• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.42-56
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• 2013

Nowadays the advantages of multichannel retailing strategy in fashion business have been widely discussed, but empirical research on fashion retail has been limited. The purpose of this research is to provide some ideas on multichannel retailing strategy to fashion retailers through the case of UNIQLO. The online survey was conducted on each 100 female customers in their 20s, 30s, 40s living in seoul among UNIQLO customers. The survey was consisted of measurement items for UNIQLO's online store image and offline store image, customer satisfaction, purchase intention, and demographic attributes. The online survey was found that 30.3% of UNIQLO's multichannel customers bought a product from offline store using online shopping mall as a search channel, on the other hand, 20.7% of UNIQLO's multichannel customers bought a product from online store using offline store as a search channel. Factors of the online shopping mall image were consisted of shopping convenience, product information, price policy, trust. And factors of the offline store image were consisted of trust and store, product information, service. Some factors of online store and offline store image had impact on multichannel customer satisfaction. And, customer satisfaction also had impact on purchase intention of UNIQLO product. Some suggestion for the future of multichannel research in fashion retailing was given.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.919-931
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• 2015

Recently, with the rapid development of the Internet, the importance of the multi-channel retailing strategy including online channel has been emphasized in fashion business. The purpose of this research is to give some practical ideas of multichannel strategy for fashion retailers through comparison for multichannel choice behaviors between Korean and US consumers. The online survey was conducted on the 400 fashion customers aged between 20s and 50s living in Korea and America. The survey consisted of measurement items about channel choice behaviors for purchase or information search, risk perception on channel, repurchase intention at same channel, perception on experience or search goods among apparel items. The data were analyzed by frequency, regression, t-test using SPSS 18.0 program. The ratio of utilization multichannel was higher in fashion goods area in Korea fashion business. Also, most of Top-ranked fashion or accessory retailers in America were taking advantage of multichannel strategy. There were some differences between Korea and US consumers in channel choice behaviors for purchase or information search, risk perception for retail channel, repurchase intention at same channel, perception on experience or search goods among apparel items, etc. Some suggestion for the future research for multichannel strategy in fashion retailing was given.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 2019

Purpose: Omni-channel retailing is a new retail phenomenon. Consumers in the omni-channel environment do not rely on one channel but integrate different channels from the same retailers freely during a particular shopping journey. The purpose of this study is to better understand omni-channel shoppers in the fashion retailing context. The present study uses consumer characteristics -- fashion innovativeness, technology innovativeness, and fashion purchase involvement -- as determinants predicting consumers' omni-channel shopping intentions for fashion products. Research design, data, and methodology: Data were collected from 403 U.S. consumers, and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed to test proposed hypotheses. The survey for this research consisted of three parts. The first part measured consumer traits in terms of their innovativeness and purchase involvement. The second part was designed to measure consumers' omni-channel shopping intentions, and the third part gathered consumer demographic information. Results: The findings confirmed that fashion innovativeness, technology innovativeness, and fashion purchase involvement positively affected consumers' omni-channel shopping intentions. Conclusions: Fashion retailers should integrate various customer touchpoints and offer mobile-enabled technologies to boost consumer traffic to both online and offline stores. They also need to create a shopping environment that is optimized for customer engagement in various shopping processes and allow them to explore different shopping channel options for best purchase decisions.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.865-880
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine job competencies for sales training program development to maximize profits in fashion retailing. An empirical online survey was conducted from September to December 2019, and data was collected from 200 salespeople and store managers working in fashion stores. Results were analyzed using frequency analysis, factor analysis, variance analysis, and regression analysis with SPSS 25.0. The major findings of this study were as follows. First, the most important job competencies identified by fashion store managers were: sales sense know-how, customer service skills, and sales person's fashion style sense, product knowledge, fashion marketing and customer management. The job competency factors for sales training programs included empathy with the customer, product knowledge, communications and networking, basic job requirement, and sales skills. These five factors positively influenced the employment intentions and expectations of work performance of graduates. These factors also had a positive influence on the need of sales training program and intention to participate in retraining. Store managers in fashion retail thought the most appropriate period for on-the-job training was either 2-4 days or more than 1 week. The results of this study can be used as a base to develop training programs for job efficiency for salespeople in fashion retailing.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.45-61
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• 2020

As consumers have transformed into the influential entities in the recent consumption environment, it needs a new concept to describe their characteristics. Drawn on the notion of smart consumer experience, this study views the multiple traits of new consumers as consumer smartness. Therefore, elaborating the concept of consumer smartness, this study aims to develop its measurement and validate it by examining the relationship with external variables. Two online surveys were conducted by a professional survey company that had nationwide consumer panels. A total of 531 adult consumers who had purchased fashion goods online completed a self-administered questionnaires. A series of exploratory and confirmative factor analysis generated 21 measuring items with six underlying constructs of consumer smartness such as innovativeness, opinion leadership, self-disclosure, marketing literacy, dissatisfaction, and technology sophistication. In order to validate the measurement, this study conducted a Pearson's correlation test and structural equation modeling analysis with consumer smartness and external constructs. The result shows that there was a significant positive relationship between consumer smartness and behavioral intentions online. In addition, consumer smartness influenced their shopping and sharing intention which supported the validity of new measurement of consumer smartness. This study provides a theoretical and empirical ground of understanding consumer smartness as new consumer characteristics in the changing environment of fashion retailing.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.134-148
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• 2016

In this study, we determined the characteristics and importance of market maven to today's fashion retailers. Market maven is defined as an individual who is highly involved in the marketplace and takes a role as an information diffuser. In order to identify market maven, a total of 415 data were collected from 30-40 consumers who purchased fashion items from the various types of retailers. The data were divided into three groups based on the average score of summated market maven's scale, and the high group was referred to as "market mavens." Results suggested that the market mavens existed in the fashion retailing market and presented the differences from the other two groups. The market maven group spent more and purchased more fashion items than the other groups. With respect to shopping behavior, the market maven group was more likely to browse and bargain hunt when shopping, and showed higher mean scores on impulse buying and overall satisfaction. In addition, market maven tended to purchase fashion items from different types of retailers including online channel. Accordingly, market mavens seemed to present common characteristics with heavy browser, recreational shopper, and/or multi-channel shopper. Market mavens showed shopping enjoyment characteristics when searching for market-related information from various retailers, hence this segment should be the essential target market in the multi-channel retailing environment.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.21-31
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aims to enrich the literature related on Patronage intention in the context of omnichannel in Tunisia. It reveals the determinants of Patronage intention in the fashion retailer context by examining the roles of omnichannel integration quality (IQ), omnichannel perceived value (PV), flexibility, operational logistics service quality (OLSQ) and customer satisfaction. Research design and methodology: A quantitative online survey with 400 customers of fashion retailers was executed. A structural equation modeling approach was applied to test the research hypotheses using AMOS 25 and SPSS 25 software. Results: The findings show that the omnichannel integration quality, omnichannel perceived value, and operational logistics service quality affect play crucial roles in customer satisfaction. A positive relationship between flexibility and operational logistics service quality was also highlighted. And it is also found that a higher omnichannel integration quality led to a higher omnichannel perceived value in the omnichannel retailing context. Furthermore, customer satisfaction within omnichannel retailing can enhance patronage intention. Conclusions: This research adds to the body of knowledge in omnichannel retailing and presents a comprehension of the omnichannel system from the customer's point of view. In addition, this study provides practical implications for omnichannel retailers to improve customer satisfaction and patronage intention.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine how congruity between self-image and store image affects a customer's satisfaction with the retailer, loyalty towards that retailer, and patronage behavior toward that retailer in a fashion retailing context. In addition to the direct effects of selfcongruity on consumer responses, the mediating roles of satisfaction and retailer loyalty were also examined. A convenience sample of 137 college students participated in an online survey. Path analysis showed that self-congruity had a direct effect on satisfaction, but not on retailer loyalty and patronage behavior. However, the effect of self-congruity on retailer loyalty and patronage behavior was fully mediated by satisfaction. Satisfaction had a positive effect on both retailer loyalty and patronage behavior. The effect of satisfaction on patronage behavior was partially mediated by retailer loyalty. As supported in the study, self-congruity can induce retailer loyalty. Given that retailers have direct control over developing a certain store image that affects perceptions of self-congruity of their target market, the findings of the study provide useful information for fashion retailers. The findings of the study add to current selfcongruity literature by extending to fashion retailing and also by examining the mediating roles of satisfaction and retailer loyalty on the effects of self-congruity.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.45-69
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• 2024

Purpose - To examine the influence of mobile visual search as a strategic technology service on consumer perceived economic value and customer commitments, which in turn affect consumer's usage intention of mobile visual search. This study also explores the moderating effect of different levels of consumer online shopping orientation. Design/methodology/approach - One-by-one open-ended in-depth interview was first undertaken to 15 Korean consumers to figure the features of mobile visual search. Then a conceptual model was built to verify the hypotheses that indicate the impact of mobile visual search on consumer perceived economic value and customer commitment, which further influence consumer's usage intention. Findings - The results show Convenience, Information quality, Personalization, Text-free search interface design and Visual communication of mobile visual search positively influence consumer perceived economic value and customer commitment and in turn positively affect consumer's usage intention. Moreover, the different levels of consumer online shopping orientation also found to have different effects on consumers' perception and behavior of using mobile visual search in online fashion shopping. Research implications or Originality - The present study verified that mobile visual search is a service tool that consumers want to use in the online fashion shopping journey since it provides economic benefits.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.323-334
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• 2020

This study analyzed the effects of consumers' characteristic variables on information search and purchase decisions in a decision-making process that validated the path model in purchasing apparel products. In constructing a structural equation model using AMOS 19.0., the variables including enjoyment pursuit, price pursuit, product involvement and product risk were selected as consumers' characteristic variables affecting the stage of information search. A questionnaire was distributed to consumers over 20 years old who purchased apparel products using offline and online channels within one year; consequently, we were able to analyze 468 effective data. The results were as follows. First, the path model of this research proved to be the appropriate model explaining the effects of consumers' characteristic variables on the stage of purchase decision-making. Second, enjoyment pursuit had a significant positive influence on offline information search; in addition, price pursuit and product risk affected the online information search significantly. Product involvement affected online information search as well as offline information search. Third, the offline information search affected offline purchase and online information search affected online purchase. However, consumer's channel switching behavior between the stage of information search and the stage of purchase decision was not proven. The findings suggest that companies need to develop distribution strategies according to consumers' characteristic factors that effect consumer's purchase decision-making.