Impact of Gender and Emotional Experience in Fashion and Customer Buying Decision

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Impact of gender and emotional experience in fashion and customer buying decision
Submitted to Dar Al Hekma University as research paper toward the
completion of the research methodology course
December 2018
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Abstract
Summary of your research 150 word
Fashion plays an important role in determining one’s identity. Fashion
however has always been a subject pertaining to gender. Clothing for both
men and women is determined by culture. Gender is a social construct. While the sex
of a person is a biological construct, gender is a social construct and therefore defines the
attitudes of an individual and his sense of fashion and unique style. This paper attempted
to study the role of gender in fashion. It showed how differences in gender, influence
the purchasing decisions of customers in a store. The paper also tried to delve into how
the ambience of a store has an impact on the way people perceive fashion and shop. It
was found that men tend to procure products from stores that are organized. Quality, prices and
the selection of merchandise are the three most important factors that influence the procuring
decision of a customer. If a customer gets emotionally attached to a retail store, chances are that
he or she will visit the store again and make repeated purchases.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all my professors for their guidance, support, feedback and cooperation in
writing this paper. I would also like to thank all the participants who supported me in my work
and participated in the interviews. Last but not the least I would like to thank my family for
always supporting me.
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Table of Contents
1 Chapter One.............................................................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................5
Overview................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Historical Perspective.......................................................................................................................................... 7
Gender Markers:................................................................................................................................................. 7
1.2 An overview of the Investigation....................................................................................................................8
2 Chapter Two............................................................................................................................................ 10
Background to the Study.......................................................................................................................................10
2.1 Aims and Objectives.....................................................................................................................................11
2.2 Research Questions......................................................................................................................................11
3 Chapter Three.......................................................................................................................................... 14
3.1 Literature Review.........................................................................................................................................14
4 Chapter Four............................................................................................................................................ 17
4.1 Methodology consisted of interviews..........................................................................................................17
4.2 Setting: It took place in Saudi Arabia...........................................................................................................17
4.3 Study Design................................................................................................................................................17
4.4 Selection and Sampling of materials that is popular in Saudi Arabia...........................................................17
4.5 Data Collection Methods..............................................................................................................................17
4.5.1 Interviews...........................................................................................................................................17
4.6 Data Analysis Procedures no citation (reflective )........................................................................................17
5 Chapter Five............................................................................................................................................. 18
5.1 Discussion on what I gained from the study.................................................................................................18
5.2 Possible Limitations to the Study.................................................................................................................18
6 References............................................................................................................................................... 19
7 Appendix A.............................................................................................................................................. 22
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1 Chapter One
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 post-modern, 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. Clothing for both sexes is defined by
culture. The common assumption since time immemorial has been that fashion should be
reserved for women. In other words, fashion is a subject that is usually associated with the
female gender. 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.
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
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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 behaviours 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.
Overview
Although majority of individuals employ the words ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ interchangeably,
the two words have diverse meanings. Whilst gender is a psychological, social and cultural
construct, the rationale to polarize gender is influenced by sex, which is the genetic dichotomy of
men and women. The continuum of genes, hormones, reproductive physiology and chromosomes
aids an individual to appear as female or male. Perceiving gender to be a concept that is fluid in
nature allows scholars to comprehend gender as something more than women and men dressing
their parts. Gender dressing is much more than mere role-playing and relations of power are
involved in an inextricable nature. Women wearing trousers reflects a readjustment of the
definition of the term and concept of femininity but does not automatically imply an alteration in
the present equilibrium of the power held by men in the social system.
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