• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.16-33
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• 2024

This study investigated the role of YouTube in providing fashion information and explored how fashion companies and individual YouTubers used this platform to communicate with consumers and disseminate fashion contents. This research identified two main types of YouTube information providers: fashion companies and fashion YouTubers. It focused on characteristics of YouTube fashion information (such as informativity, novelty, usefulness, authenticity, and enjoyment) and their impact on consumer needs satisfaction, information satisfaction, and information acceptance. An online survey was conducted with female consumers aged 20 to 39 years, analyzing responses to assess how YouTube fashion information affected consumer behavior and decision-making. Using SPSS for statistical analysis, results indicated that usefulness and enjoyment significantly influenced information acceptance, particularly with fashion companies showing a stronger impact from usefulness, while authenticity and enjoyment were more influential for fashion YouTubers. Moreover, mediating effects of consumer needs satisfaction and information satisfaction on the relationship between fashion information characteristics and information acceptance were examined. Findings revealed that various characteristics had different mediating effects based on whether the information provider was a fashion company or a fashion YouTuber. Notably, enjoyment and authenticity played crucial roles in mediating consumer needs satisfaction. Overall, this study provides insights into how YouTube serves as a vital channel for fashion information, influencing consumer satisfaction and behavior. It also offers practical implications for fashion marketers on how to leverage YouTube effectively to meet consumer needs and enhance information acceptance, thereby proposing strategic marketing recommendations for fashion companies and YouTubers.