Fashion Consumer Behavior - Essay Example

Consumer Behavior of Fashion Consumers Consumer behavior of those people who fall under the category of teenagers are usually the ones who are most active when it comes to buying products that are under the aegis of fashion accessories and the related items that come along with the same. This is because the teenagers and essentially the youth is the primary audience for purchasing fashion items, which are an instant hit amongst people of such ages. The fashion consumers believe that class and style are some of the most significant aspects when it comes to buying what they eventually seek to purchase. They are of the view that fashion is not a long-lasting entity and hence it should be treated as such because it wears out with the passage of time. The consumers are thus looking at plugging the gaps that have arisen within the short term, and not completely relying on what they need for the long term suiting needs as concerns to their attire, their bodies and so on. The fashion consumers are very image conscious and therefore try their best to remain in line with the growing needs of the time. They have a competitive rivalry with the peers that they hang out with and thus want to look at their very best on a day to day basis. Hence such consumers usually manifest both spending patterns as well as time to find out the best possible attire, jewelry and accessories so that they can remain one step ahead of the people in the related societal domains. The fashion conscious consumers are usually tempted to see clothing and accessories when the same are donned by their favorite celebrities on different media forms and hence it is their urge to look like them and be a class of their own. It is their temptation to look different yet in a way have a distinctive class which makes them look unique. They want to be felt as the most fashion conscious teenagers around and hence the reason that they adopt fashion which is extraordinary yet classy, at the same time. The celebrities play a very important role at highlighting the exact link as concerns to consumer behavior and especially when these consumers are young adults and teenagers. It gives them the outlet to express their own selves in a way which is closely associated with the celebrities and hence asks of them to look like them, yet in a way different from others instantaneously. Consumer behavior of such teenagers is therefore on the change always and it makes them look and feel very different on nearly all occasions. There is a need to comprehend the fact that consumer behavior understandings of the youth are the most difficult to manage, since these are always changing for one reason or the other. The trends and fads keep on amending, adding and modifying and hence it is important to decipher all these aspects in an important way. The consumers outside the group of these teenagers feel that these consumers are wasting their parents’ hard earned money and hence they should not be doing as such. They should rather spend this money elsewhere – in things which have a better return than mere clothes which fade out with the passage of time, and in their respective cases, quite quickly. There is a certain amount of truth present within the reckoning of the people who hail outside this group yet one must believe that the youth is usually on the go and always wants to enjoy life the best it can. It wants to portray itself in a manner that brings out the best possible image and that this is something very important to their respective domains. The youth wants others to know that it is in line with the changing trends and appeals of the time so that it could manifest its truest basis time and again. There is a requirement to see things in a proper perspective and for that to happen, it is always significant to study the finer points related with the consumer behavior of kids, teenagers and younger adults. This is so said because these people have fast cash – they like to spend quickly and do not believe in saving at all. They would rather do errands to make sure that their fashion related needs are met in a proper manner – a fact which has been evidenced in a number of youngsters in the modern times. Consumer behavior is a very vast sub-field within the marketing domains and hence its understanding is required by the people who run the business of meeting the consumer needs on a regular basis. The consumers are usually very finicky when it comes to choosing items off the shelves yet it is important for them to run after brands which are supported and endorsed by their favorite celebrities, sportspersons, singers and so on. One should believe that consumer behavior then is a very simple game – in essence it is not. The consumers want return for their money (Carlson 1994). This return could be in the form of value for money, whereby they would ask for long-lasting nature of the product that they have bought. The element of durability is one that comes under its direct folds. Then again, they can also ask for image stability which is provided by certain brands to the people who are seriously image conscious and cannot live without competing on the tangent of image and identity. What is even more interesting is the fact that such consumers are very hard to satisfy when the talk goes out loud concerning shifting to a brand which is not of their liking. Brand switching is one aspect that fails to come about in a successful way and hence the brands that seek to have a share of heart on the part of these consumers have a tough time. They constantly need to fight on a regular basis and for that they incur heavy advertising and marketing costs. The field of entertainment is tied in closely with the discussion on consumer behavior of teenagers who are always unwilling to make a compromise. Since they are finicky and very choosy, it is imperative that they take a leaf out of the book of the celebrities and all those people who come on television, appear on billboards, and are a part of the print advertisements and so on. The television is indeed one of the killer instincts when it comes to finding out what is hot and what is not within the fashion industry and this segment is easily held a close eye by the audience which holds the greatest attention for the same. The entertainment industry is always on the rising trend, a fact that is understood and agreed upon by nearly all nations of the world. The global celebrities are some of the highest earners of revenue through advertising and endorsement costs all over the world. This is because they easily tap the market of the young consumers, who are essentially within their teens and thus it is easy to exploit them and their related buying habits (Rosen 1995). A tee shirt worn by a famous singer of a world famous band is going to have repeat purchases of the same tee shirt at the outlet that endorsed the product in the first place. Also this artist would reap rich dividends from the endorsement that he has done at a particular point in time. This indeed is a huge strategic game if seen within the proper contexts. Therefore fashion consumers all over the world lack the basic essence of understanding and weighing in the good and the bad points. This is because it is difficult for them to decipher the exact role of spending in their money in the right direction or the complete lack thereof. In the time and age of today, it is very quintessential that fashion consumers know what they are spending within and how long does a relevant fashion will last so that they could fulfill their temptations to look good and thus stand out in a league of their own. All said and done, the fashion consumers are increasing with each passing day and there is absolutely no way under which they can be curtailed. What is best that can be done is to tell these consumers what kinds of gaps they must fill in order to cut back on their spending regimes and thus save money for the days when they need this money the most. They must learn to save money now in order to be good fund managers in the coming times. It is obvious that this is their own money which they need to save and hence they are doing their own selves a great favor if they do so. Therefore consumer behavior is a much diversified field and it must be understood in a manner that brings out the best possible results for the sake of the consumers in the end. Bibliography CARLSON, Les. (1994). Family Communication Patterns and Marketplace Motivations, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Children and Mothers. Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 28 ROSEN, Larry. (1995). Adult and Teenage Use of Consumer, Business, and Entertainment Technology: Potholes on the Information Superhighway? Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 29 Word Count: 1,507 Read More