Shopping orientation and online clothing purchases: the role of gender and purchase situation

摘要

Purpose - This paper seeks to investigate shopping orientation and online clothing purchases acrossrnfour different gender-related purchasing contexts. A conceptual model for understanding the impact ofrnshopping orientation on consumer online clothing purchase is proposed and tested both in a generalrnsetting and across purchasing contexts.rnDesign/methodology/approach - Questionnaires were distributed to 1,150 Danish householdrnaddresses by use of the "drop-off-call-back" survey method. A total of 441 households returned usablernresponses from either one or both adults in the household. Most adults provided responses withrnrespect to purchasing clothing for themselves and for their partner, making a total of 906 casesrndistributed across the four purchasing contexts. T-tests and linear structural equation modelling werernutilised to investigate expectations and hypotheses.rnFindings - The results support the expected differences in men's and women's shopping orientationsrnand willingness to purchase clothing online. On average, consumers indicate that reduced difficulty inrnselecting items is sorely needed when purchasing clothing online. However, when evaluated acrossrndifferent purchasing situations, perceived difficulty in selecting items is an important action barrierrnonly for women. Less fun significantly affected online clothing purchases for men purchasing clothingrnfor themselves, but not for women doing the same.rnResearch limitations/implications - Future research may seek to verify the proposed conceptualrnmodel using a range of specific clothing items across different purchasing situations. Future researchrnmay also expand the model by suggesting other influencing factors on consumers' online clothingrnpurchasing.rnPractical implications - In order to attract more men, online clothing retailers should improvernperceived online fun, whereas difficulty in selecting items should be reduced in order to attract morernwomen.rnOriginality/value - The study is unique in the sense that it investigates online clothing behaviourrnacross four different gender-related purchasing contexts.