• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.57-63
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• 2009

With an exponential increase in electronic commerce (e-commerce), marketers are attempting to gain a competitive advantage by emphasizing service quality and post interaction service aspects, which leads to customer satisfaction or behavioral consequence. Particularly for apparel, service quality is one of the key determinants in encouraging customer e-loyalty, and hence the success of apparel retailing in the context of electronic commerce. Therefore, this study explores e-service quality (E-SERVQUAL) factors and their unique effects on e-loyalty for apparel online shopping based on Parasuraman et al' s (2005) framework. Specific objectives of this study are to identify underlying dimension of E-SERVQUAL, and analyze a structural model for examining the effect of E-SERVQUAL on e-loyalty for online apparel shopping. For the theoretical framework of service quality in the context of online shopping, literatures on traditional and electronic service quality factors were comparatively reviewed, and two aspects of core and recovery services were identified. This study hypothesized that E-SERVQUAL has an effect on e-loyalty; customer satisfaction has a positive effect on e-service loyalty for apparel online shopping; and customer satisfaction mediates in the effect of E-SERVQUAL on e-loyalty for apparel online shopping. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on literatures. A total of 252 usable questionnaires were obtained from online consumers who had purchase experience with online shopping for apparel products and reside in standard metropolitan areas, in the United States. Factor analysis (e.g., exploratory, confirmatory) was conducted to assess the validity and reliability and the structural equation model including measurement and structural models was estimated via LISREL 8.8 program. Findings showed that the E-SERVQUAL of shopping websites for apparel consisted of five factors: Compensation, Fulfillment, Efficiency, System Availability, and Responsiveness. This supports Parasuraman (2005)'s E-S-QUAL encompassing two aspects of core service (e.g., fulfillment, efficiency, system availability) and recovery related service (e.g., compensation, responsiveness) in the context of apparel shopping online. In the structural equation model, there are five exogenous latent variables for e-SERVQUAL factors; and two endogenous latent variables (e.g., customer satisfaction, e-loyalty). For the measurement model, the factor loadings for each respective construct were statistically significant and were greater than .60 and internal consistency reliabilities ranged from .85 to .88. In the estimated structural model of the e-SERVEQUAL factors, the system availability was found to have direct and positive effect on e-loyalty, whereas efficiency had a negative effect on e-loyalty for apparel online shopping. However, fulfillment was not a significant predictor for explaining consequences of E-SERVQUAL for apparel online shopping. This finding implies that perceived service quality of system available was likely to increase customer satisfaction for apparel online shopping. However, it was not supported that e-loyalty was determined by service quality, because service quality has an indirect effect on e-loyalty (i.e., repurchase intention) by mediating effect of value or satisfaction in the context of online shopping for apparel. In addition, both compensation and responsiveness were found to have a significant impact on customer satisfaction, which influenced e-loyalty for apparel online shopping. Thus, there was significant indirect effect of compensation and responsiveness on e-loyalty. This suggests that the recovery-specific service factors play an important role in maximizing customer satisfaction levels and then maintaining customer loyalty to the online shopping site for apparel. The findings have both managerial and research implications. Fashion marketers can establish long-term relationship with their customers based on continuously measuring customer perceptions for recovery-related service quality, such as quick responses to problem and returns, and compensation for customers' problem after their purchases. In order to maintain e-loyalty, recovery services play an important role in the first choice websites for consumers to purchase clothing. Given that online consumers may shop anywhere, a marketing strategy for improving competitive advantages is to provide better service quality, maximize satisfaction, and turn to creating customers' e-loyalty for apparel online shopping. From a researcher's perspective, there are some limitations of this research that should be considered when interpreting its findings. For future research, findings provide a basis for the further study of this important topic along both theoretical and empirical dimensions. Based on the findings, more comprehensive models for predicting E-SERVQUAL's consequences can be developed and tested. For global fashion marketing, this study can expand to a cross-cultural approach into e-service quality for apparel by including multinational samples.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1086-1097
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• 2009

Consumers have more choices for apparel products as e-shopping grows. This study examines the importance of apparel product attributes and classifies online apparel buyers into groups based on product attribute evaluation in various choice sets. For the empirical research, the online survey was conducted and Latent Gold Choice 4.0 was used for the choice-based conjoint analysis. Five consumer segments are found based on the choice selection of product attributes. The importance of product attributes (online shopping mall, brand, price, and style) and the preference of each product attribute level were different across segments. This research improves the knowledge of the purchasing behavior of online apparel buyers and provides proper attribute combinations of apparel e-shopping for each consumer segment.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.46-56
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the compensatory role of instrumental (e.g., product information) and aesthetic (e.g., website background) online cues presented within apparel websites where touch is unavailable. The moderating role of two need for touch (NFT) dimensions (i.e., autotelic and instrumental NFT) between online cues and consumer responses was also investigated. Results demonstrate that personal differences in autotelic and instrumental NFT moderate the relationship between online cues and affective responses. It was found that consumers high in autotelic NFT (i.e., who need to touch for fun) seek more instrumental cues to compensate for lack of touch when shopping apparel products online. Surprisingly, consumers high in instrumental NFT (i.e., who need to touch for product evaluation) use aesthetic as well as instrumental cues to supplement the absence of touch. In contrast, for the low NFT groups, only aesthetic online cues showed significant effects on consumer arousal. Further analysis shows that instrumental NFT is negatively related to purchase intention while autotelic NFT has a positive effect on purchase intention. This implies that need for hedonic-oriented touch is no longer a barrier for online apparel shopping. However, the instrumental NFT seems a significant obstacle for the adoption of online apparel purchasing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.1297-1309
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• 2012

This study examined the effects of "me-model" body-size discrepancy on consumer's shopping mood, store satisfaction, and intention to revisit two types of online apparel stores (one featuring thin models and one featuring average-sized models). A convenience sample of women (n = 528) participated. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Participants who were thinner or similar to the models indicated positive shopping moods, a high level of online store satisfaction, and intended to revisit the stores when compared to participants who were larger than the models. Participants preferred the 'average-sized' model. This preference was attributed to the familiarity of the model and ability to effectively evaluate merchandise. The results revealed how models can influence apparel consumers in an online context.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.14-26
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• 2010

This study investigates the effectiveness of fashion coordination presentation formats when people buy apparel products online. This study conducted an online survey with 595 females who shopped online at the simulated website by a single apparel plan picture (n=189), coordination plane picture (n=187), and 3-D coordination image (n=216). For data analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, MANCOVA, ANOVA, Duncan test, correlation analysis, and chi-square are used. The results of this study are: First, the hedonic shopping value was significantly the highest when respondents shopped at a 3-D coordination image shopping mall, the next highest-scored presentation type was the coordination plane picture, and the case of presenting only the single apparel picture was significantly the lowest. The utilitarian shopping value and information shopping value were higher in the coordination plane picture and the 3-D coordination image shopping mall than the single apparel picture. Second, transactions satisfaction was high when respondents shopped at a 3-D coordination image, coordination plane image, and single apparel image in decreasing order.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.911-922
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• 2009

As more consumers shop online and prefer private label apparel products, the importance of private label apparel brand of Internet shopping malls are increasing. This study investigated consumer attitudes toward private label apparel brand of Internet shopping malls. Attitudes were conceptualized into two sub-factors: utilitarian and hedonic. Based on findings of prior studies, subjective norm and familiarity were included as antecedents to attitude variables. Purchase intention and word of mouth intention were also included as consequence variables of attitudes. Types of Online shopping malls were considered as moderating variable. For the empirical research, the Online survey was conducted. Young male and female consumers who have experience in Internet shopping of clothing products participated in the study. 429 questionnaire were used for the final statistical analysis. Results indicated that subjective norm had significant influence on consumer attitudes toward private label apparel brand. Familiarity however did not have significant influence on attitude variables for general internet shopping malls. For specialized Internet shopping malls, familiarity had significant influence only on hedonic attitude. Attitude variables had significant influence on purchase intention and word of mouth intention. Subjective norm and familiarity had significant influence on purchase intention and word of mouth intention.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.134-149
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• 2005

Although Internet retailing is becoming a viable channel for apparel retailing, consumers are still reluctant to use Internet for apparel purchasing because at their concerns at Internet security and the difficulties at virtual shopping in unfamiliar shopping environment. The purpose at this study is to examine the nature at perceived risk associated with Internet apparel shopping and risk-reduction strategies used by Internet apparel shoppers. The data were collected via an online survey by a online research company. A total at 4,254 Internet users participated in this survey. Among these Internet users, 1,146 respondents had previous shopping experience in Internet shopping. Within this group, 195 were Internet apparel information seekers, and 589 were Internet apparel purchasers. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and t-test were used to analyze the data. The perceived risks and risk-reduction strategies used by Internet apparel no-interest shoppers, Internet apparel information seekers (browsers), moderate Internet apparel purchasers, heavy Internet apparel purchasers were examined and compared. The results indicated that these tour groups were significantly different in apparel related risk, performance risk, and privacy risk. Internet purchasers tend to perceive more apparel-related, performance, and privacy risks than others. The results also indicated that these tour groups were significantly different in their opinions of risk-reduction strategies.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2012

Recent rapid development of computer, information communication and Web service technologies is exerting considerable effects on all industrial areas. As such digital technologies are also introduced to the clothing and fashion industry and create 'virtual garment environment' consisting of 3D virtual bodies, virtual garments and virtual try-on systems, consumers are now able to try virtual garments on their virtual body online. This study was conducted in order to analyze consumers' tendency of clothing purchase using 3D virtual simulation technology, which is increasing attention throughout the world, and to propose strategies on the development of virtual try-on technology for activating apparel online shopping. The subjects of this study were men and women aged 18 or older living in the North Carolina State, U.S., and a questionnaire survey was conducted with them on their tendency of apparel online shopping and their preference for real garments and virtual garments. According to the results of this study, consumers' awareness of apparel shopping using virtual try-on was still low. Moreover, in the results of surveying consumers' purchase preference for real garments and virtual garments, preference was highest for real garment (P), which was followed by virtual garments OA, OB and BB. Based on the results of this study, for the activation of apparel online shopping using virtual simulation technology, it is considered necessary to provide services implementing virtual try-on similar to consumers' actual try-on. This requires further active research and technology development on virtual try-on simulation using digital technologies.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.39-53
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• 2003

This study was designed to provide a better understanding of Korean female Internet users' intention to search for information regarding apparel goods and to shop for these goods. Shopping orientation, familiarity, and prior purchase experience were seen as influencing the intention to use the Internet for information search. An important aspect in the search habits that a consumer adopts in gathering information for their buying decisions was Internet shopping attitude. The objective was to predict apparel shopping in terms of prior Internet shopping experience, familiarity, intention to search information via the Internet, and shopping orientation. Internet shopping attitude, familiarity, prior purchase experience, and intention to use to search information were significant in predicting Internet apparel shopping. The most important determinants which influenced Internet shopping were attitude toward Internet shopping and intention to search. In considering the results of the present study, one should recognize the inherent limitations associated with generalizing these findings beyond the sample and the consumer products examined which in this study were apparel goods. Also this study focused on female computer users only. Therefore, future research should utilize more broadly based samples and refine the instrument to distinguish among different apparel products. This study does provide some information that should be helpful to retailers targeting the women's online apparel market.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.155-165
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is 1) to investigate the effects of Internet apparel store attributes, shopping values, Internet usage, and consumers' characteristics on consumers' Internet apparel purchasing behavior; and 2) to identify the influence of Internet apparel store attributes, Internet usage, and consumers' characteristics on the Internet apparel purchasing behavior of hedonic or utilitarian consumers. The data were collected via an online survey. A total of 4,254 Internet users participated in this survey. Only 589 out of the users' reponses were used as a sample for this research, because those users had previously experienced Internet apparel purchasing. Factor analysis revealed five dimensions of Internet apparel store attributes: site design/navigation, promotion programs, trust, product assortment/ information, and customer service. Based on the respondents' shopping value scores, we identified them as hedonic or utilitarian consumers. Through multiple regression analyses, site design/navigation and promotion programs among store attribute variables, hedonistic or utilitarian shopping values, the number of years on the Internet, income, and educational level were found to be significant predictors of Internet apparel shopping frequency. Among them, hedonistic shopping values were the best predictor of Internet apparel purchasing frequency. Based on the Internet apparel purchasers' shopping value, purchasers were divided into two groups. For hedonic Internet apparel shoppers, the number of years on the Internet, educational level, sex, age, and income were significant predictors of Internet apparel shopping behavior. On the other hand, promotion programs among store attribute variables was the only significant factor that affects utilitarian consumers' Internet apparel shopping behavior.