Correlational and Experimental Effects of Online Apparel Shopping Behavior on Gaze Behavior, Appearance Attitudes, and Self-Worth in Women

Online apparel shopping is popular among women, with possible negative body image consequences, particularly when the website imagery is body-focused. We investigated both correlational and experimental effects of online apparel shopping on women’s (N = 113) explicitly and implicitly measured self-worth, appearance attitudes, and body gaze behavior. Correlational results showed that online apparel shopping correlates negatively with self-esteem, and positively with appearance attitudes and self-objectification. During a simulated online shopping activity, women who were exposed to a body-focused activewear website felt worse than usual about their looks, when compared to women who were exposed to a non-body focused casualwear website. Unexpectedly, exposure to the activewear website primed lower body gaze towards subsequent images of partially and fully clothed women. Furthermore, gaze behavior did not significantly correlate with any of the other measures. Given that women have a natural tendency to gaze at faces, the deprivation of facial stimuli in the activewear condition presumably led to a compensatory gaze effect, whereby subsequent attention toward bodies was comparably low, possibly as a protective mechanism. These results suggest potential implications of short- and long-term exposure to online apparel imagery, as well as highlighting the complexity of interpreting female gaze behavior.

Apparel shopping styles of Ghanaian female young adults

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to identify the apparel shopping styles of Ghanaian female young adults and to assess the applicability of the consumer styles inventory (CSI) within the Ghanaian context.Design/methodology/approachA multistage random sampling technique was used to select 405 Ghanaian female undergraduate students aged 18–25 years from the University of Ghana. The CSI was used to collect data and these were analyzed using principal component analysis.FindingsThe results showed that the subjects adopted multiple shopping styles when scouting for stores and selecting apparel for managing their appearance. Seven of the CSI dimensions were confirmed (perfectionism, brand consciousness, novelty-fashion consciousness, confused by over-choice, impulsive carelessness, recreational hedonism and habitual brand loyalty). A new shopping style, indifference shopping orientation was identified.Practical implicationsMarket segmentation, product development and marketing strategies should be tailored to the shopping styles of female young consumers in Ghana.Originality/valueThis study, for the first time, uses the consumer characteristic approach and the CSI to identify the apparel decision-making styles of young adult female Ghanaians. This fulfils the need for the study of shopping styles, which is vital for producers and marketers to enable them to make informed decisions to meet specific needs and expectations of these cohorts of consumers.

Investigating the impact of product-related and service quality attributes on re-purchase intention

Pakistan is experiencing an enormous increase in the acceptance of western apparel shopping among people. To bind this opportunity, it is necessary to understand ensure the repurchase intention among customers. Hence this research article explored the impact of Service and Product related attributes on Re-purchase Intention: Role of customer characteristics and customer satisfaction in an apparel shopping context. The importance of product attributes and service attributes to the result of repurchase intention has been well documented. In the past, scarce studies will be done to check this relationship. The theoretical repurchase model was developed and tested using SEM on experiential data of 350 apparel brand customers. In Pakistan's scenario, the study's significance is that the clothing industry is becoming more frequent and increasingly focused on developing brands. Simultaneously, the Pakistan textile and clothing brands industry became more and more developed and strongly influenced the international market worldwide. The current research finding will enable marketers to realize the value of product and service attributes and depict the different factors of customer characteristics and customer satisfaction impact on repurchase intention for ensuring continuity among old customers. Furthermore, the current research will make a valuable addition to increasing repurchase intention literature for marketers.

The queering of the apparel industry: Exploring transgender consumer needs when shopping for clothing

For individuals who identify as queer, the concept of ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ clothing departments is often not ideal and does not align with their values, role or body image. This study explores transgender consumers’ experiences and needs when shopping for clothing and provides suggestions on how apparel retailers can promote a more inclusive apparel shopping experience. Four themes surfaced as participants in this study discussed their apparel shopping experiences: (a) inclusivity throughout store layout and interaction with retail sales staff, (b) gender-affirming clothes that positively influence role and self-esteem, (c) non-restrictive garment fit and compression, and (d) interest in inclusive androgynous styles and aesthetic qualities from queer artists to benefit the queer community. In this study, the concept of trans-inclusive is used as a way of welcoming and implementing the idea of apparel and fashion beyond cisnormative identities, and also as a way to advocate for inclusivity in all consumer markets. This research provides insights for the apparel industry on what is needed for this emerging market of queer individuals and promotes a more inclusive apparel shopping experience.

SmartFit: Smartphone Application for Garment Fit Detection

The apparel e-commerce industry is growing day by day. In recent times, consumers are particularly interested in an easy and time-saving way of online apparel shopping. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated more need for an effective and convenient online shopping solution for consumers. However, online shopping, particularly online apparel shopping, has several challenges for consumers. These issues include sizing, fit, return, and cost concerns. Especially, the fit issue is one of the cardinal factors causing hesitance and drawback in online apparel purchases. The conventional method of clothing fit detection based on body shapes relies upon manual body measurements. Since no convenient and easy-to-use method has been proposed for body shape detection, we propose an interactive smartphone application, “SmartFit”, that will provide the optimal fitting clothing recommendation to the consumer by detecting their body shape. This optimal recommendation is provided by using image processing and machine learning that are solely dependent on smartphone images. Our preliminary assessment of the developed model shows an accuracy of 87.50% for body shape detection, producing a promising solution to the fit detection problem persisting in the digital apparel market.

Comparing VR- and AR-Based Try-On Systems Using Personalized Avatars

Despite the convenience offered by e-commerce, online apparel shopping presents various product-related risks, as consumers can neither physically see nor try products on themselves. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies have been used to improve the shopping online experience. Therefore, we propose an AR- and VR-based try-on system that provides users a novel shopping experience where they can view garments fitted onto their personalized virtual body. Recorded personalized motions are used to allow users to dynamically interact with their dressed virtual body in AR. We conducted two user studies to compare the different roles of VR- and AR-based try-ons and validate the impact of personalized motions on the virtual try-on experience. In the first user study, the mobile application with the AR- and VR-based try-on is compared to a traditional e-commerce interface. In the second user study, personalized avatars with pre-defined motion and personalized motion is compared to a personalized no-motion avatar with AR-based try-on. The result shows that AR- and VR-based try-ons can positively influence the shopping experience, compared with the traditional e-commerce interface. Overall, AR-based try-on provides a better and more realistic garment visualization than VR-based try-on. In addition, we found that personalized motions do not directly affect the user’s shopping experience.