Taiwanese male office workers: Selection criteria for business apparel purchase

Abstract

This study examines the selection criteria, country preference and people which influence Taiwanese male office workers' business apparel purchases in Taiwan. A partial model by Engel, Blackwell and Miniard (EBM) was used as the framework to indicate that the culture factor directly affects consumers' decision‐making process of purchase behaviour. A total of 232 questionnaires from male consumers in Taipei, Taiwan, were used for data analyses. Selection criteria, country preference and influential people were analysed by demographic variables including age, marital status, education, occupation, and yearly expenditure for business apparel purchase. Overall, the respondents ranked the selection criteria in order of descending importance as: fit, colour, price, style, quality, brand name, ease of care, fibre content and country. The order of country preference was rated first to last as: Taiwanese, Italian, US, French, British, Japanese, Hong Kong, German and Canadian. Individuals who influenced purchases were ranked as: my own opinion, wife or girlfriend, female friend, family member or other relative, male friend and salesperson. This research suggests that if foreign companies want to market to Taiwanese male consumers, they must develop appropriate strategies that help to change the domestic bias of the older males, or choose to appeal to younger males in hopes of developing long‐term brand loyalty. Additionally, the price strategies should be adjusted to be more competitive in Taiwan's marketplace. Meanwhile, fit and colour of apparel products may also need to be altered or modified in order to reach Taiwanese male consumers' demands.

An assessment of fit and sizing of men's business clothing

“…Huck et al (1997) define fit as “the relationship of the size of the garment compared with the size of the wearer” (p. 45). Several studies agree that both men and women rank fit as the most important clothing selection criteria (Hogge et al , 1988; Liu and Dickerson, 1999; Workman, 1991). If a garment does not fit to the wearer's standards, it will not be purchased.…”

“…When shopping, men are loyal to brands and stores, very price conscious, and usually choose comfort over fashion (Frith and Gleeson, 2004). Several studies agree that men ranked fit as the most important clothing selection criteria (Hogge et al , 1988; Liu and Dickerson, 1999). This study was conducted to determine how successfully ready‐to‐wear clothing currently on the market fits men from the USA.…”

Exploring consumers' fit perceptions and satisfaction with apparel fit in general

“…The above-mentioned research primarily studied female consumers' perceptions of fit and fit satisfaction. Men's buying behaviors and attitudes towards clothing in general have been found to be significantly different than those of women (Frith & Gleeson, 2004;Gravely, 1999;Liu & Dickerson, 1999;Moore, Doyle & Thomson, 2001). Many researchers have predominantly focused on female populations, not only because women have more varied body types and are more involved in shopping for clothing, but also because men are less interested in clothing (Kwon, 1997;Minshall, Winakor, & Swinney, 1982;Solomon & Schloper, 1982) and are less likely to go shopping for clothing (Crane, 2000;Nelson, 1989).…”

“…For the most part, female perception of fit in general and satisfaction with fit towards specific garments have been studied extensively during the past three decades, and both have been identified as a highly-ranked selection criteria for clothing (Hogge, Baer, & Dang-Park, 1988;Liu & Dickerson, 1999). However, there are no comparable studies of male consumers' perception of and satisfaction with apparel fit in general.…”

Designing office shirt: an integrated approach

“…From the study, researchers argued the most frequently used intrinsic information cues (the cues are part of the physical product itself) in these studies were style, fabric and fiber content, fit and color/design. In a research with Taiwanese male office workers, respondents ranked the selection criteria of business apparel in order of descending importance as: fit, color, price, style, quality, brand name, ease of care, fiber, content and country of origin (Liu and Dickerson, 1999).…”