Fashion and Customer Buying Decision Name of University Student Name

FASHION RESEARCH FASHION RESEARCH 5 5 FASHION RESEARCH Impact of gender and emotional experience in fashion and customer buying decision Name of student Name of university Introduction Fashion is often perceived simply as the way one dresses and presents oneself. The research will attempt to study the role of gender in fashion and study how emotional experiences can have an impact on the way people perceive fashion.

Running head: FASHION RESEARCH
Impact of gender and emotional experience in fashion and customer buying decision
Name of student
Name of university

1FASHION RESEARCH
Introduction
Fashion is often perceived simply as the way one dresses and presents oneself. However,
it must be remembered that fashion or the way one styles oneself plays a crucial role in
determining identity. At present, human beings are living in a postmodern, consumerist society
where material goods embody the identity of a person. In other words, every individual is driven
by an innate desire to find a distinct identity for himself, which would give him a voice in
society. Fashion, therefore, forms a vital aspect of one’s identity. Fashion helps a person sculpt,
construct and express his or her own identity (Shephard et al., 2016). Fashion can thus be defined
as a cultural and social phenomenon which helps an individual make a statement and
consequently visually communicate with other members of the society. However, the concept of
fashion has always been a grossly gendered subject and that is significantly visible with the
variations in the fashion that both the male and female are having. The difference in the fashion
or the dresses that the people of both the genders are wearing, are significant in specifying the
boundaries of the fashion for both male and female. However the people of conventional
societies consider that the fashion is only dedicated for the females, but the modern world is
significantly opposite to that mindset where the fashion has its own charm for the males as well.
As a result, it is only recently that men’s fashion has gained recognition and is now regarded as a
legitimate aspect of fashion as a cultural phenomenon (Entwistle & Mears, 2013). The research
will attempt to study the role of gender in fashion and study how emotional experiences can have
an impact on the way people perceive fashion.

2FASHION RESEARCH
Background of the study
There are two vital aspects which determine and shape gender. These are fashion and
dressing, or the way an individual presents himself or herself. Since the early 16th and 17th
centuries when the major fashion movements started, fashion has always been guided by gender
roles. In other words, there is a clear demarcation in the way men and women dress. Men and
women are expected to dress in ways which are distinct to their gender roles (Stokes, 2015). For
instance, women have frequently been considered as the weaker sex while men are considered to
be the superior sex. As a result, women’s fashion has always been shaped to reflect the way
society perceived them – dainty, frail and quaint. On the other hand, men’s fashion has always
been characterized by apparel and accessories that are considered “manly.” However, changes in
attitude and trends have increased the level of gender fluidity in fashion. Fashion has helped
individuals express their gender identity, by restructuring the way girls’ and boys’ fashion are
perceived in society (Gitimu, Workman & Robinson, 2013).
It is also important to analyze the role of store designs and emotional experiences on the
fashion or buying behavior of an individual. For instance, the way an individual perceives a store
would have an impact on the contentment and satisfaction levels of the shoppers. It is not simply
the items that a person buys which affect the pleasure and happiness of a person visiting a
fashion store. There are a number of factors which contribute to the emotional experience of a
shopper. These emotional influences further have an impact on the repurchase decisions of a
shopper.

3FASHION RESEARCH
Rationale
The purpose of this research is to study the impact of gender and emotional influences on
fashion. Over the years, there have been several changes in fashion trends, which have been
determined and shaped by gender. For instance, it is believed that the gender roles that a person
assumes would have an impact on the way he or she dresses. The fact that gender differences
play a crucial role in determining the shopping behaviors of people is to be taken into
consideration while devising marketing strategies for various products. This is because men and
women perceive fashion differently, and their individual preferences and choices must be taken
into account. For instance, store environment and store design are two aspects which can
influence shopping behaviors of people. The way a person perceives a shop or a store and the
products being sold would have an impact on their purchase and repurchase decisions. Hence
what I believe is that the sections specified for both the men and women in the stores are the
representation of the fact that both the genders have their different taste of fashion. These
segmentations of the stores are also significant for me in understanding the difference and the
reasons of the difference in the fashion preferences of the males and females of the society.
Research questions
The research questions are:
 Does gender have an impact on the way individuals perceive fashion?
 How do store environment and shopping experiences determine the purchase and
repurchase intentions of customers?
Aims of the study

4FASHION RESEARCH
The aim of the research paper is to study the impact of gender and store experience on
fashion and the buying decisions of customers. Gender is a social construct, and as such shapes
the attitudes of individuals. A person’s gender role would determine the way he or she perceives
the world around them. It would also determine his or her fashion sense and dressing style. The
research attempts to study how gender differences would influence the buying decisions of
customers in a store. As such, the influence of store and shopping experience would also be
studied. It is also assumed that gender differences also impact the way people perceive shopping
experiences.
Literature review
Wei Yin in his article tries to explain the different aspects of gender differences in the
costumes of male and female. The article evaluates the differences present in apparels of male
and female in the society. The clothing of a person tells many things about their nature and
identity and the clothing industry is segregating both the sexes by the production of differentiated
apparels. There are certain strict taboos that restrict the industry from making changes in fashion
apparels. A woman can come up with masculine clothing but a man is not allowed to wear
feminine clothes. So, is can be said that culture also plays a great role in inflicting these
happening in the clothing industry. However, the progress of civilization is support both the
sexes equally and people have started seeking similarity from diversity (Yin, 2009). It is also
important to study the role of gender in the marketing and sales strategies that are adopted by
fashion and retail stores. Teller and Thomson (2012) on the other hand argue that gender
differences play vital role in perceptions and evaluation of retail agglomeration. There is various
gender difference present in the preferences of shoppers present in the market that cause
problems for the stores to market their product in such a way that it attracts the interest of all

5FASHION RESEARCH
types of customers. Differed gender groups perceive things differently on the basis of their
understanding and emotions thus, features that are attractive to one might not attract others.
Retail tenant mix and atmosphere are the two most important aspects derived in the process of
attractiveness. Performance analysis methods also help in increasing the satisfaction of store by
offering various effective market strategies in the environment (Teller, & Thomson, 2012).
In this aspect, it is also important to study how male fashion has been perceived over the
years. Algie and Korlimbinis (2005) in their article have elaborated on the concept of male
fashion and have depicted the preferences of men fashion apparel stores while shopping for men
fashion. A research conducted on university students explained the shopping preferences of
males. This survey explained that males buy the products from the stores that they think are
properly organized. Organization of clothes helps them to find the right apparel for them. This
aspect is directly related to the experience and first expression of the client while visiting the
store that certainly generates positivity in them and they buy the products. Further, prices,
selection of merchandise and quality are the three most important factors that affect the customer
for selection of a fashion store. This article evaluated the male customers (specifically young)
present in the market as “Hunter”. In order to satisfy the needs and requirements of such type of
customers, the stores need to re-design their outlet (Algie, &Korlimbinis, 2005).
Thus, based on the above article, it can be said that store experiences and emotional
aspects do have an impact on the purchase and repurchase intentions of a customer. Yoo, Park
and MacInnis (1998) have undertaken a different perspective on customer buying behavior.
Their study is aimed to evaluate the various impacts of the store characteristics and emotional
experiences on the consumer’s attitude. Every place has its own aura affects the interest of the
customer and motivate or demotivate them to buy a certain product from the store. If a customer

6FASHION RESEARCH
is emotionally attached from an organization, then he will certainly make purchases every time
he goes into the store. The research for this article is done using the sampling method of 294
consumers of Korea that works as a critical mediator between store attitude and relationship.
Thus, it can be said that this article evaluated the role of store characteristics and sales of the
products. These characteristics also affect the shoppers' behaviour and their emotional
experiences as well (Yoo, Park, &MacInnis, 1998).
Going by the above piece of literature, it must be ascertained that shopping does not
involve only purchase of a product. It is a wholesome experience which entails the shopping
experience as well. Tulipa, Gunawan and Supit (2014) have explained the shopping experiences
of people in the society stated this article. The paper helped in knowing that shopping
experiences are not only those experiences that a person gets acquires from goods purchased, but
also how the experiences fulfil pleasure and happiness. The apparel store environment has been
looked after in the article to recognize the physical facilities, the point of purchase and ways in
which products are displayed. These aspects influence the emotional ability of a person, make
them satisfied, and dissatisfied towards a certain brand. These emotional influences also affect
the repurchase decision of the customer. So, the research conducted in Indonesia 260 customers
helped in attain results that physical attributes and various other aspect mentioned above have the
strong influence on the emotion and re-purchase initiatives of the customers (Tulipa, Gunawan,
&Supit, 2014).

7FASHION RESEARCH
References:
Algie, J. A., &Korlimbinis, K. (2005). Improving the store design of male fashion and apparel
retailers. Retrieved From:
https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/
&httpsredir=1&article=2616&context=commpapers
Bashar, A., Ahmad, I., & Wasiq, M. (2013). A Study of Influence of Demographic Factors on
Consumer Impulse Buying Behavior. Journal of Management Research
(09725814), 13(3).
Entwistle, J., & Mears, A. (2013). Gender on display: Peformativity in fashion
modelling. Cultural Sociology, 7(3), 320-335.
Gitimu, P. N., Workman, J., & Robinson, J. R. (2013). Garment quality evaluation: Influence of
fashion leadership, fashion involvement, and gender. International Journal of Fashion
Design, Technology and Education, 6(3), 173-180.
Shephard, A., Pookulangara, S., Kinley, T. R., & Josiam, B. M. (2016). Media influence,
fashion, and shopping: a gender perspective. Journal of Fashion Marketing and
Management, 20(1), 4-18.
Stokes, A. (2015). The glass runway: How gender and sexuality shape the spotlight in fashion
design. Gender & Society, 29(2), 219-243.
Teller, C., & Thomson, J. A. (2012). Gender differences of shoppers in the marketing and
management of retail agglomerations. The Service Industries Journal, 32(6), 961-980.

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Tulipa, D., Gunawan, S., &Supit, V. H. (2014).The influence of store atmosphere on emotional
responses and re-purchase intentions. Business Management and Strategy, 5(2), 151-164.
Yin, W. (2009).Discussion on Gender Differences and Costume. Asian Social Science, 4(8), 137.
Yoo, C., Park, J., &MacInnis, D. J. (1998). Effects of store characteristics and in-store emotional
experiences on store attitude. Journal of Business Research, 42(3), 253-263.