Young Australian consumers’ preferences for fashion apparel attributes

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of functional, hedonistic and ethical attributes of denim jeans attributes and the trade‐offs young adult Australian consumers made within these attributes when making a purchase decision.Design/methodology/approachA two‐stage mixed‐method approach was used to explore the importance of denim jeans attributes and the trade‐offs made within these attributes. First, focus groups were used to identify attributes that were important to young Australian adult consumers. In the second stage, conjoint analysis was used to estimate the relative importance of the product and ethical attributes that were identified in the focus groups and the trade‐offs made within this attribute set.FindingsFocus group participants identified style, price, brand, country of origin and ethics as attributes that they used to evaluate denim jeans. In the conjoint analysis respondents identified price as having the highest relative importance, followed by brand, country of origin, style and ethical attributes. It was clear multiple attributes were valued and, although the ethical attributes that were included were not as important as garment attributes, respondents appeared to make trade‐offs between garment and ethical attributes when purchasing denim jeans.Originality/valueThe paper identifies attributes of denim jeans that are valued by young Australian adult consumers. That product attributes were more important than ethical attributes suggests a focus on ethical credentials may not be effective. Denim jeans are more likely to be purchased by young Australian adults if they are reasonably priced, made in Italy and have a designer brand.

The academic conceptualisation of ethical clothing

“…Others have assigned it a broader meaning by either conceptualising or operationalising it as comprising three dimensions. Symbolic of the academic confusion that reigns however, some academics have identified these as environmental responsibility, employee welfare and animal welfare (Carrington et al, 2010;Jegethesan et al, 2012;Raciniewska, 2014;Sneddon et al, 2014) while others have used environmental responsibility, ethical welfare and slow fashion instead (Gam et al, 2014;Goworek, 2011;Koszewska et al, 2013).…”

Role of denim and jeans in the fashion industry

“…Jegethesan et al (2012) agreed, noting that premium denim jean companies use marketing strategies that appeal to young adults. jeans above 130.00 USD) with superior fit and styling (Security and Exchange Commission, 2014b).…”

“…Consumers evaluate the aesthetics of premium denim jeans, but fit is a higher evaluative criterion (Jegethesan et al, 2012). Each denim company has its own measurement specifications: 'It comes into subtle nuances of the jeans.…”

Branded Versus Non-Branded: Differences in Consumer Preferences

“…Several studies have investigated the emotions that are elicited by unbranded products (especially food products) within a product category, showing that products elicit emotions for their specific sensory characteristics in absence of any other information (Porcherot et al, 2013;Spinelli et al, 2014;Thomson & Crocker, 2014). The literature includes some studies of the role of product attributes in the assessment of the alternatives when purchasing jeans (Jegethesan et al, 2012, Son et al, 2013.…”

“…In this respect, managing customer loyalty involves working with a bundle of attributes, with the brand name being only one of them (Jarvis et al, 2007). Some studies have tried to explain the relationship of consumption based on the attributes of the product (Ubilava et al, 2011;Jegethesan et al, 2012;Krystallis, 2013;Hahnel et al, 2014;Schuitema & De Groot, 2015).…”