An Research about Relationship among Fashion Life Style - Dissertation Example

?Research Proposal Introduction Consumer psychology and consumer purchase intentions have been of immense interest to marketers in recent times as consumer preferences and needs have evolved. It is no more sufficient to base marketing decision on consumer demographics. As consumer purchase intention has evolved it is posing challenges for the marketers. The key factors affecting consumer purchase intention, according to Jin and Kang (2011) include consumer’s individual characters, cultural factors, social factors and psychological characters (Jin & Kang, 2011). Beyond demographics, individual characters such as life style, value, personality and self concept impact consumer purchase intention (Chen, Hsu & Lin, 2010). Perception of Chinese Consumers The Chinese economy has grown at a very fast pace in the past decades resulting in a high number of affluent and middle class consumers (He, Zou and Jin, 2010). With phenomenal growth in the number of affluent households China has now become the third largest consumer market for luxury goods. However, the affluent consumers in China do not necessarily fall under one consumer segment. While different regions within China have consumers with different levels of affluence, the consumption behaviours of these consumers also vary. GEOLIA, the Fashion Brand GEOLIA, founded in 1985, is a ladies’ fashion brand headquartered in China. Their vision is to discover, to live and to share a fashionable and healthy lifestyle with their customers. They offer quality, trendy products at affordable prices and have easily accessible distribution network. Their customers comprise of ladies between mid-twenties to early thirties who are at that phase in their lives when values and lifestyle are cultivated. The brand aims to partner with their customers in grooming their personal styles both in fashion and everyday life. Brand GEOLIA is impressed upon the Chinese consumer’s mind as the friendly women’s apparel brand. Consumer Behaviour A consumer behavior model proposed by Hawkins et al (2004) reflects the effect of self concept and life style on consumer behavior. The self-concept and lifestyle influence the needs and desires; these needs and desires can be satisfied through consumption. Lifestyle involves multiple levels and it is determined by people’s individual characters, past experience and current condition. Lifestyle keeps changing with changes in the internal and external environment. As consumer fashion life style and self concept increases consumer purchase intention becomes more powerful (Ahmad et al., 2010). Consumer Purchase Consumer purchase has become a leisure activity and is used to enhance social status. This is based on the concept of the self and a material symbol of who a person is and how he/she would like to be known (Dittmar and Drury, 2000). Clothing and fashion are the medium through which people express their identity (Rathnayake, 2011). Fashion and clothing display how a person would like to, in other words, the person’s self concept. Self-concept Self concept has received considerable importance in marketing literature as it can significantly impact consumers’ decision making and product and brand choices (Ye, Bose and Pelton, 2012). The theory of self-concept suggests that consumers prefer products that are consistent with their self-image and hence the brand or product can enhance their self-image. The self-congruity theory suggests that the self-concept is dynamic and conflicting traits may exist in an individual’s self-concept. Fashion and Fashion Consciousness Fashion has been defined as “a way of behaving that is temporarily adopted by a discernible proportion of members of a social group because that chosen behavior is perceived to be socially appropriate for the time and situation” (Sproles cited in Chen, Shang and Lin, 2008). People like to be perceived as trendy and hence would follow the trend that the group follows. With the inclination to follow the fashion trend they may tend to neglect their own personal feelings and project as they would like to be seen by others. Fashion consciousness is “a person’s degree of involvement with the styles or fashion of clothing” (Rathanayake, 2012). Fashion consciousness is of great importance when examining the self-concept of fashion consumers. Purpose of Study Every individual has his/her own values, attitudes, beliefs and preferences towards fashion and clothing that influence purchase decisions. Theories of self-concept explain how identity is constructed through interaction with others (Rhee and Johnson, 2012). Self-concept also has several elements such as the actual self (how an individual this of himself), the ideal self (who an individual aspires to be) and the social self (who an individual thinks others believe they are). The self-concept and brand preference would differ depending upon the object. For instance, in the case of toothpaste, individuals prefer a brand that matches their actual self-concept. Purchase is no more restricted to age, gender, ethnicity and culture; people today have become conscious of the self, the self-image and the self-concept. They would like to identify themselves with a certain brand or product. The outcome of the study would hence benefit the marketers in the apparel fashion industry in devising the marketing mix depending on the association of the self-concept with a fashion brand. The consumption needs of the Chinese affluent consumers have been influenced not merely by socio-cultural, economic and environmental factors but also due to changes in their lifestyle. Changes in lifestyle influence the self-concept. The affluent consumer market of China has been receiving attention in marketing studies but there are very few empirical studies investigating the relationship between self-concept and consumer purchase intention. In the case of fashion clothing it is quite likely that consumers would like to purchase brands that match their social self as there is a tendency to conform to group norms and preferences. Research Aims & Objectives With the aim to assess how affluent female, young Chinese consumers relate to GEOLIA fashion brand and the three concepts of the self, the objectives of the study are: To review and synthesize literature on self-concept, fashion consciousness and consumer purchase intention To evaluate the fashion consciousness of Chinese affluent consumers To investigate the relationship between self-concept and fashion brand GEOLIA Research Question What is the relationship between self-concept and Chinese young female consumer’s purchase intention of GOELIA fashion brand? Main Concept and Theoretical Framework Hawkins et al. (2004) argue that self concept and life style has significant impact on consumer purchase behavior. They classify self concept into three dimensions including real self-concept, ideal self-concept and social self-concept. Surprisingly very few empirical studies have been conducted on the link between self-concept that young Chinese females have of themselves and how this is related to consumer purchase intention. Based on the research of Hawkins et al. (2004), Ahmad et al. (2010) and Rathnayake (2011), this dissertation argues that consumer selects fashion clothing and accessories depending upon how they would like to be seen. They hence would relate the fashion to either the real self-concept, ideal self-concept or social self-concept. This would influence participation in fashion activities and interest in things considered fashionable. This then promotes purchase intention for the products. Research Design & Methodology This is proposed to be a qualitative study as the intention is to understand the attitudes, opinions and beliefs of young Chinese female consumers towards Geolia. It is not necessary to know ‘how many’ and ‘how often’ and hence a quantitative study is not necessary. It is proposed to gather primary data for this study through qualitative survey questionnaire. Since Geolia is a local reputed brand in China, it is quite likely that young female Chinese consumers would generally be its consumers. Therefore, the questionnaire can be distributed at local clubs, at retail stores and at the Mall entrances. Questionnaire would be distributed personally as well as through the retail shops. At least ten different locations would be chosen to distribute the questionnaire and at least 100 questionnaires at each location would be kept/distributed. Help from friends would be taken so that the questionnaires are distributed at all the locations on the same day. The respondents would be asked to complete the questionnaire and drop them in drop-boxes kept at convenient locations. The respondents would be asked to complete the questionnaire while still at the store because if they are asked to drop it later it is likely that they misplace the questionnaire or altogether forget about it. The format of the questions would be kept simple so that respondents can easily understand them. To establish trust a token of appreciation would be provided in the form of entry into a contest for gift coupon. Research Analysis Primary data gathered will be presented in the form of charts and tables which would help to ascertain the different concepts that the young female Chinese consumers have of themselves. The questionnaire would derive inference pertaining to their perception of Geolia as a fashion brand. The outcome would then be corroborated with secondary data gathered from previous studies about consumers that engage in fashion purchasing. No statistical calculations would be used for analysis as this is a qualitative study which requires understanding the opinions and attitudes. Potential Limits of the Study Not too many consumers may be keen to participate in the study due to lack of time. It is difficult to know if the respondents would be able to interpret the questions as designed. To overcome this, questions would be framed both in English and Chinese. It is also likely that the respondents conceal the true responses and project responses as they would like to be known. Potential Conclusion It is expected that young female Chinese consumers associate the fashion brand Geolia with their social self. There is a tendency to project their image as they would like others to know who they are. Possibly this is how they relate with the Geolia brand. The outcome would help the marketers of fashion brands in China. References Ahmad, N., Omar, A. & Ramayah, T. (2010) "Consumer lifestyles and online shopping continuance intention", Business Strategy Series, Vol. 11 Iss. 4, pp.227 – 243 Chen, Y.C., Shang, R.A. & Lin, A. K. (2008) The intention to download music files in a P2P environment: Consumption value, fashion, and ethical decision perspectives. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, Vol. 7 Iss 4, pp.411–422 Dittmar, H., & Drury, J. (2000) "Self-image - is it in the bag? A qualitative comparison between ``ordinary'' and ``excessive'' consumers", Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 21, pp.109-142 Hawkins, D.I., Best, R.J. & Coney, K.A. (2004) Consumer Behavior–Building Marketing Strategy, 9th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. He, Y., Zou, D. & Jin, L. 2010. "Exploiting the goldmine: a lifestyle analysis of affluent Chinese consumers", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 27 Iss. 7 pp.615-628 Jin, B., & Kang, J.H. (2011) "Purchase intention of Chinese consumers toward a US apparel brand: a test of a composite behavior intention model", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 28 Iss: 3, pp.187 - 199 Mulyanegara, R.C. & Tsarenko, Y. (2009) "Predicting brand preferences: An examination of the predictive power of consumer personality and values in the Australian fashion market", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 13 Iss: 3, pp.358 - 371 Rathnayake, C.V. (2011) "An empirical investigation of fashion consciousness of young fashion consumers in Sri Lanka", Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers, Vol. 12 Iss: 2, pp.121 - 132 Rhee, J., & Johnson, KKP. (2012) "Predicting adolescents' apparel brand preferences", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 21 Iss. 4, pp. 255 - 264 Ye, L., Bose, M. & Pelton, L. (2012) "Dispelling the collective myth of Chinese consumers: a new generation of brand-conscious individualists", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 29 Iss. 3, pp.190 - 201 Methodology Research Phenomenon Research is essential for businesses as well as for academic purpose but there is no consensus on how research should be conducted. Amaratunga, Baldry, Sarshar and Newton (2002) contend that establishing a discipline requires a body of knowledge and this body of knowledge is produced through research. Consumer needs, desires and preferences keep changing and this is more so in the fashion world where new products are being introduced every now and then. Consumers have a desire to be known as someone or they may nurture the desire to project their real self. This projection takes place through clothing and fashion. This is based on the theory of self-concept. Thus the phenomenon under study is to find the link or relationship between self-concept and fashion. Research Design Research Design pertains to collection, interpretation and presentation of data for the research. Understanding the link between the theory and argument, and the data collected helps the researcher to take an informed decision about the research process (Knox, 2004). If the research process is taken up knowingly, it enhances the credibility, rigour and accuracy of the process. Research Methodology The choice of research method leads to dilemma for researchers because there are many different ways to gather knowledge. The two most commonly used research philosophies include positivism and interpretivism. Positivism is generally linked to quantitative method and interpretivism to qualitative method. This study adopts a qualitative approach and justification for this approach has been provided below. Choice of Method “Empirical” evidence is usually associated with numbers and figures; this is a scientific approach where data gathered produces ‘empirical evidence from concrete situation’ (Knox, 2004). This study does not require numbers and figures to know ‘how many’ (customers) purchase Goelia fashion brand as is generally obtained in a quantitative study. It is important to know the attitudes, opinions and beliefs of the consumers towards Geoila fashion brand. This method is descriptive and description requires interpretation. However, this is where different researchers could interpret the same data differently. Moreover, the data gathered through this method can be used again by researchers, which reduces the credibility of the study (Bryman, 1984). The study hence adopts the qualitative approach. The phenomenon under study is to explore the relationship between self-concept and fashion brand Geolia. A qualitative approach being fluid and flexible, can give rise to unexpected findings (Bryman, 1984). A qualitative approach assumes that research takes place in an ever-changing environment. The research design process can be recorded in this method, which is not possible in the quantitative method. Another disadvantage of the quantitative method that can be overcome through this method is the barrier of interpretation. Through the use of everyday language reflection and analysis are presented in the qualitative method, thereby reducing to a large extent the possible flaws in interpretation in the quantitative method. Data Collection Data for any study can be collected either through secondary sources or primary sources. Primary sources are specific to any study while secondary data is freely available. Secondary data for this study will be gathered through academic journals trade websites and journals. Primary data will be gathered through qualitative open-ended written questions (Appendix A). Bases for questions The questions have been designed to achieve the study objectives. The objectives were to evaluate the fashion-consciousness and the relationship between self-concept and fashion-brand Geolia. The first set of questions (1-4) would evaluate the behavior of the respondents towards fashion, towards the Geolia brand and question 5 is aimed at understanding consumer attitude towards the brand. The questions have been presented in an order that would generate the interest of the respondent while also making them feel comfortable in responding. The next eight questions help understand the opinions, thoughts and feelings of the consumers about themselves when they wear Goelia. It thus evaluates their confidence level or whether they feel trendy when using Geolia. Through this open-ended written survey it would be possible to capture depth and develop insight into “why” and “how” of attitudes and behaviours and connect it to people’s lives and experiences (Berkeley, 2006). Qualitative data has the potential to describe problems, behaviours, events and narrative descriptions about people’s experience, attitudes and beliefs. To extract trustworthy responses, each respondent would automatically be included in a contest offering gift coupons. The format and language would be kept as simple as possible. However, qualitative data has several disadvantages. Data collection can be time consuming to capture and difficult to analyse. Since the data captured is subjective, difficulties may arise in synthesis and interpretation (Berkeley, 2006). Moreover, since Geolia brand may be available at many locations, distributing questionnaire at a few locations may not be a good representation. This can result in sampling error as only some people in the population are surveyed (Archer, 2007). Since all members of the population do not have an equal chance of being surveyed, coverage error can occur. It is also likely that the respondents’ answers to the questions are inaccurate and imprecise, which can make comparisons difficult. If the questionnaire wording is poor or not appropriate to the sample surveyed, it is highly likely that the responses too would be inappropriate. Interpretation of data in qualitative research is more dependent on the researcher’s skills. Sorting out written comments requires immense patience and potential to deal with data. Pilot Test and Findings of Questionnaire To evaluate the questionnaire a pilot test was conducted among ten female friends and colleagues. All of the respondents belonged to the age group 24-30. The group was asked to gather at the local cafe and as an incentive to respond to the pilot study, this group was offered snacks of their choice. The researcher closely observed how the respondents answered each of the questions and how much time they took to complete the questionnaire. Observing the respondents also allowed the researcher to evaluate if the questions were simple and clear enough to be understood as they meant. After the respondents had completed the survey, a focus group was held to ascertain if the respondents had understood the questions right and if they all understood in the similar way. Each member was asked to explain in their own words what they had understood of the question and whether they had difficulty responding. This revealed that Questions could have been clearer and shorter. Some questions caused embarrassment such as the question where the hiding of contours has been asked. The focus group revealed that two words in two different questions gave rise to some doubts. For instance, Q4 was Do you select Geolia as it fits you well? This had to re-worded as Do you select Goelia Fashion Clothing because it fits you well? Another question that had to be re-worded was Q7 which was, do you select Geolia as it hides the contours that you do not like? People did not understand the word ‘contours’ and hence the question was re-framed thus – do you like Goelia as it hides the bulges in your figure which you like to hide? However, it was also observed that this question about hiding the bulges can cause embarrassment as pointed out by some of the respondents. Recommendation for improvement of data gathering technique Apart from or in addition to the questionnaire survey, a few personal, in-depth, open-ended interviews would help to delve deeper into the attitudes and opinions of the Chinese women that are consumers of Geolia. Consumers may be reluctant to write down all such feelings and experiences with Geolia and perhaps they would be able to narrate better. Focus group would not help as people may not be willing to share their feelings in a group. People are at their best in their natural settings and hence the choicest consumers would be contacted and appointments sought at locations convenient to the consumers. Data Analysis Data analysis for the pilot study was conducted by applying the pattern-matching technique by grouping similar answers together. This was followed by interpretation and analysis. Self-concept is influenced by the profession or occupation of women and hence this segregation was also made. The findings revealed that women with professional qualifications tend to respond to most of the questions and demonstrate higher degree of self-concept than women with no or low professional qualifications. Based on the pilot test the changes were incorporated. Minor changes in the questionnaire had to be made to avoid embarrassment. Data analysis for the main study would be carried out through interpretation and analysis of the data gathered. Since these are qualitative open-ended questions, people would be freely able to express their opinions and attitude. Analysis would be done by quoting from the responses which will be recorded exactly as presented. Efforts will be made to find meaning in each unique answer and the data would be presented in a systematic manner through the help of charts and tables. Explanation-building and pattern-matching technique will be applied which would help group similar answers together. However, all efforts have been made to avoid researcher bias in interpretation. The researcher would try to find common themes and relationships. Efforts would also be made to triangulate the findings from this study with findings from other studies. If possible segregation would be made on the basis of occupation of the female respondents and this can influence self-concept. Sampling Systematic sampling strategy was employed for this study. The first 20 women that entered the store every hour were approached with the questionnaire. The same strategy would be applied at all the stores. Thus, at least hundred questionnaires are proposed to be distributed at each of the ten locations. It is not known how many questionnaires can be distributed, how many would actually respond and how many responses would be eligible to be considered for the final outcome. Ethical Concerns Ethical issues can arise in a study from the point of literature review to questionnaire formation (Sami, 2008). It can also arise during data collection and in presentation and interpretation of data. All restrictions and observations have been made in compliance with the Data Protection Act, 1998. The questionnaire contains details of the purpose of the research and no personal data has been collected to ensure anonymity. No false impression has been created about the purpose of the research. Citations and references will be provided for secondary data which protects the intellectual property rights of the authors. Reliability and Validity The greatest threat to reliability is researcher bias, according to Redmond and Griffith (2003). All efforts would be made to minimize biases in interpretation. Validity according to Saunders et al (2007) is the extent to which the researcher has been able to gain access to the knowledge and experience of the participants. It is expected that through the use of language it would be possible to interpret and establish the link between self-concept and Geolia fashion brand. Conclusion Before data gathering process, it would be worthwhile to investigate which of the Geolia stores have the highest number of walk-in consumers so that the top five stores could be selected for the study. Knowing the peak store timings would also help to get the maximum number of respondents for the study. Efforts should also be made to gather the contact details of a few discerning customers of Geolia from the respective stores. These prized consumers should be interviewed one-on-one basis for further details. References Amaratunga, D., Baldry, D., Sarshar, M. & Newton, R. (2002) "Quantitative and Qualitative Research in the built environment: application of mixed research approach", Work Study, Vol. 15 Iss. 1, pp.17-31 Archer, TM. (2007) Designing Effective Survey Instruments. Available from http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/evaluation/documents/designsurveyinstr.pdf [Accessed 14 February 2013] Berkley. (2006) Evaluation Tips. Tip Sheet. Available from http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~pbd/pdfs/Evaluation_Methods.pdf [Accessed 14 February 2013] Bryman, A. (1984) "The Debate about Quantitative and Qualitative Research: A Question of Method or Epistemology? The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 35 Iss. 1, pp.75-92 Chen, Y.C., Shang, R.A. & Lin, A. K. (2008) The intention to download music files in a P2P environment: Consumption value, fashion, and ethical decision perspectives. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, Vol. 7 Iss 4, pp.411–422 Dittmar, H., & Drury, J. (2000) "Self-image - is it in the bag? A qualitative comparison between ``ordinary'' and ``excessive'' consumers", Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 21, pp.109-142 Gray, R. (n.d.) Evaluating Qualitative and Quantitative Survey Approaches: Choosing the best approach for your situation. Available from http://www.employee-communication.com.au/util/doc.jsp?i=76&f=blob2&c=6 [Accessed 14 February 2013] Hawkins, D.I., Best, R.J. & Coney, K.A. (2004) Consumer Behavior–Building Marketing Strategy, 9th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. He, Y., Zou, D. & Jin, L. 2010. "Exploiting the goldmine: a lifestyle analysis of affluent Chinese consumers", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 27 Iss. 7 pp.615-628 Jin, B., & Kang, J.H. (2011) "Purchase intention of Chinese consumers toward a US apparel brand: a test of a composite behavior intention model", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 28 Iss: 3, pp.187 - 199 Knox, K. (2004). "A Researcher’s Dilemma - Philosophical and Methodological Pluralism", Electronic Journal of Business Research, Vol. 2 Iss. 2, pp.119-128 Redmond, E.C. & Griffith, C. J. (2003) "A comparison and evaluation of research methods used in consumer food safety studies", International Journal of Consumer Studies, Vol. 27 Iss. 1, pp.17–33 Sami, S. L. (2008) Ethics in Market Research: Concerns over Rights of Research Participants. Available from http://www.wbiconpro.com/Marketing/Sami.pdf [Accessed 14 February 2013] Saunders, M. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2007. Research methods for business students. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Appendix A Clothing plays a significant role in understanding the perception of the self. This is questionnaire survey to understand what young female Chinese consumers think when they purchase the Geolia brand. It will also investigate how clothing that women wear, makes them feel about themselves. The outcome of the survey would help marketers of fashion clothing to alter their marketing strategy, if necessary. This questionnaire will take less than ten minutes to complete it. Participation is voluntary and we assure you of complete confidentiality about your responses and choices. There are no known risks to participate in the survey. Participation in the survey automatically entitles you to entry into a gift coupon which carries host of services. Please drop the completed questionnaire in the drop-box provided at the location from where you received the questionnaire. Your participation will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your participation. Questionnaire 1. Do you read any fashion magazines? If yes, which? 2. Do you attend fashion shows? Yes/No 3. How often do you buy Geolia fashion clothing? Once a month/Once in Six months/Once a year 4. When did you last buy Geolia? Last one month/Two months/Six months 5. How many pieces of Geolia do you own? Less than 5/More than 5/More than 10 6. Do you select Geolia because it makes you stand out? Yes/No/Others….. 7. How do you feel about wearing Geolia? 8. Do you select Geolia because it makes you feel distinctive? Yes/No/Others….. 9. Do you select Geolia Fashion Clothing because it fits you well? Yes/NO 10. Do you select Geolia as it gives you confidence? Yes/NO 11. Do you select Geolia as it makes you feel nice? Yes/NO 12. Do you select Geolia as it hides the bulges in your figure which you like to hide? Yes/NO/Don’t want to answer 13. Do you select Geolia as it can lift your mood? Yes/No/Maybe 14. Do you select Geolia as it is trendy? Yes/No/Maybe 15. Do you select Geolia because your friends use it too? Yes/NO 16. Age 17. Highest Level of Education 18. Current Occupation 19. Family Income 20. Date 21. Time 22. Location Read More