporate-ownership or B2C exchange, and consumer-ownership or C2C exchange) and its effect on consumers' CC intentions in two distinct sharing contexts (i.e. rental and secondhand purchase).

A total of 181 American female consumers were assigned to an experimental CC scenario, and their rental/secondhand purchase intentions were compared through ANCOVA analysis.

In both rental and secondhand purchase contexts, consumers displayed greater intentions to shop in B2C setting (i.e. corporate-ownership) with no direct contact with the previous owner, than in C2C setting (i.e. consumer-ownership) with a greater association with the previous owner and the shared items. Such inclination was more prevalent when purchasing a shirt than a handbag, suggesting that consumers feel more grossed out when there is greater physical contact with the shared item.

The findings of the study suggest a possible solution to alleviate the contamination effect, and the discovery of the degree of contact as a moderator provides new insight into contamination research.

Buying secondhand clothing is not only interesting for consumers wanting to save money but also for sustainable clothing enthusiasts. It is now among a number of consumption practices which slow down fast fashion production while saving 10 to 20 times the energy (Fletcher, 2008, p. 100). While most of the recent scholarly work focuses on secondhand consumers (Bianchi & Birtwistle, 2010; Franklin, 2011; Norum, 2015), this paper aims to examine business activities. This perspective from economic anthropology enhances understandings of secondhand clothing, as research to-date has tended to neglect the semiotic function of clothing while underlining exchanges. To gain insight into the dynamics of the sector in Germany today, two businesses from Hamburg have been ethnographically examined by the author since 2014. This study outlines their work practices and explains the development of this high-end segment of the market from the 1970s until the digital age. For businesses, the digitalization of the trade has had massive effects on their business practice because it seems to solve inherent problems connected to the selling of pre-owned clothing. I argue that the digitalization did not only promote acceptance of buying secondhand clothing in Germany but also the emergence of new businesses models.

This work aims to discuss the motivators for the consumption of pre-loved luxury items and verify how these motivators interact, leading consumers to engage in behaviors that blend the characteristics of different motivators: treasure hunting, bargain hunting and individuality seeking.

This is an exploratory dyadic qualitative research conducted using semi-structured in-depth interviews involving luxury brand store managers and loyal clients for pre-loved luxury products in Monaco.

Throughout the analysis, the authors found three types of behavior that incorporate different parts of motivators that have been considered as specific motivators for pre-loved luxury consumption: bargain hunting, an intersection of recreational and economic motivations, treasure hunting, a blend of nostalgic and recreational motivations, and individuality, a mix of need for uniqueness and fashion involvement motivation.

Identifying three types of behavior for the pre-loved luxury consumer helps practitioners craft marketing strategies for their brands and products in the pre-loved luxury market.

The authors propose a theoretical framework that identifies intersections between the motivators for pre-loved luxury consumption, potentially identifying new types of consumer behavior in this market.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work to discuss these three types of behavior in the pre-loved luxury market. The authors propose a theoretical framework that identifies intersections between the motivators for pre-loved luxury consumption, potentially identifying new types of consumer behavior in this market.