Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

Power Dressing And Its Importance In Modern Democracy, Mansiben R. Patel, Dr. Catherine Amoroso Leslie

Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences

This research aimed to study the significance of Power Dressing in a modern democracy, by exploring the dynamics of clothing concerning the power it portrays for women holding influential positions in public office in a variety of countries throughout the world. This research accomplished its motive by collecting, reviewing, and analyzing scholarly articles, academic journals, newspapers, and current events which formed the foundation for data collection using a survey developed by the researchers. The analysis provided a platform for procuring knowledge of the association between Fashion and Politics, the concept of Women’s Power Dressing, and its significance in a modern …

Consumer Shift: Examining Female Generation Y Consumers’ Activewear Consumption, Lauren Laporte

LSU Master's Theses

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a change to standard consumption patterns as consumers began prioritizing health and wellness, working remotely, and made a switch from material-based consumption practices to an experiential-value-based consumption mindset. Additionally, Covid-19 brought economic downturns, loss of jobs, and supply chain issues. Consequently, the activewear market demonstrated unclear results making it necessary to understand trends within the activewear market while also understanding consumer motivations to wear or not to wear activewear during these societal shifts. This research paper aims it’s focus on female members of Generation Y, a popular and growing market for activewear. …

Shaping Millennials’ Attitudes Towards Luxury Brands In International Cities: The Case Of Abu Dhabi, Zeina Mazloum

BAU Journal - Society, Culture and Human Behavior

This study aims to investigate the impact of two intrinsic motives (perceived self-identity and perceived self- status) and two other extrinsic motives (celebrities and social media presence) on millennials' attitudes towards luxury brands; ultimately reflecting on their buying intention. Illustrated through a conceptual framework model, results reveal that intrinsic motives strongly influence millennials' attitudes while extrinsic motives slightly influence their attitudes towards luxury brands; both resulting in molding millennials' buying intention correspondingly.

Empowering Elderpreneurs Scommerce For Genx Consignment Store Owners In West Virginia, Joyita Sarkar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In an ever-evolving digital landscape, this research explores Generation X (GenX) consignment store owners in West Virginia and the transformative power of Social commerce (sCommerce). Despite the ubiquity of Social media platforms, little attention has been given to the impact of sCommerce on the consignment store industry. Drawing from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT), this study examines the factors influencing sCommerce adoption decisions for GenX consignment store owners.

Through qualitative research, this study uncovers untold stories within this entrepreneurial landscape. Purposeful sampling of 11 women and 20-60 minutes of in-depth interviews reveal the …

Brides And Bridal Stores: Online Or Brick-And-Mortar, Libby C. Jones, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper explores the growing global bridal industry and the different trends, traditions, and aspects of specific countries' bridal industries. It outlines western and eastern traditions and how globalization contributes to their spread. A deeper focus is dedicated to the United States' bridal industry and the issues brick-and-mortar bridal boutiques face as more brides have started shopping at online bridal stores. The relationship between brick-and-mortar and online bridal stores is explored based on various propositions about the bridal industry's emerging challenges. These propositions include trust issues in the retail environment, convenience, selection of bridal gowns in different retail formats, incorporating …

The Forces Changing U.S. Shopping Behavior, Dinesh K. Gauri

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

The future of retail is all about catering to the consumer. To survive retail’s newest challenge, retailers must understand what’s shaping consumer demand.

Marketing Activity Influences On Brand Attractiveness & Loyalty, Keiondre' Mcallister

McNair Scholars Research

While selecting a specific brand could seem simple, many variables are considered. Consumers must trust that the chosen brand meets their needs by providing value. Value differs for everyone; however, four value pillars within the value creation pyramid could explain which value attracts the consumer most to a brand. These value elements will be explored to explain consumer preferences.

Apparel Students' Perception Of Denim Quality In Relation To Price And Brand, Karli Haws

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to evaluate apparel students’ perception of quality in denim jeans based on the influences of price and brand. The following research objectives were developed:

1. To determine if apparel students’ perceptions of garment quality are affected by price and brand.

2. To determine how apparel students perceive quality in a garment.

3. To determine if price and brand are indicators of quality to apparel students.

Consumers Perception Of Quality For Ladies' Swimwear Based On Price And Brand, Jennifer Avila

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Consumers shop at multiple retailers for different needs. It is understood that many choose a retailer for an experience and others will shop at large discount retailer for the better savings aspect. These two retailers are constantly working on improving customer experience as well as trying to increase their sales. In a time where E-commerce is at an all-time high, these two retailers also need to consider how other retailers compare against them in different sales categories. Since March of 2020, the retail world shifted with COVID-19 disrupting the supply chain. As retailers solve ways to keep consumers content and …

How Do Virtual Social Media Influencers Affect Millennial And Gen Z Female Consumers’ Purchase Intention? A Comparison Of Fast Fashion Versus Luxury Fashion Brands, Lauren Bouvier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the emergence and increasing prevalence of social media, the effectiveness of social media influencers (SMIs) is apparent in today’s fast-paced life. Virtual social media influencers (VSMIs), computer-generated influencers with a real human appearance, have gained popularity. The purpose of this study is to examine important VSMI’s characteristics that affect brand image and trust which lead to purchase intention (fast fashion vs. luxury fashion brand). Social exchange theory and source credibility model were adopted to develop a theoretical framework for the present study. Two Instagram ads were developed that included the post’s image and corresponding caption: VSMI endorsing H&M and …

A Closer Look At Csr Practices In Sustainable Fashion: A Guideline For Apparel Brands, Elline Deogracias, Tracie Tung, Natale Zappia

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

While it might be greenwashing that impedes consumers' eco-consumption, the researchers posit that this gap is also due to fashion brands’ weak CSR communication and inconsistent understanding of CSR activities. This study aims to 1) determine the ease with which consumers can navigate sustainable fashion brand websites to find corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, and 2) construct a framework that clearly identifies CSR activities, CSR dimensions, and the business operation stages at which they occur. Website content analyses were conducted on 27 sustainable fashion brands in the United States to investigate their CSR activities. A framework was proposed to better …

The Impact Of Verified (Unverified) Online Product Consumer Reviews On Consumer Product Attitudes, Kathryn Cort Dr., Roland Leak Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Customer product reviews are an integral component for companies conducting e-commerce, enabling them to stay connected and engaged with their consumers. However, more important these reviews are being utilized and incorporated into the marketing plans of companies. Companies can use a mixture of verified and unverified purchase badges in their displayed product reviews. This study finds that as customers are provided with this additional information to help form impressions about the products they are reviewing, customers' need for cognition ultimately determines how they utilize the presence or absence of these badges.

What's In A Name? Public Perceptions Of Multi-Level Marketing, Robert A. Peterson, Jeffrey A. Peterson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of the American public’s general familiarity with, and perceptions of, multi-level marketing, direct selling, and social selling. Survey respondents were most familiar with direct selling; there was no substantive difference in familiarity with multi-level marketing and social selling. Respondents familiar with the three terms possessed perceptions of them that were significantly more positive than were the perceptions of respondents reporting not being familiar with the terms. Across all terms, male respondents reported being more familiar with, and more positively disposed toward, them than did female respondents. Respondents 55 years of age …

Fashion And Sustainability: Consumption And Shared Responsibility, Jie Gao Fowler, Timothy Reisenwitz, Rongwei Chu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Indulgence in fashion has been indispensable in modern societies, as it is a crucial device for self-image and identity construction. With the advanced technology and globalization of production, the fashion industry has skewed towards fast fashion, making the latest trends available to mass consumers at affordable prices. This research aims to examine how Chinese consumers perceive sustainable consumption in the context of fashion. We endeavor to explore the factors that influence the engagement of sustainable consumption. This study aims not to argue whether sustainable fashion should mobilize or replace the current fashion system but to provide evidence on consumers' perception …

Goodwill Going Green: How Green Branding Can Generate $1m In Revenue, Elia Meltzer, Esha S. Vartak, William M. Crone, Ryan T. Richards

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Goodwill Industries is a nonprofit organization. Not only do they specialize in charity work, but they also have a chain of stores that focus on thrift shopping. Additionally, Goodwill provides other services, such as recycling clothing, electronics, and other goods. Recently, Goodwill of Akron, Ohio received a grant of five million dollars, where the money for the grant would have to be utilized in five years. The main objective of this project was to find a way for Goodwill to use grant money efficiently, to generate revenue for a new transportation initiative.

Our team has recommended utilizing the most popular …

Small And Micro Business Resources In The Post-Pandemic Period: A Perspective From Local Bridal Boutique Businesses In West Virginia, Ishtehar Sharif Swazan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In widely dispersed small communities, local and regional businesses dominate West Virginia, an eastern state of the United States in the Appalachian Mountains where small and micro businesses constitute 98.9% of all businesses and contributes 49.1% of the state’s total employment. These businesses create jobs, help build a strong financial position for the state, and promote community-building and social activities. These businesses are unique as they sustain themselves while competing with national and regional retail chains and carving out a customer for themselves. However, the damage caused by the spread of Covid-19 is having a devastating effect on the small …

The Faculty Recruitment-Retention Connection: A Strategic Linkage Approach, Mary Mobley, Richard Easley

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is clear about the worsening shortage of doctoral qualified faculty. It is the proposition of this paper that business schools should consider evaluating and perhaps reinvigorating recruitment strategies in both the short- and intermediate-term, as well as developing marketing management strategies that will help alleviate business faculty shortages in the long-term. Strategic marketing guidance is set forth in this paper with a focus on the development and institutionalization of managerial linkages between recruitment-retention connections. Our major premise is that leadership robustness is needed relative to the construction and implementation of strategic …

Victoria's Secret, Rachel M. Granger

Journalism

Founded on June 12th, 1977 in San Francisco, CA by husband Roy Raymond and wife Gaye, Victoria's Secret has grown to become a renowned company in the fashion industry with a cult following for its lingerie, loungewear, activewear, and beauty products (Victoria's Secret, 2021).

Victoria's Secret aims to develop customer loyalty and an exceptional consumer experience through their high quality, sophisticated, and sexy products that appeal to every consumer's taste and budget with a variety of price points: bras from $19-$150, loungewear $29-$200, activewear from $20-100, and beauty products from $10- $21 (Victoria's Secret, 2021). Their products are designed "by …

Beauty And Lifestyle Subscription Services: A Modern Retailing Format For The Vigilante Collaborative Consumption Consumer, Melisa Spilinek

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Advancements in technology and ease of use of online shopping via phone applications (apps) and subscription services have fundamentally changed how consumers shop. Now more than ever, consumers are turning to time-saving technological tools that are subscription services. Subscription services provide a multitude of benefits to consumers and contribute to collaborative consumption in nearly every product and service category from coffee to apparel. To investigate beauty and lifestyle subscription services and collaborative consumption this study will utilize a mixed methods convergent design to analyze user experience including price sensitivity, subscription service apps and ease of use. Anticipated contributions to the …

Driving Sustainable Change In The Fashion Industry, Christina Pasqualicchio

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

Climate change is a threat to global sustainable development and the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. This thesis explores how fast fashion and consumerism have contributed to an overabundance of clothing, an increase in greenhouse gases, fibers and fabrics that don’t disintegrate properly, and water pollution; all of which create negative environmental and social issues. Through detailing each of these problems, it can be seen that there needs to be internal changes within the fashion industry and external changes made by consumers. In order to create these changes, the fashion industry needs to adjust …

Ethical Use Of Beauty In Advertising, Koca Chan

Honors Theses and Capstones

The use of beauty images in advertising has been generally deemed to be unethical in society, based on the general negative presupposition in modern western culture. The ethicalness of the display of high standards of beauty in advertisements is especially controversial and questionable in the advertising industry. Advertising watchdogs, social groups, and individuals have investigated the possibility of banning the display of high standards of beauty to be displayed in advertisings and publications. This paper argues that image advertising of high beauty standards may not be necessarily unethical in all situations. And under certain conditions, by considering and combining image(s) …

Influence Of Convenience, Time-Savings, Price, And Product Variety On Amazon Prime Members And Non-Prime Shoppers’ Online Apparel Purchase Intention, Md Rashaduzzaman

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The number of internet users and online shoppers in the United States has grown at an incredible rate over the past few decades. Greater convenience and availability of a wide assortment of apparel products at a cheaper price made online shopping very enticing to consumers. Amazon.com (Amazon) gained unprecedented popularity among consumers with its Amazon Prime program. Amazon’s retail revolutions changed consumer’s way of shopping and expectations. Both online and physical store retailers are facing tremendous pressure to fulfill that level of expectation. Thus, it is essential for retailers clearly understand the shopping expectations and preferences of Amazon Prime members …

The ‘Store Of The Future’ In Popular Culture: Trends In Press Coverage Of Experiential Retailing, David Loranger, Marla Greene

WCBT Faculty Publications

Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the global retail market has witnessed massive demographic and technological changes that have re-defined consumer experience. Such changes include the rise of the millennial consumer cohort, and the introduction of retailers implementing enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) data methodology to analyse business, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance experience and co-customization interfaces. Two seminal pieces of literature regarding consumer experience are Ballantine and Parson’s analysis of consumer experience factors and Pine and Gilmore’s (1999) Experience Economy. However, these studies were conducted nearly a decade ago, leaving a void in the …

The Role Of Social Media And Social Networking As Marketing Delivery Systems For Preventive Health Care Information, Joe Cangelosi, David Kim, Ken Griffin, Ed Ranelli

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The use of social media and social networking (SM&N) is prevalent in health care. Through social media, individuals can access information to enhance their overall health and well-being. Given that prevention is crucial to a long healthy life, as well as restraining escalating health care costs, this study offers insights into the types of social media and networking platforms that health care consumers consider most important, especially with regard to obtaining Preventive Health Care Information (PHCI). Further, it goes on to identify the demographics of persons who consider social media and social networking platforms as most important. This research used …

The History And Evolution Of The Market For ‘Delebs’ (Dead Celebrities), Denver D'Rozario, Guang Yang

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In this paper, we survey the history behind the growing market for dead celebrities (‘Delebs’) in their role of creating secondary brand associations. According to some estimates, this market is now worth $2.25 billion in annual licensing and royalty revenues (CBC 2013). We begin, by defining key terms that are used in this market. Next, we do a survey and analysis of the major events that have given rise (intentionally or unintentionally) to this market. For ease of discussion, we discuss these historical events grouped by era. We follow this with a summary of the major events and trends that …

Online Advertising And Consumer Behavior In Tunisia, Rabeb Hamdi, Romdhane Khemakhem

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The aim of this study was to present new mediating and moderating variables in the relationship between online advertising and purchase intention as well as visiting the store. Therefore, a qualitative study of 17 Tunisian Internet users was conducted (semi-structured interview). Results showed that the lifestyle change and the disposition to visit the store are the mediating variables between these consequences and electronic advertising (purchase intention and visiting the store). Furthermore, the involvement with the product is the moderating variable between e-advertising and lifestyle change, including disposition to visit the store.

Fashion Brand Love: Application Of A Cognition–Affect–Conation Model, Tae-Im Han, Dooyoung Choi

STEMPS Faculty Publications

A large numbers of studies have supported the crucial role of brand love in consumer–brand relationships; however, research that examines fashion brand love and its relationship with cognitive aspects and self-concept congruency remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify important factors that are associated with fashion brand love. A questionnaire in which participants provided self-reported responses was created to measure the constructs and structural equation modeling (SEM) and independent sample t-tests were conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. Our results indicated that consumers who know more about fashion brands are more likely to have stronger emotional …

Antecedents Of Apparel Subscription Box Choice: Understanding Predictors To Use Apparel Subscription Service, Md Abdullahil Kafi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the rise of online shopping apparel merchandising and retailing has experienced tremendous reformation. In this regard, the online apparel subscription services have become an important trend in a global retailing context. In the U.S. apparel subscription service retailers reported that the market grew by more than 100 percent from 2013 to 2018 and it continues to grow steadily.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antecedents of online apparel subscription services, and to better understand consumers’ attitudes towards online subscription service items in the context of the extended Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Usage (UTAUT2). This …

Fashion Merchandising: An Augmented Reality, Naeha A. Sayed

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is a continuous and constant transformation in the field of Augmented Reality (AR), both in the Retail, and the Manufacturing sector. It has started to influence everything from fashion runway shows to online shopping. Consumers dynamics have shifted in the fashion industry, the ways becoming more dominant than the old observant ones- the simple buying experience no longer satisfies them. Due to the emergence of the new digital platforms and technological enhancements, the consumers are looking for more- be it a more exciting buying experience or more user interaction or more enhanced products. This technological change starts with the …

An Evaluation Of The Performance Of Leggings Based On A Consumer Survey, Virginia Elizabeth Groppo

Theses and Dissertations--Retailing and Tourism Management

The purpose of this research was to identify the legging features that athleisure consumers desire and the performance problems they frequently encounter. A non-probability sample (n=133) of college students who identified as female and wore leggings for non-athletic purposes were surveyed. The questionnaire was designed based upon examination of online product reviews and current complaints with legging products. The results of the survey were used to design and complete a laboratory evaluation. Laboratory samples and methods were then chosen to assess the performance qualities desired when purchasing leggings and the problems encountered when wearing leggings by the surveyed consumers. Three …