The likelihood of purchase based on body shape and size

Reid, Louise F. ORCID: 0000-0002-4779-4333 and Vignali, Gianpaolo (2014) The likelihood of purchase based on body shape and size. In: 11th International Circle Conference, 23rd-26th April, University of Manchester, United Kingdom. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

In the current economic climate, clothing purchase behaviour in the United Kingdom (UK) is changing and therefore current literature could already be out of date (Hampson and McGoldrick, 2013). To remain competitive, UK clothing retailers must understand how these changes in behaviour influence the purchase decision of their target market. This study shall therefore address this problem through exploration of female consumers evaluative (purchase) criteria within the 18 to 35 year old market. This group has a unique purchasing strategy (KPMG, 2013) and the highest expenditure for fashion clothing within the UK high street market (Mintel, 2013). The research will focus on ladies woven dresses as consumer’s evaluative criteria varies by garment type (Hines and O’Neal, 1995; Hugo and Aardt, 2012) and purchase by product group, is consistent with retailers buying strategies (Goworek, 2010). Furthermore, dresses present fit-issues for women (Grogan et al., 2013) and dissatisfaction occurs with clothing sizing and fit consistency within the UK (Mintel, 2012). Garment sizing and body shape (the underpinning of apparel sizing)(Connell et al., 2003) may therefore exist as moderating variables in the purchase decision. This research will develop a model of the purchase decision using a mixed-method methodology. The first stage will identify the target market’s evaluative criteria used to purchase dresses through qualitative focus groups. Next, through a quantitative survey, focus group results (criteria) will be generalised and their weighting within the purchase decision will be confirmed. In the third stage, structured interviews will determine the weighting of criteria and the influence of any moderating variables on the consumer’s purchase decision. The weighting of variables in stage two will identify a saturation point in stage three and additionally corroborate its findings. These results will form the likelihood of purchase model to afford current industry a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Speech)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Consumer decision making; Body shape
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business > HF5410 Marketing
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences
Research Priority Areas:	Applied Business & Technology
Depositing User:	Louise Reid
Date Deposited:	24 May 2019 10:29
Last Modified:	01 Aug 2023 11:46
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/6826

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