The Shopping Behaviors of Fashion Innovative Thai Consumers. Jaratchwahn Jantarat, College of Management, Mahidol University,

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1 The Shopping Behaviors of Fashion Innovative Thai Consumers Jaratchwahn Jantarat, College of Management, Mahidol University, Sarinya Laisawat, College of Management, Mahidol University, Randall Shannon, College of Management, Mahidol University, Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of fashion innovativeness on various types of Thai consumer shopping behavior using structural equation modeling. Applying USA measurements of shopping behaviors, findings indicate that fashion innovativeness was associated with the shopping behaviors of mingling, browsing, sensory stimulation, kinesthetic experience and being pampered. Unexpectedly, bargain hunting is found to have a significant positive association with fashion innovative shoppers. The results enhance researchers and marketers insights towards understanding fashion innovators shopping behaviors. It thus contributes to academic research and provides initial background findings related to fashion innovative shoppers. Keywords: Innovativeness, Fashion, Shopping behavior, Thai consumers

2 The Shopping Behaviors of Fashion Innovative Thai Consumers Introduction The fashion innovative consumers have historically been important to fashion researchers and marketers (Park, Burns and Rabolt, 2007). The success of a new fashion product is determined by its acceptance by fashion innovators. They are highly interested in shopping (Belleau et al., 2001; Park, Kim and Forney, 2006) and motivated to go shopping for new items more frequently (Studak and Workman, 2004). Innovators are seen as influencers for other fashion shoppers within the fashion adoption process (Goldsmith, Moore and Beaudoin, 1999; Tigert, Ring and King, 1976). While several researchers note the importance of fashion innovators (e.g., greater media exposure, more knowledgeable about new products, high purchase frequency, high variety seeking) (e.g., Goldsmith and Flynn, 1992; Kim, Damhorst and Lee, 2002; Michon et al., 2007; Workman and Studak, 2006), the nature of their shopping behaviors such as browsing, bargaining and mingling, seem underresearched. Recent literature in Asian countries emphasize studying innovative shoppers in technology adoption (i.e., Hynes and Lo, 2006; Lee, Qu and Kim, 2007; Wang et al., 2009); while the present study fills in a gap of the innovativeness literature by empirically investigating in-store shopping behaviors of Thai consumers to assist the development of fashion adoption theory, especially in Asia. Additionally, the behavior of Western consumers may be different from that of Eastern consumers (Law, Zhang and Leung, 2004). This study contributes to the shopping behavior literature by suggesting certain in-store activities hypothesized among Thai innovators. Understanding how shopping behaviors are affected by innovativeness will potentially benefit fashion retailers to create effective and attractive marketing strategies and satisfying shopping environments for fashion innovators. Retailers can more successfully manage store environments, deliver proper services and develop pleasurable and attractive in-store activities. Fashion Innovativeness Literature Review The global characteristic of innovativeness can be defined as a willingness to try new things (Goldsmith, 1990). Fashion innovators are consumers who are among the first to buy and wear new clothing fashions (Phau and Lo, 2004; Workman and Studak, 2006). They often bring attention to new fashion and play a role in the early adoption of fashion innovation (Goldsmith, Moore and Beaudoin, 1999) and may legitimize and facilitate the spread of new clothing fashions to later buyers (Goldsmith and Stith, 1993). In general, researchers have agreed that fashion innovators are more likely to be younger, have a higher education level and a higher income, and spend more on clothing than those who are not fashion innovators (Chun, 1987; Workman and Kidd, 2000). Highly innovative people tend to take more risks, show greater social participation, act as opinion leaders, be more knowledgeable about new products, are more involved in the product category, have greater media exposure and are heavier users of the product category (Chau and Hui, 1998; Goldsmith, Stith and White, 1987). Additionally, fashion innovators respond favorably to new fashions that provide novelty and excitement; they approach new or unfamiliar fashion products with openness and little anxiety (Fiore, Lee and Kunz, 2004). They only use clothing for socializing for shorter periods (Birtwistle and Moore, 2007; Chun, 1987), and dispose of clothing due to fashionability or conformity reasons more than non-innovators (Baumgarten, 1975; Chun and Davis, 1988)

3 Specific shopping behaviors for in-store pleasure The increasing recognition of shopping as a recreational and enjoyable activity has been widely acknowledged. There is no doubt that people may obtain great pleasure from shopping (Falk and Campbell, 1997). Co x, Cox and Anderson (2005) investigated the sources of pleasure shopping. They found that there are six in-store types of behavior that are sources of pleasure shopping. Bargain hunting refers to the experience of shoppers from bargaining. The study of consumers motives identified negotiation and choice optimization as reasons to seek an economic advantage through bargaining, leading to satisfaction from personal achievement (Westbrook and Black, 1985). Many respondents talked about how they enjoy hunting for bargains and finding discounted prices (Arnold and Reynolds, 2003). The hedonic benefits that consumers receive through bargaining can also enhance their pleasurable shopping experience. Browsing is an in-store inspection of a product for information and/or recreation without an intention to buy (Bloch, Ridgway and Sherrell, 1989). Westbrook and Black (1985) identified the choice optimization motivation through browsing behavior, which may fulfill a sense of achievement and gratification. Similar to Arnold and Reynolds (2003), idea shopping has been proposed as a hedonic shopping motive and has been defined as the desire to keep up with trends and the search for new products and innovations. Sensory stimulation is one of the potential sources for pleasure shopping. The study by Westbrook and Black (1985) similarly referred to sensory stimulation during shopping relating to sensory, emotive and/or cognitive aspects. Moreover, Arnold and Reynolds (2003) identified that adventure shoppers tend to seek sensory stimulation during shopping. The respondents described their shopping experience as an exciting because they are stimulated by the sight, smell and sound. Mingling with others has been seen as social interactions which provide entertainment, excitement and joy (Timothy, 2005). There is supporting evidence that consumers have social motives for shopping beyond good acquisition (Tauber, 1972; Wagner, 2007). Arnold and Reynolds (2003) found social shopping as one of hedonic shopping motives and refer to it as experience of shopping from socializing and bonding with others during shopping. More than 30% of respondents in Jones s (1999) study referred to socializing behavior as an important source. Being pampered is considered as one of the pleasure activities in store (Cox, Cox and Anderson, 2005). The study by Tauber (1972) illustrated the status and authority motive as an underlying reason of enjoyment from consumers interaction towards salespeople. However, some studies (i.e., Arnold and Reynolds, 2003; Wagner 2007) found being pampered in-store to be part of the social interaction motivation. Kinesthetic experience refers to the pleasure of experience from physical activities such as an opportunity to move and walk for exercise. Bird et al. (2009) found that aging women report walking in shopping malls for exercise. Locations that are accessible, safe and aesthetically pleasing and promote social engagement would likely facilitate older people s participation in exercising during shopping. Research Hypotheses Fashion innovators are more likely to prefer personal interaction and social activities (King, 1963; Robertson and Myers, 1969), and view shopping as a stimulating experience (Studak and Workman, 2004). They are sociable (Robertson and Myers, 1969) and tend to have a - 2 -

4 higher degree of participation with others than non-fashion innovators (Chun, 1987). For innovators, shopping is viewed as an enjoyable activity used for recreational and social purposes, and they make more clothing related trips (Bruner, 1986) than non-fashion innovators. Therefore, it is more likely that highly fashion innovative individuals tend to express mingling behavior. H 1 : Fashion innovativeness has a positive association with mingling behavior. Fashion innovators express a higher interest in shopping than fashion followers (Davis, 1987). The study by Studak and Workman (2004) explains that fashion followers view shopping as a chore or task that must be carried out; while fashion innovators view shopping as entertainment. Therefore, highly fashion innovative individuals tend to enjoy browsing during shopping. H 2 : Fashion innovativeness has a positive association with browsing behavior. Fashion innovators tend to be heavy buyers in terms of money spent on apparel and shop more often than other consumers do (Goldsmith, Heitmeyer and Freiden, 1991; Tigert, Ring and King, 1976). They are less cost-conscious than followers (Belleau et al., 2001). Studies in the United States have suggested a negative correlation between measures of innovativeness and price sensitivity as proposed by innovativeness theory (Goldsmith, 1996, 1999; Goldsmith and Newell, 1997). Since innovators are highly interested in innovative product categories, they are less sensitive to price than other buyers and are willing to pay for the new products they desire (Goldsmith et al., 2005). Consequently, we hypothesized that: H 3 : Fashion innovativeness has a negative association with bargain hunting. A novel and entertaining store environment are most appropriate for innovative shoppers (Moye and Kincade, 2003). For example, scents are found to directly influence consumers in store experiences (Backstrom and Johansson, 2006). Clothing retailers typically profile their newest, most fashionable, and/or most prestigious lines of clothing in their windows (Sen, Block and Chandran, 2002), thus consumers who desire to be current about the latest fashions can use window displays as a retailer-based source of such information (Beatty and Smith, 1987). Hoffmann and Soyez (2010) explicitly explain that innovativeness is correlated with arousal seeking. Consequently, we expect consumers who anticipate increased levels of experience on sensory stimulation are likely to be fashion innovators. H 4 : Fashion innovativeness has a positive association with sensory stimulation. According to Goldsmith, Heitmeyer and Freiden (1991), consumers who possess high values of fun and excitement in their lives are likely more fashion-conscious. Kaltcheva and Weitz (2006) suggest that these shoppers tend to derive intrinsic rewards from the shopping activity itself. They desire rich experiences from shopping and therefore would find the high energy demands in high-arousal environments to be pleasant. Consequently, it is likely that fashion innovators enjoy the kinesthetic experience during shopping more than fashion followers. H 5 : Fashion innovativeness has a positive association with kinesthetic experience. Highly innovative people have a higher degree of participation with others (Chun, 1987; Robertson and Kennedy, 1968) and endorse the social values as the motives underlying fashion shopping (Goldsmith, Heitmeyer, and Freiden, 1991). They possess high levels of excitement during shopping (Michon et al., 2007), especially with a salesperson. It is expected that being served by a salesperson can make the shopping experience enjoyable for innovators. H 6 : Fashion innovativeness has a positive association with being pampered

5 Research Method A self-administered questionnaire was developed and administered to a convenience sample of students from Mahidol and Assumption Universities in Thailand, as well as online. Fashion clothing innovativeness was measured with the six-item domain specific innovativeness scale (DSI) (Goldsmith and Hofacker, 1991). The measure of shopping behavior was comprised of 17 statements (Cox, Cox and Anderson, 2005). The survey was pilot tested on a sample of 20 graduate students studying business. The pilot test results indicated that the instrument was sound. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out before testing the hypotheses using structural equation model (SEM). SEM is a suitable statistical analysis since it has ability to test the model with multiple dependents and avoid multicollinearity issue (Meyers, Gamst and Guarino, 2006). Research Results Of a total of 350 questionnaires distributed, 301 questionnaires (n=301) were returned, for a response rate of 86%. There were 36.9% male and 63.1% female respondents and the majority of respondents (70%) aged between years. The construct reliability and convergent validity of innovativeness were acceptable with 0.6 and 0.8, respectively. The six types of shopping behavior (mingling; browsing; bargain hunting; sensory stimulation; kinesthetic experience; being pampered) from Cox, Cox and Anderson s (2005) work showed acceptable construct reliabilities, but slightly low convergent validity for mingling (0.45), browsing (0.41), and being pampered (0.39). The shopping behaviors are conceptually related, thus discriminant validity has been assessed. Discriminations between constructs have been evident except for two correlations of constructs by comparing average VE and square correlation; mingling and being pampered (avg.ve=0.42, cor. 2 =0.83), browsing and bargain hunting (avg.ve=0.44, cor. 2 =0.52). Indices used to estimate the model fits (λ 2 =239.79, p=0.00, CMIN=2.10, GFI=0.92, AGFI=0.87, CFI=0.93, RMSEA=0.06) reasonably acceptable according to the literatures (Hair et al., 1998; Meyers, Gamst and Guarino, 2006) Figure 1: Summary of Results Using SEM (AMOS 17), we tested the hypotheses. The analysis revealed fashion innovativeness had significant positive associations with mingling behavior (β=0.86, p<0.001), being pampered (β=0.73, p<0.001), browsing behavior (β=0.78, p<0.001), sensory stimulation (β=0.84, p<0.001) and kinesthetic experience (β=0.81, p<0.001). However, not as - 4 -

6 hypothesized, the results showed a significant positive association between fashion innovativeness and bargain hunting (β=0.81, p<0.001). Therefore, all hypotheses were supported except H 3. Discussion and Conclusions Several scholars argue that individualism exists in Thai culture (Punyapiroje, 2002; Suphab, 1975; Waterman, 1984) and Thais are very receptive to Westernization and modernization (Watchravesringkan, 2005). The authors then applied findings from a recent study of US shoppers in-store shopping activities to explore shopping behaviors of Thai innovators. Our study aims to understand the association between fashion innovativeness and Thais shopping behaviors. Result of the association between fashion innovativeness and browsing behavior shows that innovators tend to exhibit high variety seeking behavior (Park, Burns, and Rabolt, 2007; Park and Koh, 1998; Workman and Johnson, 1993; Workman and Studak, 2006). Moreover, since innovators are highly involved with store atmosphere, the present results prove that they like sensory and kinesthetic experiences during shopping. The mingling behavior of innovators is again found to relate to the earlier study by Robertson and Kennedy (1968) in that fashion innovators have a higher degree of participation with others. Apart from the experience of socialization with other consumers, fashion innovators also enjoy being pampered or receiving good service from salespeople. An unexpected result was found for bargaining behavior. Even though fashion innovators tend to spend more money on clothing (Workman and Kidd, 2000) and are less cost conscious (Belleau et al., 2001), they still like to bargain. Bargain hunting can be recreational for many consumers (Mitchell and Harris, 2005) including innovators with or without receiving a discounted price. The results support that each behavior can enhance shopping experience of fashion innovators who are a potentially important market segment for retailers and mall managers. Since innovators enjoy mingling and being pampered, retail stores should offer an area for social activities, such as a seating area, space availability and not ignore the importance of sales assistance. In addition, the relationship with sensory stimulation illustrates that a pleasant atmosphere will influence innovators in terms of spending time and money. As such, it seems prudent to advance the knowledge of innovators shopping behaviors, enabling retailers to design and implement more effective atmospherics, merchandising, and service quality strategies to manage the recreational shopping experience. There are some limitations of the present study. First, while convenience sampling is appropriate to test hypothesized relationships it cannot generalize to the population as a whole. Second, the lower statistical index of the SEM (convergent and discriminant validity) was presumably because the demographic profiles of our respondents differ from the previous study by Cox, Cox and Anderson (2005). The previous study sample was adult females (median age of 44); while our study examines both male and female participants with younger respondents (70%) aged between years. Moreover, cultural differences may affect the validity of some constructs, such as kinesthetic experience, as Thai shoppers may be less concerned about exercising during shopping. Therefore, future research might examine the cross-cultural differences in respect to the types of shopping behavior consumers engage in. Also, applying demographic characteristics (i.e., age, income, gender) as moderators may contribute to a better understanding of shopping behavior among fashion innovators. To enhance the validity of our findings, researchers could examine the relationships examined in the current study in the context of other product categories such as high technology equipment, home appliances or cosmetics

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