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Facing the Rising Consumer Sophistication: Identifying the Factors that Influence Chinese Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Customized Apparel

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Chinese Consumers and the Fashion Market

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Fashion Business ((SSFB))

Abstract

Consumers’ desire for novelty and uniqueness drives consumers to consistently seek new products that differentiate them from others. New goods are purchased frequently and disposed of quickly by consumers, which provide a short-term experience of novelty and newness but increase landfill wastes. Apparel customization provides consumers with an option to create their own personalized clothing items, which can increase product longevity because it results in personal attachment from customized styles and well-fitted garments. The study investigated the influence of shopping motivations and perceived enjoyment on consumer intention to purchase customized apparel for Chinese consumers. By applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study considers that engaging in customization is not only from an individual’s values and self-interest, but also from social values. An online survey was conducted with 321 Chinese consumers. The SEM analysis results indicate the three shopping values (adventure shopping, idea shopping, and achievement shopping) significantly influence the intention to purchase customized apparel products in an indirect way, and the significant effect of perceived enjoyment on the intention toward apparel customization is also confirmed. Further, the mediating effects of TPB components were also confirmed among Chinese participants. This study highlights the role of shopping values and perceived enjoyment on the adoption of apparel customization and provides guidance for the retailers and marketers who provide apparel customization services in the Chinese market.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Textiles, Apparel Design, & Merchandising, College of Agriculture, Louisiana State University, 143 Human Ecology, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Chunmin Lang

  2. Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University, 234A Hemenway Annex, Framingham, MA, 01701, USA

    Ruirui Zhang

  3. Textile and Apparel Management, University of Missouri, 137 Stanley Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Li Zhao

Authors
  1. Chunmin Lang
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  2. Ruirui Zhang
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  3. Li Zhao
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Correspondence to Chunmin Lang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    Yingjiao Xu

  2. Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

    Ting Chi

  3. The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

    Jin Su

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Lang, C., Zhang, R., Zhao, L. (2018). Facing the Rising Consumer Sophistication: Identifying the Factors that Influence Chinese Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Customized Apparel. In: Xu, Y., Chi, T., Su, J. (eds) Chinese Consumers and the Fashion Market. Springer Series in Fashion Business. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8429-4_1

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