Abstract
This article reports the exploratory results of a computer-based behavioral simulation that examines the role of social utility in fashion behavior. Social utility is defined as those benefits of a product or service that satisfy interpersonal needs (e.g., conformity, individuality relative to others). These exploratory results suggest that social utility is a prime determinate of fashion behavior, and that selected personality traits moderate behavioral responses to social influence in the fashion domain.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, Lewis R. (1963). “The Relationships of Dress to Selected Measures of Personality in Undergraduate Women,”Journal of Social Psychology 59: 119–128.
Baumgarten, Steven A. (1975). “The Innovative Communicator in the Diffusion Process,”Journal of Marketing Research, 12: 12–18.
Blumberg, Paul. (1974). “The Decline and Fall of the Status Symbol: Some thoughts on Status in a Post-Industrial Society,”Social Problems 21 (April): 480–498.
Davis, Leslie L., and Franklin G. Miller. (1983). “Conformity and Judgements of Fashionability,”Home Economics Research Journal 11 (June): 337–342.
DeLong, Marlyn R., Bettie Ninshall, and Kinley Larntz. (1986). “Predicting Consumer Response to Fashion Apparel,”Home Economics Research Journal 16 (December): 150–161.
Fishbein, Martin, and Icek Ajzen. (1975).Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing.
Green, Paul E., and V. Srinivasan. (1990). “Conjoint Analysis in Marketing: New Developments With Implications for Research and Practice,”Journal of Marketing 54 (October): 3–19.
Hyman, Herbert. (1960). “Reflections on Reference Groups,”Public Opinion Quarterly 24 (Fall): 383–396.
Kassarjian, Harold H. (1978). “Personality and Consumer Behavior: A Review.” In Kassarjian and Robertson, (eds.),Perspectives in Consumer Behavior. Scott Forscom.
McIntyre, Shelby, and Christopher M. Miller. (1991). “Measurement of Social Utility Constructs In the Fashion Domain,” Working Paper, Santa Clara University, May.
Midgley, David G. (1983). “Patterns of Interpersonal Information Seeking for the Purchase of a Symbolic Product,”Journal of Marketing Research 20 (February): 74–83.
Plott, Charles R. (1986). “Laboratory Experiments in Economics: The Implications of Posted Price Institutions,”Science 232 (May): 732–738.
Robinson, Dwight E. (1961). “The Economics of Fashion Demand,”Quarterly Journal of Economics 75 (August): 376–398.
Sirgy, M. Joseph. (1982). “Self-Concept in Consumer Behavior: A Critical Review,”Journal of Consumer Research 9 (Dec): 287–300.
Smith, Vernon L. (1986). “Experimental Methods in the Political Economy of Exchange,”Science 234 (October): 167–173.
Schrank, Holly L., and D. Lois Gilmore. (1973). “Correlates of Fashion Leadership: Implications for Fashion Process Theory,”The Sociological Quarterly 14: 534–543.
Stigler, George, and Gary S. Becker. (1977). “De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum,”American Economic Review 67 (2): 76–90.
Summers, John D. (1970). “The Identity of Women's Clothing Fashion Opinion Leaders,”Journal of Marketing Research 7: 117–185.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McIntyre, S.H., Miller, C.M. Social utility and fashion behavior. Marketing Letters 3, 371–382 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00993921
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00993921