Analysing the influence of the presentation of fashion garments on young consumers' online behaviour

Analysing the influence of thepresentation of fashion garments

on young consumers’ onlinebehaviour

Helen McCormick and Charlotte LivettTextiles and Paper, School of Materials, University of Manchester,

Manchester, UK

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the web experience elements that aid theinteraction between the consumer and fashion garments online. Two elements have been identified,product viewing and fashion information online, and analysis of the effects of these elements and theinfluence they have on consumers’ behaviour and decision-making process are explored.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data collection was employed utilising bothphoto-elicitation and projective techniques during in-depth interviews. Analysis of the elements isnecessary to confirm how the cues are likely to affect the consumers’ interaction and influence theconsumers’ shopping experience. Focus is placed on hedonic and utilitarian effects and purchaseintentions towards fashion apparel investigating young consumers in reference to online retailing.Findings – It is evident from the interviews that the two elements create very different experiences forthe consumer with regards to viewing fashion online, the first area identified functional productviewing, allows the consumer to personalise how they view and interact with the garment stimulatingmore utilitarian effects, whilst the second area, aesthetic fashion information is driven by the retailerproviding advice and information about the garments stimulating hedonic effects. Online fashionretailers must sufficiently intertwine hedonic entertainment with practical utilitarianism to provide asatisfying online shopping experience.Originality/value – This research provides an examination into the complex area of interaction withgarments online and its link to fashion-related consumer behaviour. This study makes an importantcontribution to the literature to date, and raises additional questions for future research.Keywords Consumer behaviour, Young consumers, Internet, Fashion, Electronic commerce,Product viewing, Hedonic effects, Utilitarian effectsPaper type Research paper

1. IntroductionConstantinides (2004) coined “the Web experience” (p. 112) as the right and correctonline experience. This is compiled from “online functionality, information, emotions,cues, stimuli and products or services” (Constantinides, 2004, p. 112). The designof a website should create gripping and influential experiences (Solomon, 2008),which engage visitors through the provision of “relevant and rich” information (Kimand Kim, 2004, p. 886). Although the correct “Web experience”, where functionalityand information are combined with stimulating emotions remains essential(Constantinides, 2004, p. 112), consumers are now demanding higher levels ofinteractivity and recreation (Oh et al., 2008). Thus, they are moving towards onlineshopping experiences that can provide higher levels of hedonic value (Liu andForsythe, 2010). Greater levels of interactive involvement with an apparel productonline might provoke greater levels of attraction for the fashion forward individuals, asit catalysts higher levels of communication (Yang and Young, 2009) and in turn canincrease likelihood of repatronage and e-loyalty (Cyr et al., 2009). Ha et al. (2007) have

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available atwww.emeraldinsight.com/1361-2026.htm

Journal of Fashion Marketing andManagement

Vol. 16 No. 1, 2012pp. 21-41

r Emerald Group Publishing Limited1361-2026

DOI 10.1108/13612021211203014

21

Presentation offashion garments

online

argued that providing a more experiential e-retail environment through developmentssuch as providing fashion inspiration would become increasingly important. Withgrowing awareness that particularly amongst younger target groups consumers’ areseeking to find original environments with innovative interactive designs (Tractinskyand Lowengart, 2007), there has never been a more important time to research how thiscan be effectively and efficiently achieved.

As fashion clothing shoppers are largely enthused by their senses (Yang and Young,2009), a large number of apparel consumers still insist that nothing can replaceshopping in a physical store (Mintel, 2009). Removing the possible high purchase riskof online fashion products by using features which allow the consumers to feel as ifthey are interacting with the product is becoming progressively more crucial to thesuccess of fashion e-businesses (Yang and Young, 2009). Consumers when purchasingclothing online analyse a number of factors, how the item will look on the body, sensoryand aesthetic information and how the garment can be worn with other products(Cho and Workman, 2011). It is possible for retailers to use image interactivity technology(IIT) or offer fashion information, that provide the consumers with sensory informationthat enables them to reduce the risk of shopping online. Consumers have high levels ofinterest in product viewing, particularly being able to manipulate the product to benefitfrom a variety of viewing angles (Rowley, 2009). IIT therefore holds particularsignificance in online fashion retailing, as it allows the apparel product presentation tobe as innovative as possible thus creating a more stimulating online experience(Kim et al., 2007a). Fashion information refers to the collection of information regardingfashion trends (Rowley, 2009). Particularly within the online fashion sector, consumershave been seeking experiences that involve high levels of interactivity (Siddiqui et al.,2003). The provision of additional information on fashion and trends can help to improvelevels of interactivity, helping to meet growing consumer expectations (Siddiqui et al.,2003). Increasingly, online fashion websites are even more capable than physical stores ofsuccessfully and innovatively conveying to the customer up to date trends and sharingcutting edge fashion advice. Online retail provides the opportunity for retailers tocommunicate and promote the products to the end customer in a much more efficientway than a sales assistant in-store offering style advice. Fashion information is currentlya distinctly under researched area and despite an extensive collection of studiesregarding fashion website design, a theoretical explanation of the benefits and affects ofthe provision of fashion information has not yet been recorded or explained.

What influences consumers purchasing decision and choices and how thesedecisions are made is popular marketing topic and the analysis of online consumerbehaviour is a priority issue for academics and practitioners (Cheung et al., 2005). Thispaper focuses on identifying the web experience elements that aid the interactionbetween the consumer and fashion garments online. Two elements have beenidentified, product viewing and fashion information online, and analysis of the effectsof these elements and the influence they have on online consumers’ behaviour anddecision-making process will be explored. Analysis of these elements is necessary toconfirm how these cues are likely to affect the consumers’ interaction and influence onthe consumer shopping experience. Focus is placed on hedonic and utilitarian effectsand purchase intentions towards fashion apparel of young consumers in reference toonline retailing. This study will argue that the inclusion of both functional andaesthetic information with regards to viewing garments on fashion websites cansignificantly contribute to satisfying consumers that seek both a practical and hedoniconline experience.

22

JFMM16,1

2. Literature reviewThe study of online consumer behaviour is an important part of understanding theshopping motivations of retail consumers in order to enhance customer satisfactionand retail performance (Puccinelli et al., 2009). Online consumer behaviour has adoptedmany traditional consumer behaviour theories in order to explain attitude-intention-behaviour relations (Cheung et al., 2005). Cheung et al. (2005) identified that the theoryof reasoned action (TRA) (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980) and its family theories includingthe technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis, 1989) and the theory of plannedbehaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) are the dominant theories in online consumer behaviourstudies. Dennis et al. (2009) developed a conceptual model to identify factors thatinfluence e-shopping behaviour, postulating that consumer’s behaviour is governedby their beliefs, attitudes and intentions when shopping. Using the TRA (Ajzen andFishbein, 1980) to underpin their framework, functional, experiential, social andconsumer traits are included as factors that influence attitude and intention showingthe complexity of online shopping. The TAM is an extension of the TRA theorymeasuring two key attitude measures to do with technology adoption, ease of use andusefulness (Davis, 1989). In the current highly competitive marketplace, the success ofan online fashion retailer revolves around maintaining a positive relationship betweenthemselves and their consumer (Kim et al., 2009), thus, fulfilling the consumers need isvital. Utilitarian aspects of online shopping are associated with rational experiencesthat aid the consumer when shopping and reduce frustration (Park and Sullivan, 2009).Elements which aid logical product assessments and optimum efficiency (Fiore et al.,2005) to save time, money and consumer effort are therefore intrinsically linked to autilitarian shopping experience (Kim et al., 2007a).

Davis et al. (1992) added “enjoyment” as a new dimension of attitude into the TAM.Doherty and Ellis-Chadwick (2009) have argued that an improved relationship betweenbusinesses and consumers is the main driver for positive attitudes towards theadoption of e-commerce. This is a hypothesis which other critics such as Yang andYoung (2009) also promote. Hedonism is orientated around the entertainment andenjoyment values that can be pertained through an online shopping experience(Park and Sullivan, 2009). Hedonic consumers typically have both high fashion interestand require higher fashion content from websites which leads to advanced levelsof brand loyalty, making them a superior and stable consumer base (Park and Sullivan,2009). Online fashion retailers must sufficiently intertwine hedonic entertainment withpractical utilitarianism to provide an online shopping experience that provides valueand ultimately, success for both the e-shopper and e-retailer (Kang and Park-Poaps,2010).

Social and consumer traits are important to consider when analysing attitudesdriving behavioural intentions (Dennis et al., 2009). Retailing today is inextricablylinked with consumer lifestyles, attitudes and beliefs and fashion retailers needto design websites to reflect the personalities and social stance of the consumer.Personal values such as achievement, hedonism, self-direction (Schwartz, 1992), socialrecognition and a sense of accomplishment (Rokeach, 1973) affect aspects ofconsumption behaviours and attitudes ( Jayawardhena, 2004). A study of personalvalues in e-shopping behaviour was carried out by Jayawardhena (2004) using avalue-attitude-behaviour model found that e-shoppers place a strong emphasis onself-direction, enjoyment and self-achievement values, confirming a direct influenceon consumers desire to browse, repatronage intentions and switching intentions. Akey driver of consumer behaviour towards fashion products are social interactions

23


online

and the values generated in various social interactions, depending not only onconsumers own perceptions but also on peers response to validate opinions (Buunkand Gibbons, 2007). Providing fashion information addresses an opportunity forretailers to compound relationships with consumers that are essential to their success,it is a chance for retailers to impress consumers by portraying themselves as themost stylish and fashionable brand which can influence fashion decision making,adding value to a brand and further encouraging shopping online. Understandinghow consumers interpret clothing and how groups make judgements about fashionproducts is critical for fashion retailers as they can maximise satisfaction by providingfeatures that appeal to consumer needs. Consumers with high fashion interest tend toconsider fashion as a lifestyle, holding appearances in high regard and possessingadvanced levels of fashion confidence, often exhibiting an orientation towardsfashion leadership (Johnson and Attmann, 2009). Young people are classed as typicallybeing more concerned with their appearance and are therefore more interested inpurchasing and browsing for fashion clothing (O’Cass, 2004). High involvement witha product can increase consumer confidence, thus boosting the decision-makingprocess (O’Cass, 2004). Young women have the highest recorded interest in fashionmagazines and are therefore hungry for fashion knowledge (Bailey and Seock, 2010).The growth in weekly magazines, which in 2007 accounted for 89 per cent of volume ina market worth £700 million in 2008, led by fashion publications such as Grazia,indicates the growth of a fashion hungry consumer (Mintel, 2008). Fashion websitescan provide fashion features such as style and trend advice, blogs and look books,and due to tough retail competition, communication of retailer’s product offering isimperative.

Over two decades ago, Kotler and Rath (1984) advocated that design can be usedto communicate value to the customer, making selection easier, informing andentertaining consumers. Retailers need to communicate information to influencesearch, purchase and use. The environmental psychology literature draws on the S-O-Rparadigm (stimulus-organism-response) (Donovan and Rossiter, 1982), to explain theeffects of the environment on emotional states affect on consumers’ emotions, which inturn can influence behaviour. Experience can be an outcome from the exposure of ashopping environment and the environment cues perceived (Kaplan and Kaplan,1982). The environmental cues allow the consumer to form an opinion and provoke areaction and an emotional impact in order to form a memorable experience. Denniset al. (2009) discuss the experiential aspects of e-shopping emphasising that experienceand enjoyment derive from customers interactions with a website. Dennis et al. (2009)discuss how interactivity online is the equivalent of a salesperson-customer interactionas well as visual merchandising. The elements of website interactivity that aidinteraction with fashion garments online to be discussed in this study will be productviewing, and the provision of fashion information.

2.1 Product viewingIIT which facilitates the manipulation of images, such as zoom or rotation, has beenrecorded as one of the key benefits of interactivity for an e-marketer (Kim et al., 2007a).Vivid and interactive product viewing can be provided with high levels of IIT such as azoom feature or the ability to rotate a model to view a garment from various angles(Kim et al., 2007a). This allows the user greater levels of perceived control over theirexperience. A consumer’s perception of their own self-efficacy, which is formulated byan assessment of levels of control, can be directly linked to awareness of efficiency and

24

JFMM16,1

ease of use (Hernandez et al., 2009). Efficiency and ease of use are key elements of autilitarian online shopping experience (Park and Sullivan, 2009). Thus, productviewing can contribute to the provision of a utilitarian experience, as higher levels ofIIT enhance the consumer’s sense of control which has a positive affect on both theperceived ease of use and usefulness of a website (Hernandez et al., 2009). However, thehigher levels of enjoyment which result from innovative and stimulating productviewing can also facilitate the provision of a hedonic online shopping experience(Oh et al., 2008). Product viewing that is both vivid and interactive can result indistinctly higher levels of consumer enjoyment, which has a strong link with enhancede-loyalty from a consumer (Cyr et al., 2009). This is a critical contributing factor tothe success of an online fashion retailer (Kim et al., 2007a).

2.2 Fashion informationThe collection of product information is a key part of interactivity (Cyr et al., 2009), andthe absence of fashion information is an element that has been recorded as an issuesignificantly concerning consumers (Rowley, 2009). Hedonic consumers are believedto require higher fashion content from e-retail websites (Park and Sullivan, 2009).Conversely, the inclusion of fashion information can arguably stimulate emotions andinduce feelings of excitement (Rowley, 2009), a vital contributing factor towardsthe provision of a hedonic experience. Due to the “cyclical nature of fashion” and theongoing changes of trends, the consumer’s “knowledge about fashion apparel productsquickly becomes outdated” (Frings, 2005, cited in Van Staden and Van Aardt, 2011).Thus, regular fashion information and updates are becoming increasingly relevant anduseful for consumers. Features on fashion retailers’ websites, such as blogs, stylingtips, online magazines and social networking sites can emphasise their fashionconsciousness to the consumer. A range of retailers from high-end pure-play e-tailer,Net-a-Porter, to multi-channel high street retailer Topshop are now beginning toprovide fashion information alongside their products online. This is considered aresponse to the budding consumer demand for further fashion information aboutproducts and trends.

Based on the S-O-R paradigm and TRA family of theories, this study will begin toanalyse the affect of the online stimulus, product viewing and fashion information. Thecore discussion of the in-depth interviews was to uncover participants’ attitudes andopinions regarding interaction with fashion products on the ASOS website and howthat may influence purchase behaviour.

3. MethodologyThis study conducted 12 in-depth interviews, excluding pilot studies, each lastingbetween 45 minutes to one hour. The study was continued to the point where nofurther new insights could be predicted and a thorough understanding of the studiedphenomena began to occur; the considered point of saturation. The high fashioninterest consumers that were recruited to participate in this study were females aged18-24, as the most common set of e-shoppers tend to be young; the 18-24s can in fact beplaced as the second highest demographic group of internet users at 79 per cent(Mintel, 2010). The main purpose of the study was to gather information about howconsumer interact with a fashion garments online and more specifically the effect ofthat interaction and the influence on the buying process such as selecting and choosinggarments. Three types of questions were selected for the interviews; “opinion andvalue questions”, “feeling questions” and “sensory questions” (Patton, 2002, p. 350).

25


online

These three categories of questions seek to uncover the true subconscious interpretiveprocesses of the participants, evoke emotions and seek to understand sensory reactions(Patton, 2002).

The methods used within the interviews were projective techniques (Donoghue,2000) and photo-elicitation techniques (Croghan et al., 2008). The projective comparisontask provided a uniform structure and the photo-elicitation task outlined the key topicsto participants, allowing them to express their opinions regarding these in anindividual manner, whilst giving the interviewer freedom to probe common orinteresting themes. Participants prior to the interview were asked to view the ASOSwebsite (www.asos.com) and print screen shots of the elements of the website theybelieve are relevant or associated with viewing fashion garments online. Thisinductive session was the first task in the interview allowing the assessment andcollation of themes to be gathered regarding how the participants interact with theselected interactive areas regardless of preconceived ideas collected for this study fromthe previously assessed literature (Patton, 2002). The second half of the interviewutilised a projective technique exercise around a spot-the-difference style imageresponse exercise (Pettigrew and Charters, 2008). Screen shots of the current ASOSwebsite were used to compare with doctored screen shots of the ASOS website thathave been edited according to the elements to be investigated in this study. Forexample, a page with only a fashion garment would be compared to a page with afashion garment with additional style advice and trend information. This wasundertaken to discover the affect the changes have on the consumer’s experience of theASOS website. The participant was not made directly aware of the changes made tothe screen shots in order to enable them to use their own powers of interpretation, thusrevealing their true subconscious perceptions and opinions and removing the potentialfor interviewer bias, so increasing validity of results (Flick, 2002). This is therefore adeductive process that sought to further validate and authenticate the previouslydiscussed inductive data collected in the photo-elicitation task (Patton, 2002). Eachinterview was recorded and transcribed. Analysis began at the early stages of datacollection by transcription and close reading of the transcripts, identifying themes andcategories from the interviews that represent interests, opinions and behaviour(Spiggle, 1994), and these then form the foundation of the analytical categories, thesecategories become the codes with which the transcript will be interpreted andmeanings developed.

4. FindingsRigorous analysis of the two elements product viewing and fashion information online,allowed themes to emerge which included functional cues and aesthetic information,further analysis took place to understand how the themes affect the consumers’interaction and influence the consumer shopping experience. The first finding was thatparticipants viewed the cues related to product viewing as functional cues to aidpurchasing, whereas the fashion information cues were more aesthetic to inspire,therefore the elements have been renamed, functional product viewing and aestheticfashion information. Table I includes the areas of the website that were discussedduring the interview and will be included in the analysis.

Table II illustrates all of the participants’ responses and the identified themes andaffects. Several of the themes had a number of effects which are outlined in Table III as1.1, 1.2, etc. and the same numbering system is used within the discussion of thefindings.

26

JFMM16,1

4.1 Functional product viewingFunctional product viewing goes beyond IIT, to include the refining, viewing,movement and garment information, therefore including the key areas with regards tohow consumer choose and interact with a garment. There were four themes extractedfrom the data regarding product viewing: Theme 1. “personalised product viewing”,Theme 2. “zoom and multi-view”, Theme 3. “practical information” and Theme 4.“catwalk”.

4.1.1 Theme 1. Personalised product viewing. Participants found utilitarian valuethrough their ability to control the way they viewed products via the “refine by”function. Fiore et al. (2005) found that utilitarian value can be obtained by the inclusionof interactive elements that save time. The key effect of the “personalised productviewing” theme was found to be ease and convenience (1.1) (see Table I), thus implyingthat utilitarian value has been provided in this instance.

4.1.2 Theme 2. Zoom and multi-view. The zoom and extra viewing capabilitiesof the ASOS website were discussed in great length by participants to illustrate theimportance of it as a product viewing tool. Rowley (2009) found that consumers haveparticularly high levels of interest in the ability to manipulate a product and view it

Functional product viewing cues Aesthetic fashion information cues

Garment images (product page) Style pages (complete outfits)Multiple garment views Trend information (catwalk interpretation)Zoom function ASOS community (blogs, social media)Catwalk MagazineProduct categorisation (refine by colour, brand, price) Trend boutiquesPractical information (measurements for individualgarments and size guides)

Table I.Functional product

viewing and aestheticfashion information cues

Elements Cues/themesUtilitarianeffect

Hedoniceffect

Attitude andintention affects

Functional productviewing

1. Personalised productviewing

Ease andconvenience

2. Zoom and multi-view Ease of use Confidence andtrustPurchaseintensions

4. Practical information Informative help3. Catwalk Enjoyment Purchase

intensionsAesthetic fashioninformation

5. Trend information InspirationEnjoyment

6. Social media Entertainment7. Magazine Inspiration8. Style advice Informative help Inspiration

EnjoymentVisualisation

PurchaseintentionsTime spent instore

Table II.Utilitarian an hedonic

affects of the presentationof fashion garments online

27


online

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Table III.Table of participantsreponses, themesand effects

28

JFMM16,1

The

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son

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ere

goin

gto

buy

som

ethi

ngI

wou

ldcl

ick

onto

catw

alk.

It’s

real

lyhelp

ful

and

fun

.The

catw

alk

isde

fini

tely

agood

thin

g”

“IfIam

goin

gto

buy

som

eth

ing

Iw

illcl

ick

on

the

catw

alk

.It’s

real

lyhelp

ful

[y]

you

can

see

how

itm

oves

and

thin

k‘o

hac

tual

lyth

atm

ater

ial

I’mno

tto

oke

enon

it’o

r‘a

ctua

llyI

real

lylik

eth

at’

[y]

this

defi

nit

ely

isso

meth

ing

dif

fere

nt

tooth

er

websi

tes”

Fas

hion

Info

rmat

ion

(con

tinued)

Table III.

29


online

The

mes

Eff

ects

and

inte

ntio

ns

The

me

5:

Tre

nd

info

rmat

ion

Eff

ect

5.1

:In

spir

atio

nE

ffec

t5

.2:

Enjo

ymen

t“I

tw

asre

all

ygood

[y]

they

have

dif

fere

nt

trends

that

are

infa

shio

nat

the

mom

ent

soyo

uca

ncl

ick

ondi

ffer

ent

tren

dsan

dit

give

syo

uit

ems

wit

hin

that

tren

d”

“It’s

like

ASO

Sar

em

ak

ing

more

eff

ort

toge

tcu

stom

ers

[y]

they

are

giv

ing

me

ideas

rath

erth

anle

avin

gm

eto

fend

for

mys

elf

[y]e

ven

ifyo

udo

n’t

pick

thos

eth

ings

itst

illgi

ves

you

insp

irati

on

”

“It

mak

esit

mor

eenjo

yable

,Ilik

elo

okin

gat

clot

hes

[y]i

t’sa

fun

act

ivit

y[y

]see

ing

diff

eren

tth

ings

and

wha

tel

seis

out

ther

e”

“Icl

icke

don

tren

ds[y

]it

’sgood

beca

use

you

’ve

got

all

the

dif

fere

nt

style

slik

e‘g

lam

azon

’and

‘urb

anar

my’

[y]

it’s

all

very

acc

ess

ible

tote

enagers

[y]t

hey

are

allg

oing

toha

vedif

fere

nt

style

sand

dif

fere

nt

moods

whe

nth

eyar

esh

oppi

ngso

you

can

pick

wha

tyou

are

feel

ing

atth

atti

me”

“Itin

form

sth

ecu

stom

er

abou

tw

hat’s

ontr

end.

Itsh

ows

them

how

topu

tdi

ffer

ent

piec

esto

geth

erlik

eac

cess

orie

s[y

]it

’sgood

for

those

who

stru

ggle

toputan

outf

itto

geth

er

[y]i

tm

akes

itea

sier

[y]

it’s

just

ther

ein

fron

tof

you

and

alo

tof

the

prod

uct

idea

san

dou

tfit

sar

epu

tto

geth

erfo

ryo

u”

“It’s

abi

tm

ore

exci

ting

,the

yhi

ghlig

htw

hat

they

thin

kar

ew

ow

pie

ces.

Iw

ould

like

tose

eit

done

mor

e[y

]itgiv

es

me

ideas

and

mak

esm

eth

ink

of

thin

gs

tobuy

[y]

Iw

ould

defi

nite

lysa

yit

’senjo

yable

”

The

me

6:

Soc

ialm

edia

Eff

ect

6.1

:E

nte

rtai

nm

ent

“Itm

akes

itm

ore

fash

ion

[y]n

otju

sta

shop

[y]

it’s

got

diff

eren

tel

emen

ts[y

]it

mak

esit

like

ali

ttle

min

ifa

shio

nw

orl

d”

“If

you

can’

tac

tual

lyaf

ford

tobu

yan

ythi

ngan

ddo

n’t

wan

tto

look

thro

ugh

and

get

dep

ress

ed[y

]it

’snic

eto

go

on

there

[y]i

t’sal

lfas

hion

but

it’s

more

ente

rtain

ing

[y]fu

n”

“Tha

tA

SOS

Lif

ear

eais

cool

[y]

ifth

eyre

com

men

dso

met

hing

,Iw

illlo

okin

toit

,bec

ause

that

’sin

tere

stin

g,t

hat’s

good

”

“Ith

ink

they

are

fun

tore

ad

and

it’s

cool

for

gett

ing

som

efa

shio

nin

spir

ati

on

that

wou

ldm

aybe

lead

me

furt

her

onto

the

AS

OS

site

,or

just

giv

em

eid

eas

[y]

the

cont

ent

[y]th

ein

spir

ati

on

isso

good

[y]t

here

isqu

ite

alo

tof

exci

ting

mate

rial

on

it”

(con

tinued)

Table III.

30

JFMM16,1

The

mes

Eff

ects

and

inte

ntio

ns

The

me

7:

Mag

azin

eE

ffec

t7

.1:

Insp

irat

ion

“The

mag

azin

e[y

]it

’sju

sta

nic

eth

ing

[y]

itfe

els

like

avery

up-t

o-d

ate

web

site

,ver

yfa

shio

nfo

rward

[y]

alm

ost

like

Ell

eor

Vogue

[y]

itm

akes

itfe

elm

ore

fash

ionable

and

more

trendy

”

“It’s

good

[y]

Ilik

elo

okin

gat

mag

azin

es[y

]on

line

it’s

alit

tle

bit

diff

eren

t[y

]se

eing

stuf

fin

ther

eth

atyo

ulik

e,yo

uw

ould

beab

leto

find

ita

lot

easi

er

orget

an

idea

of

what

seaso

ns

style

sare

[y]

you

just

get

more

of

an

idea

what

itlo

ok

sli

ke

on

”“I

fyo

uho

ver

you

can

see

how

muc

hit

is[y

]th

enyo

uca

ncl

ick

on

the

item

and

clic

kst

raig

ht

thro

ugh

and

buy

itw

hic

his

good

”

“You

can

belo

okin

gat

som

ethi

ngan

dif

you

wer

en’t

quit

esu

reyo

uca

nju

stha

vea

littl

efl

ick

thro

ugh

and

itgiv

es

you

ideas

about

fash

ion

and

wha

tgo

esw

ith

wha

t[y

]th

ings

like

that

Ienjo

y”

The

me

8:

Sty

lead

vice

Eff

ect

8.1

:In

spir

atio

nE

ffec

t8

.2:

Vis

ual

isat

ion

“The

y’re

evoca

tive

,Iju

stre

ally

like

them

.Ilik

eth

ew

ayth

eyar

ew

ritt

en[y

]it

’sin

tere

stin

gto

read

and

see

wha

tth

eyha

vesa

idab

out

itan

dw

heth

erIw

ould

have

said

the

sam

eth

ing

[y]i

t’sre

ally

good

”

“It’s

good

ifyou

are

not

sure

what

the

dre

ssw

ould

go

wit

h[y

]yo

udo

n’t

have

tofo

llow

it[y

]ju

sta

bit

ofex

tra

info

rmati

on

[y]

they

are

try

ing

tohe

lpyo

u”

“You

’re

noto

nly

seei

ngit

you

are

also

hear

ing

it.S

oit

’sin

creasi

ng

the

way

thatyour

sense

sre

act

toA

SO

S[y

]th

ese

tran

sfor

myo

ua

bit”

“It’s

more

eff

ect

ive

than

stuff

you

would

see

ina

shop

.Iw

ould

bem

ore

incl

ined

tolo

okan

dre

adab

out

that

[y]

Ifi

ndso

me

ofth

em

anne

quin

sin

shop

sar

equ

ite

unin

spir

ing

real

ly[y

]it

’spr

obab

lyon

apa

rw

ith

the

Styl

eor

Sund

ayT

eleg

raph

mag

azin

e[y

]it’s

acc

ess

ible

[y]

itdo

esth

esa

me

kin

dof

thin

gas

afa

shio

nm

agazi

ne

would

”

“More

insp

irati

onal

than

say

the

mannequin

syo

uw

ould

see

ina

shop

orfr

ont

dres

sing

[y]

it’s

more

trust

wort

hy

inth

esa

me

way

asa

fash

ion

mag

azin

e[y

]th

ete

xtis

quit

eev

oca

tive

and

easy

tota

ke

in”

“Mor

eenjo

yable

ina

way

that

you

can

begi

nto

pic

ture

that

item

as

yours

,as

anou

tfit

[y]

itco

uld

mak

ean

expe

rien

cem

ore

enjo

yabl

ebe

caus

eyo

ube

gin

topla

ceth

at

outf

itin

your

ward

robe

”

Eff

ect

8.3

:E

njo

ymen

tIn

tenti

on8

.4:

Tim

esp

ent

onA

SO

S

(con

tinued)

Table III.

31


online

The

mes

Eff

ects

and

inte

ntio

ns

“Ilik

eit

beca

use

it’s

fun

and

it’s

lik

ejo

urn

ali

sman

dit

’sm

akin

git

mor

elik

ea

magazi

ne

.Ire

all

yli

ke

them

and

Ith

ink

they

are

reall

ygood

”

“It

give

sm

em

ore

opti

ons

ofw

hat

Iw

ant

todo

whi

leI

amsh

oppi

ng[y

]I

just

keep

clic

king

soI

gues

sit

keeps

you

on

their

for

longer”

“Ith

ink

it’s

nic

ely

wri

tten

,itex

cite

syou

more

abou

tth

epr

oduc

t[y

]it

mak

esyo

ufe

ela

bitm

ore

exci

ting

than

just

havi

ngth

ein

form

atio

nan

dth

enth

epr

oduc

tco

de”

“It

gets

me

tolo

ok

at

oth

er

thin

gs

onth

esi

te[y

]lik

eif

itsa

id‘b

lock

colo

ure

dhe

els’

,Iw

ould

thin

k‘o

hye

ah’a

ndw

ould

have

aqu

ick

nosy

atth

emw

hils

tI

amhe

re”

Eff

ect

8.5

:In

form

ativ

ehe

lpIn

tenti

on8

.6:

Purc

hase

inte

nti

ons

“It’s

just

anot

her

thin

gto

mak

eit

more

clear,

itgi

ves

you

an

idea

abou

tth

epr

oduc

t”“I

tw

ould

pro

bably

mak

em

elo

ok

,eve

nw

itho

utth

ein

tent

ion

ofbu

ying

,but

itm

ight

mak

em

ebuy

ifI

saw

som

eth

ing

Ili

ked!”

“It’s

nic

eto

hav

ea

bit

of

back

gro

und

abou

tth

epr

oduc

t[y

]yo

um

ight

rese

arch

tofi

ndou

tm

ore

[y]

it’s

quit

ehelp

ful”

“It’s

reass

uri

ng

thatit

’sO

Kto

buy

beca

use

they

are

telli

ngyo

uit

goes

wit

hso

met

hing

”

Table III.

32

JFMM16,1

from a variety of angles. Cyr et al. (2009) have argued that it is through the provisionof vivid and interactive product viewing that e-retailers can provoke higher levelsof enjoyment and thus result in satisfied and loyal consumers. The findings of thisstudy found consumer perception of greater product accessibility provides ease ofuse (2.1), increased confidence (2.2) and thus higher purchase intentions (2.3) as a resultof the “zoom and multi-view” product viewing options, utilitarian value rather thanenjoyment.

4.1.3 Theme 3. Practical information. Participants were keen to highlight the“practical information” that is provided which included information like size, fit andwashing instructions. The provision of this practical information resulted in anentirely utilitarian affect “informative help” (3.1) (Carpenter and Moore, 2009). Thiswas therefore a utilitarian element that aided the participants in making logicalproduct assessments and achieving efficiency (Fiore et al., 2005).

4.1.4 Theme 4. Catwalk. Participants expressed that the catwalk on the ASOSwebsite was in fact an extension of the “zoom and multi-view” theme as it helped themto better get to grips with a product when considering a purchase. It therefore had alargely utilitarian outcome of helpfulness in purchasing (Carpenter and Moore, 2009)helping customer to visualise how the garment would look on. The predominant affectof this extra purchasing aid consequently resulted in increased purchase intentions.Purchase intentions (4.2) are therefore the affect that has been extracted from the dataas a result of the “catwalk” theme. Online catwalks are currently a distinctly underresearched area. However, as illustrated in Table III, it is the only element of functionalproduct viewing that can provide a hedonic online shopping experience, enjoyment(4.1), with participants using adjectives such as “entertaining” and “fun”.

4.2 Aesthetic fashion informationThe gathering of information regarding fashion trends is known as fashioninformation (Rowley, 2009). ASOS provide a significant amount of aesthetic fashioninformation in a multitude of visual forms on their site. Consequently, there werefour themes in total that were extracted from the data of the present study: Theme 5.“trend information”, Theme 6. “social media”, Theme 7. “magazine” and Theme 8.“style advice”.

4.2.1 Theme 5. Trend information. Many participants were keen to express theirpleasure and satisfaction at the provision of trend information by ASOS. Siddiqui et al.(2003) found that supplying trend information provoked a perception of enhanced valueto a consumer thus encouraging online shopping. This is reiterated in the data collectedin this study as participants found added value from the trend information in twodifferent ways. First, in the form of “inspiration” (5.1), informing the customer of how toput outfits and looks together. The inclusion of trend information can also stimulateemotions (Rowley, 2009), which is reflected in the second value adding effect “enjoyment”(5.2). “Trend information” is therefore instrumental in stimulating emotions andenhancing the value perception that is essential to the provision of a hedonic experienceand thus e-retail success (Jayawardhena and Wright, 2009). Since the start of this study,ASOS have started to add trend information to individual products.

4.2.2 Theme 6. Social media. Like many other fashion retailers, ASOS do currentlyparticipate on a number of social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter.Social media has been hailed as “revolutionary” (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010), as it hasenhanced the shopping experience, thus increasing consumers’ purchase andrepatronage intentions (Chen and Yen, 2004). As illustrated in the final participant

33


online

quotation, social media “adds value” which is reiterated by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010)who argue that social media augments the shopping experience.

The ASOS Life site is a really good website. You could go on this and forget that they sellclothes [y] the blogs and the fashion inspiration [y] it’s a strong thing for them to do [y]it adds value [y] I would feel satisfied even though I hadn’t bought anything.

In the current study, “social media” was found to enhance the experience of thee-shopper through the provision of entertainment (6.1).

4.2.3 Theme 7. Magazine. As well as their social media advances, ASOS offer amonthly magazine that is available online and direct to the door of a consumer. In thisstudy, value was added onto the ASOS experience of the participants, who extractedfashion inspiration from accessing the magazine. “Inspiration” (7.1) is therefore theeffect of the theme “magazine”.

4.2.4 Theme 8. Style advice. During the in-depth interview process, part of theprojective technique task asked participants to consider the addition of a styling noteto the normal ASOS product screen layout. The “style advice” theme resulted in a widerange of different effects, suggesting that it is the combination of a utilitarian andhedonic experience that is now necessary to achieve beneficial results and e-retailsuccess. Participants highlighted three particular hedonic affects that occurred as aresult of this theme, “inspiration” (8.1), “visualisation” (8.2) and “enjoyment” (8.3) as aresult of the pleasing and satisfying experience that the provision of style advicecreates, participants felt that they would then stay longer on the site. The mostsignificant effects for e-retailers that occurred as a result of this theme were “time spenton ASOS” (8.4), “informative help” (8.5) and thus “purchase intentions” (8.6). The abovedata illustrates that of all the “fashion information” themes, it is “style advice” that hasthe most positive benefits for ASOS, as it is the theme that successfully conveys bothhedonic and utilitarian value to the consumer, thus executing the ideal e-shoppingexperience ( Jayawardhena and Wright, 2009).

As seen from the results collected in this study, the inclusion of fashion informationin its various forms can kindle emotions and create feelings of excitement (Rowley,2009). The previous themes have created experiences that have been inspiring andenjoyable in their own right, regardless of any actual purchasing outcomes (Ha andStoel, 2009). These are elements that are indicative towards the creation of a hedonicexperience ( Jayawardhena and Wright, 2009). However, it is clear from the previousthemes that despite the provision of a hedonic e-shopping experience, vital effects suchas purchase and repatronage intentions are not raised unless consumers also recogniseutilitarian benefits.

5. DiscussionIt is evident from the interviews that the two elements create very different experiencesfor the consumer with regards to viewing fashion online, the first area functionalproduct viewing, allows the consumer to personalise how they view and interact withthe garment stimulating more utilitarian effects, whilst the second area, aestheticfashion information is driven by the retailer providing advice and information aboutthe products stimulating hedonic effects.

5.1 Functional product viewing discussionParticipants in this study were impressed by the IIT provided by ASOS and felt itenhanced the accessibility of the product and thus their confidence and trust, which led

34

JFMM16,1

to raised purchase intentions. The IIT on www.asos.com contributes only to autilitarian experience as it portrays enhanced efficiency and a greater sense of control;both of which being important to consumers (Park and Sullivan, 2009; Kim et al.,2007a). In this instance the hedonistic enjoyment that the literature argues consumerswill feel and respond positively too as a result if IIT (Cyr et al., 2009) is not present.Innovative and stimulating product viewing has been found to catalyst enjoyment,which denotes the provision of hedonic value in an online shopping experience(Kim et al., 2007b; Cyr et al., 2009). The catwalk represents a particularly innovative useof IIT producing the only hedonic effect within product viewing. Participants viewedthe catwalk as an interactive viewing function which allowed consumers to seemovement of the garments, allowing better assessment of fit, colour and fabric. Thecatwalk function was viewed very positively, not only making viewing the productmore enjoyable, but also increasing purchase intent. Despite participants currentlyfinding the ASOS website useful as a result of the control they have over their purchase(Hernandez et al., 2009), ASOS must begin to develop their existing catwalk as aproduct viewing method and also innovate further; to significantly increase the levelsof enjoyment needed to create the unforgettable online shopping experience.

5.2 Aesthetic fashion information discussionThe most significant area of aesthetic fashion information was “style advice”, whichproduced six effects, half of which were hedonic illustrating a clear rise in theappreciation of hedonic value when shopping online (Jayawardhena and Wright, 2009).The provision of trend information formulates the main crux of aesthetic fashioninformation as is recorded in the literature (Rowley, 2009). This is an area that canstimulate emotions and induce feelings of excitement which are important factors inthe provision of a hedonic experience (Rowley, 2009; Jayawardhena and Wright, 2009).The “trend information”, “social media” and “magazine” themes illustrate that ASOSare successfully appealing to and satisfying the more lucrative hedonic consumer.E-shoppers that actively seek fashion information or brand involvement and locatehedonic value in an experience are considered a far more stable consumer base foronline fashion retailers (Park and Sullivan, 2009). The above data collected indicatesthat aesthetic fashion information is particularly affective for online fashion retailerswhen conveyed in a manner that permits consumers to recognise both utilitarian andhedonic value. This is confirmed by academic literature that simply providing asingularly hedonic or utilitarian experience is no longer enough to retain satisfiedand loyal consumers (Liu and Forsythe, 2010). The aesthetic fashion informationelements must therefore be actively used by ASOS alongside the functional productviewing features that convey utilitarian value to encourage spending and sustaine-retailing success.

6. Conclusion and implicationsThis paper focuses on identifying the web experience elements that aid the interactionbetween the consumer and fashion garments online. Although many researchers haveinvestigated product viewing online, with the growing nature of technology meansadvancements and improvements can always be made online. Two elements have beenidentified; functional product viewing and aesthetic fashion information online and theeffects and influence of the areas have been explored. Researchers have yet to uncoverhow product viewing and fashion information impacts on young consumer shoppingbehaviours. The most successful fashion retailer will seek to understand how these

35


online

elements influence those consumers shopping experience to capitalise on potentialprofit or growth opportunities. A clear understanding of how these young womenperceive these viewing elements is crucial in designing the correct web experience thatdelivers both utilitarian and hedonic value to the consumer.

The study first sought to examine how consumers view garments online and thereare two distinct methods, the first is functional product viewing. It was evident thatthese functional cues cater for users’ utilitarian needs, narrowing down the shoppingprocess, allowing the consumers to select what garment they want to view, how theywant to view it (zoom and multiple views), view the garment moving on the catwalkand the product specifics. With regards to the functional product viewing cues,participants centred distinctly upon the utilitarian elements such as greater levels ofcontrol and the ease and convenience that comprehensive product viewing can provide(Hernandez et al., 2009). An interesting finding is that the functional elements are nowexpected to be available to view garments online, with many participants emphasisingnot only the importance but necessity of these features when making a purchase. Thisfinding provides valuable information for online fashion retailers as the technologicalfeatures that help shoppers inspect the product not only influences the shoppersoverall experience, making it easier for them to shop but it also increases intention tobuy online. With regards to the TAM the importance of the “usefulness”, “eases of use”and “enjoyment” factors have been manifested by their strong association with overallsatisfaction of adopting the online channel (Monsuwe et al., 2004; Hirst and Omar,2007). It is evident that the young consumers which took part in this study had fullyintegrated the internet into their lives, viewing websites to search for informationefficiently as well as for entertainment purposes.

Another method and area that has been identified in this study for interacting withproduct online is through aesthetic fashion information. According to Hulme (2009)young consumers are moving towards a more visual right-brain orientated society,developing characteristics of being visually literate and visual-spatial skills. Theyoung generation have grown up viewing and interacting with televisions, mobilephones, computers and the web and have learnt to convey information in a visualformat. Retailers that target young consumers need to provide a variety of methodsto convey aesthetic fashion information about products to these visually literateconsumers. Style advice can be provided to consumers online, via blogs, product pages,look books and in many other forms. As seen in the discussion of this theme, it has thepotential to be highly lucrative and should not be overlooked. The participants in thisstudy found the aesthetic fashion information not only inspiring but also enjoyable andentertaining. Shopping enjoyment can be directly linked to time spent shopping, asrecreational e-shoppers have been found to spend a greater amount of time shopping(Kang and Park-Poaps, 2010). Participants in this study confirmed that style advice ona fashion website would make them spend more time online and increase theirpurchase intention. Participants shopped on the ASOS to retrieve fashion information,for both interest in fashion and trends or advice, style pages were viewed forinspiration. Table II illustrates that a key hedonic effect of this theme is “visualisation”.This implies that having the styling note on a product page creates a variation of a “trybefore you buy” atmosphere which further immerses the consumer in their onlineshopping experience and allows them to obtain greater control over the item ( Joneset al., 2010). This energises the shopper which leads to enjoyment and consequentlyenhanced sales, closer business to consumer relationships and brand loyalty ( Joneset al., 2010). Despite the growing popularity of internet shopping it is still an area

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plagued with a degree of uncertainty and mistrust (Mintel, 2010). Both the resultsof this study and the literature imply that “style advice” is an area that can be usedto overcome that problem and create an enhanced online shopping experience thatpermits ASOS to stand above the competitive crowd and drive their business forward;two elements that are critical in today’s hectic online fashion marketplace.

“Social media” is another area within aesthetic fashion information that has beenuncovered from the data. This is perhaps unsurprising just under half of all 16-24 yearolds (44 per cent) have a social network profile (Hulme, 2009). Currently, social media isa highly useful marketing design tool for ASOS as it provokes entertainment, which isan extremely positive hedonic affect as it can lead to benefits such as positive word ofmouth and intent to return ( Jayawardhena and Wright, 2009). It is important to thinkabout the values of young consumers and how they influence behaviour. Overall,clothing can be viewed as a social tool in the lives of young people (Piacentini andMailer, 2004), therefore by creating a community on the ASOS site consumers can haveinteractive engagement with content and with their peer group. Hulme (2009) revealedthat young consumers tend to be more explorative and participative in use of differentmedia, particularly the internet. ASOS are providing aesthetic fashion information totheir clientele by deploying a multitude of innovative methods and a recommendationfor them would be to utilise other media mediums such as social networks and mobilephones to interact, offer information and build relationships with consumers.

7. Limitations, directions for future researchIn conclusion, this study provides an examination into the complex area of interactionwith garments online and its link to fashion-related consumer behaviour. This studymakes an important contribution to the literature to date, and raises additionalquestions for future research. Product viewing and fashion information is one smallaspect of the web experience; however, an important area as it is the interactionbetween the garments and the consumers. Future research may examine how multi-channel retailers can synergise key areas of garment interaction such as conveyingtrends and style advice and the effects that has on attitude and behaviour. Futureresearch may investigate the effect of aesthetic fashion information online and offlineon customer’s behavioural responses to multi-channel shopping. Clearly, while thisstudy begins to unpack the effects of functional product viewing and aesthetic fashioninformation for young consumers, areas such as social media and community as wellas style advice are still fairly new and constantly expanding areas of fashion websites,pointing to the need for additional research on this growing demographic group andtheir fashion consumption behaviour.

It is important to note that due to the nature of the study, there are a number oflimitations; however, they do not hinder or detract from the conclusions that have beenreached. The study was conducted in the UK using only British participants thereforethe findings are not applicable to the broader international markets. The data werecollected from only female participants; therefore the findings are not applicable to themale demographic. ASOS sell fashion for men so it would be interesting to conduct asimilar study using a male sample. The participants were all between the ages of 18-24,therefore the findings are not applicable to a mature demographic; however, howmature consumers interact with garments online is also important therefore aninvestigation of that market would be an interesting area of research. It is alsoimportant to note that ASOS are a rapidly growing highly innovative company andchanges have been made to the site even since the beginning of this study. In light of

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this it would be interesting to study them again in a years’ time to record furtherdevelopments and explore what affect they may have had. This research method forthis study was qualitative, a quantitative study could further valid the findings.Research in the above areas would serve to support and further expand the findingsmade in this study.

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Further reading

Kim, H. and Niehm, L.S. (2009), “The impact of website quality on information quality, valueand loyalty intentions in apparel retailing”, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 23 No. 3,pp. 221-33.

Rokeach, M. (Ed.) (1979) Understanding Human Values: Individual and Societal, The Free Press,New York, NY.

About the authorsDr Helen McCormick is a Lecturer in Fashion E-tailing at the University of Manchester. Herresearch specialism is the fashion online shopping environment, with a particular focus onInteractive E-marketing used by fashion online retailers. Her interest is in exploring fashionretail’s development, with particular interest in technology development, interactivity,entertainment and experience. Her current research is investigating fashion retailers’ use offashion apps on smart phones and tablets. Helen McCormick is the corresponding author andcan be contacted at: [email protected]

Charlotte Livett graduated from Manchester University in 2010 with an MSc in InternationalFashion Retailing, Multichannel Management. She had previously gained a degree in EnglishLiterature from the same university. She has worked for Nicole Farhi and ASOS and her currentrole is Online Marketing Assistant at Jaeger.

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Analysing the influence of the presentation of fashion garments on young consumers' online behaviour

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