7 Fashion Consumer Behaviour

N. Radhika

epgp books

 

 

 

1.   INTRODUCTION

 

Fashion indicates not only the dress we wear but also the way we speak, the food we eat, the style we live, the cosmetics and accessories we use etc. It is not always constant; it keeps on changing day by day. Age, gender, marital status, educational qualification, occupation and financial status are the main factors affecting fashion. Psychological, social psychological, economical, political, legal, technological and seasonal factors affect the consumer buying behaviour. Social media also have a great impact on the consumer minds.

 

Today’s consumers are more aware of the fashion trends and updates and they want the retailers and manufacturers to satisfy their needs and desires towards fashion. Moreover they want a good and more accurate fit in their dresses. Consumer’s perception, attitude, consumption and personality also play a critical role over here. They are time conscious nowadays and also want a very sophisticated lifestyle, so they opt for online shopping and they do not want to spend their valuable time in retail buying. The young people are more peer group influenced and they want to fit themselves in the crowd. But at the same time they want quality, comfort and brand in the fashion wear they use.

 

Consumer’s behaviour towards fashion affects in all the stages of fashion product development to marketing. The factors may vary with the age group of fashion consumers. Knowledge, interest and confidence towards buying are the other factors to be considered in knowing the behaviour of fashion consumer.

 

This chapter brings an overall view about the consumer behaviour towards adopting fashion and helps to

  • Interpret the factors affecting Fashion Consumer Behaviour
  • Study the Fashion Consumer Behaviour Analysis in the changing Consumerism World

  2.  AREAS TO BE COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER

  •  What is Consumer Behaviour?
  •  Importance of Fashion in People’s Lives
  •  Fashion Process
  •  Fashion Marketing Research
  •  Need of Studying Consumer Behaviour
  •  Factors Influencing Consumer Behaviour
  •  Consumer Decision Making Process
  • Consumer Behaviour towards Fast Fashion
  • Gender Based Consumer Buying Behaviour
  • Effect of Technology on Consumer Buying Behaviour
  • Origin of Collecting Consumer Behaviour Data
  • The Darker side of Consumer Buying Behaviour
  • Conclusion

3. WHAT IS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR?

 

Consumer behaviour can be expressed as the action of individuals or groups reacting to various factors such as to select, purchase, use or dispose of products, services, ideas or experience to satisfy the needs and desires. It is the mental and emotional process and the physical activities of the people to purchase/use goods or services. Fashion reflects our society and our culture; likewise it reflects how people define themselves. Nowadays the economy has become more global; consumers to a large extent have been affected by this fast evolving industry. People tend to equate fashion with clothing and accessories even though fashion processes affect all types of cultural phenomena.

 

Buying fashion is a complex process for consumers but they are aware of fashion trends and updates. So the retailers and manufacturers are in need of fulfilling their requirements according to their taste. In this extent, manufacturers and retailers spend their time and money to analyze the consumer buying behavior to know the needs and wants of the consumer. The new intelligent fashion consumer is not afraid to buy things from different layers of the fashion pyramid.

  4. IMPORTANCE OF FASHION IN PEOPLE’S LIVES

 

Fashion has a greater impact in our daily lives. Generally we are living in the age of fashion where fashion is limited to our dress; but also reflects the way we lead our lifestyle, expresses and our behaviour too interests a lot. Fashion changes our life with the time and has existed in all ages. Fashion expresses our personality, brings in social uniqueness, serves as a tool to spread to spread culture, supports to hold a position in the society and boosts one’s self confidence. It also augments the image of a person and gives a good impression if dressed to the upcoming style.

 

Fashion along with the accessories highlight the overall dressing and leads to reach greater heights in fashion. It is an expression of our taste and character; further it is a collection of everlasting memories of every occasion in our life. Fashion brings off a positive vibration and through clothes, our emotions can be expressed. It tells the world about us and often we are judged by our clothing and appearance.

 

5.FASHION PROCESS 5.1 Altitude of Fashion

 

A style becomes a fashion when it is accepted by adequate consumers. The fashion levels are categorized under three levels viz., High Fashion, Pret a Porter and Mass Fashion. High fashions are styles which are most expensive and exceptional in style and accepted moderately by fashion pioneers. Pret-a-Porter also comes under prominent styles but at modest price. In mass fashion, the styles are produced in abundant quantities and sold in departments, retail outlets and discount stores.

 

5.2 Role of Fashion Cycle in Studying Consumer Behaviour

 

Fashion life cycle helps to understand the flow of fashion in a predictable sequence. Initially the fashion is accepted at a minimum level followed by stages like gradual rise, acceleration, acceptance and regression.

  5.3 Consumers’ Buying Habits

Consumers’ buying habits can be categorized as convenience goods, shopping consumer goods and speciality consumer goods. Convenience goods are brought under non durability goods and mostly sold by wholesalers or retailers. It can be expressed as staple convenience and impulse convenience goods. Shopping consumer goods are made based on comparing different variables and time taken will be more to make the purchase decision. Speciality consumer goods will be distinctive in nature and the upper class people opt for these speciality goods.

 

6.   FASHION MARKET RESEARCH

 

Fashion market research helps to gain insight into the fashion trends. It helps to promote the work of fashion designers and is involved with public relations. People involved in fashion market research should have both qualitative and quantitative skills. Fashion marketing research focuses on factors like size of the market; trends, opportunities and challenges faced in the industry, competitions and their market share etc.

 

Fashion market research helps to predict the trends in advance and gives time for production to meet the demands of the consumers. Forecasting helps to explore what consumers are currently thinking. In the process of forecasting, the upcoming designs are predicted and later they are taken to the knowledge of the manufacturers to source out materials and finally the forecasted products are launched at the right time of fashion. It is the process of analyzing the buying habits of the consumer based on the studying of market conditions, sales histories of previous seasons and observing current fashions etc.

 

7.   NEED OF STUDYING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

 

The study of consumer behaviour assists the manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the following ways;

  • To design the best possible product or service
  • To determine where the service or product would be made available for easy access of consumers
  • To guess the price at which the consumers would be ready to buy the specific product or service
  • To identify the best method of promotional methods and
  • To observe why, when, how, what and other factors which influence the buying decision of the consumers.

8.      FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

The significant factors which induce the act of consumers’ buying behaviour are indexed as follows;

 

8.1 Cultural Factors

 

Cultural factors encompass a set of values and ideologies of a distinct community or group of individuals viz., subculture, religion i.e. Christianity, Hindu, Muslim, Sikhism, Jainism etc. and status which includes upper, middle and lower classes. Further gender differentiation such as male and female is also taken into account. Consumers’ culture exercises a big influence on one’s own lifestyle choices and it can be thought of a society’s personality. Further it breaks the conventional roles of fashion.

 

8.2 Personal factors

 

Individual interests of a person are discussed under personal factors and this will be concerned with demographic factors such as age, gender, culture, profession, background and many others.

 

8.3 Psychological Factors

 

The psychological variables such as attitude, perception, self-concept, personality and motivation are the important predictors of fashion consumer behaviour.

   8.4 Social factors

 

Consumers fashion behaviour has a great impact from their peer group members including influences from family, friends and social media.

 

9.   CONSUMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS

 

The consumer decision making process is the strategy used by marketers to identify and pursue the decision making process of a customer’s travel from the beginning of the cycle to end. While purchasing, consumers go through basic steps of consumer decision making process to decide what products and service will best fit for their needs.

 

Based on experts’ point of view, the consumer decision making process involves five steps; initially this process initiates with problem recognition i.e., both by internal and external stimuli. Next task is the gathering of information to their potential customers which would help them to arrive at the purchase decision faster. In the third stage, the potential customers has developed criteria for their expectation in a product and based on this, the wish to evaluate and compare alternative choices for their products.

 

Fourth stage is the most important stage since the consumer makes the purchasing decision after his/her constant search and evaluation of products. The consumer’s experience of purchasing a product or service is reflected in the fifth stage of consumer decision making process. The post purchase behaviour analysis is very much necessary for a company to explore the satisfaction/dissatisfaction percentage of the consumers.

 

10. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR FOR FAST FASHION

 

Fast fashion is the recent trend in the fashion industry and the designers are in a situation to produce enormous designs overnight. Further the fast fashion is considered to be an addiction and happens at both low fashion and high fashion levels.

 

The fashion industries are in a high competition to produce low-cost clothing collection based on recent, high-cost luxury fashion trends. Further technological innovations in the fashion industry contribute to the adoption of fast fashion.

 

Fast fashion is mostly preferred by the youngsters since they expect for a variety of fashionable clothes at a cheaper rate. This scenario is in contrast to the consumers in the older generation where they believe the fast fashion as mere waste. Further they prefer to purchase high quality clothes at a minimum number as against the consumers in the present generation. Few researches have pointed out that fast fashion fulfills three fourth of our land and environmentalists reveal that this would bring bad effect on our earth or environment.

 

11. GENDER BASED CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

 

In consumer’s decision making behaviour, different perspectives are approached from both men and women. Men generally have a target on value prospects of products and avoid wasting time. Psychologically, women are more discovery-oriented and love to spend more time while purchasing. Women consistently give importance to long-term focus comparatively to men, who are short-term focus oriented.

 

Generally women are more sensitive to price than men and this will vary the perception of consuming the product. Further women tend to be more of internally targeted rather than men who are attentive at external levels.

 

Women are feministic in nature and this brings a change in the selection of colour and themes compared to men who are masculine oriented. Hence the producers should go through different perspectives of men and women in buying behaviour process and manufacture cum market the products accordingly and following this strategy will lead to the success of the organization.

 

12. EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGY ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

 

With the advent of internet enabled smart phones and tablets, technology has a great impact on consumer buying behaviour. This technology has connected a mass group of people and feedback on post purchase buying behavior is literally shared.

 

Consumers are able to access products at any time after the emergence of digital marketing. The technology has given power in consumers’ hands and has brought a great revolution in shopping. Further the advancement in technologies has brought more convenience in consumers shopping and many consumers express that online shopping has reduced stress and time.

 

Since exchanges and free return options are offered in online shopping, overwhelming response has been seen in the recent years. Social media has made the people to addict themselves more to shopping and this situation can be retained only when quality products are delivered to consumers. Further the companies have to adapt themselves to the immense shift in the consumer behaviour as a result of fast technological changes. The companies must deliver the best products and offer maximum service to the customers to get success in their business.

 

13. ORIGIN OF COLLECTING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR DATA

 

Consumer behaviour research is necessary to make analysis of consumers’ pre purchasing and post purchasing behaviour characteristics. The consumer behaviour data is collected through different methods notably observation method, interview, questionnaire, online survey, case study, and documents etc. Nowadays consumer data collection is easily obtained through web. Both quantitative and qualitative researches should be done for the reliability of data. Data collection can be done by the two traditional ways; primary data collection and secondary data collection. Primary data is the original data collected by the researcher and secondary data are collected from the past available sources.

 

14. THE DARKER SIDE OF THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

 

The studying of darker side of the consumer buying behaviour is also necessary to identify the negative consequences apart from analyzing the positive impacts of the consumer behavior. Researches in consumer behaviour have brought into limelight on areas like addictive, compulsive and impulsive behaviour; consumer theft and underage drinking and smoking.

  1. CONCLUSION

The studying of consumer behaviour plays a key role in bridging the business with consumers. It generally varies from time to time. Fashion consumer buying behaviour helps to understand the customers and issue products or services that satisfy their demands and needs. Consumer behaviour concludes with the purchase transaction and assists to know about the reaction of the customers after utilizing the products. This will support the fashion industries to take decisions about product creation.

 

To conclude, the demand for fashion products increase on a daily basis and the fashion conscious consumers lay emphasis on fitness, style and texture of the material. Hence the fashion producers should focus on the psychological make-up of their customers considering the technology centered fashion products.

 

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References

 

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