• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.904-915
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• 2009

This study compares fashion leaders and market mavens by examining the demographic characteristics of fashion leaders and market mavens and how they differ in their evaluation of store and shopping related attributes. Data originated from a national consumer mail survey in the United States. The survey included items measuring market mavenism, fashion leadership, store evaluative attributes, and personal information. Responses from 380 consumers were used for data analysis. Female consumers were found to be more active in word-of-mouth activities in general. Young consumers were more inclined to express fashion leadership while age was not related to market mavenism. A lower level of education increased tendencies for both market mavenism and fashion leadership. In terms of store evaluative criteria, the majority of items in the survey were more important as fashion leadership and market mavenism tendencies increased. Interestingly, the need for knowledgeable or helpful salespeople did not increase with fashion leadership tendencies. Also, fashion leaders were interested in easy return of merchandise and were likely to spend more time in the stores. This study sheds important light on how fashion leadership differ compared to market mavenism. By simultaneously examining fashion leadership and market mavenism using a strong sample base, this study provides sound evidence of how consumers interested in fashion may have differing needs for shopping.