Title page
Advanced consumer behaviour
Topic: Purchasing clothes
Consumer journey map
My personal goal of creating a positive self-identity convinced to invest in clothing. Last month I decided to manage my wardrobe by buying new clothes. The dressing is not only a matter of necessity but also defines the personality of a person. The goal of looking presentable also motivated me to spend on fashion. Fashion has changed a lot and impacted the lives of people in many ways. What men and women wore today have become non-existent today. In the twenty-first century, people and specifically girls are more cornered about dressing. Clothing and fashion are the most dominant aspects of society, culture and time. “The dress has the most direct contact with the human body and is therefore considered an integral part of the Self. Garments influence and shape the appearance with a significant impact on the construction of social identity". Although different ethnicities, religion, and cultural backgrounds influence dressing choices, the major concern is to look attractive (Robertson & Kassarjian, 1991). Girls have become well aware of fashion due to unlimited access to global trends on the dressing. Women today enjoy liberty and are free in choosing their dressing. Women dress differently according to their age, religion, and occupation (Peighambari, Sattari, Kordestani, 2016). As I am a high-school student so my focus is on dressing for a school girl. As today people are more aware of various ethnicities and cultures, they often choose to dress for representing their cultures. The society in which we like also influence our choices and decisions regarding dressing. Today women have more leisure in choosing their dresses because they are free from social constraints (Cokley, Caldwell, Miller & Muhammad, 2001). The dressing is crucial for surviving in the current world when everyone is well aware of fashion and brands. Increased access to people to the internet and social media has increased the knowledge of people regarding dressing and fashion. It is thus essential for wearing nice clothes that are criteria for living in the current society.
I got my credit card and visited the shopping mall for buying clothes. My purchase decision was not limited to any one aspect because I considered many factors before buying clothes. Whenever I go out, I am conscious of my dressing and give thought to how people will see me. I, therefore, buy more clothes than I actually need. This indicates that girls spend unnecessarily on clothing because their biggest concern is to look attractive. I always see other girls at school and observe their dressing. To compete and look appropriate it is important to invest in clothing. My wardrobe is overstuffed because I keep adding clothes to it every season. I give away clothes that are old and are no trendier. I follow the trend for dressing that makes me look fashionable and stylish. I don't take tips from anyone about dressing but follow blogs and fashion pages online that reveals what's in trend. I go shopping at least twice a month and buy things that I find attractive. I follow models on social media that gives me an idea about what's in trend as if they are wearing baggy, boot cut, slim fit or low-rise.
I pay much attention to understand the colour wheel that means picking the right colours. Finding some attractive and glossy colours adds more enthusiasm and glamour to personality. So, picking the right colours is as important as choosing the right dress. Matching up colours with the outfits is also an important part of the dressing. As far as I think about dressing, I prefer something that is comfortable, functional and flattering.
There are several factors that influence my purchase decision. There is a unique relationship between a girl with clothes (West, 2007). They care more about their looks and appearances compared to males. It thus reveals that women pay more attention to their dressing because it makes them look good. Girls feel pressurized to dress appropriately because people in society are habitual of judging them accordingly. It is also right that women are always judged on what they wear.
The dressing has a significant impact on the level of confidence. As when I wear a good dress, and I have the feeling that I am looking good, I act more confidently. When one looks good, it definitely adds to confidence and credence. I believe, “it is an external signal emitting meanings of an image of the Self to others, but can also be internal, enhancing the self-image and confidence of someone to play a role”. Self-confidence is important for deriving lots of energy so I think that by stylish dressing one can perform better in every aspect of life.
Social status remains one of the prominent factors that influence dressing sense. One would dress in a way that will allow him/ her to cling to society. We make assumptions that wearing an outdated dress will create our negative impression. So society causes unnecessary pressure on choosing the right dressing. If you are wearing something that is outdated or not according to society’s expectations it makes you feel awkward.
Evidence also states that “clothes don't just affect your confidence levels, they can affect your success, as clothing significantly influences how others perceive you and how they respond to you”. The better you dress the high will be satisfaction and pleasure. The finding reveals that I dress in this way to look trendy and fashionable. Another reason for dressing in this way is to look attractive and glamorous. This is because when I wear a good dress, I manage to sustain attention. This is also the dominant reason for investing in dressing. By dressing in this way, I manage to compete with other girls. This gives me the satisfaction that I do not lack in style or fashion. Without the right dressing, I would fail to compete with other girls who are following the right trend and the right dressing. Dressing in this manner adds to my self-confidence (Wright, 2006). When I know that I am following the latest fashion, I feel better. This permits me to feel a lot of energy in everything that I do. The sense of satisfaction is also associated with trendy and fashionable dressing. An aesthetically pleasing attire definitely boosts confidence. Confidence is linked to self-perception and people's behaviour. So when I am wearing a good dress, I get the feeling that people find me attractive and glamorous.
Consumer reflection
Cultural factors have profound impacts on the purchases made by an individual. Although there are many reasons that motivate me to buy certain things I consider ‘social status and family' as important ones. The reason for people to buy things is to maintain their social status. The desire to maintain high status is a particular consumer behaviour also explaining personal preferences. The environment-oriented values defining the consumer behaviour in the current case is performance status. In the status-oriented society, the people care more about attaining high status. Their values of performance status will convince them to buy any product that could make them look better. People exhibiting such values will be focused on purchasing branded products so it could add to their status. Their stress is on making people notice the prices and names of the products. Social status defines the behaviour of the consumer as it influences people to prove their belonging to high status. The purchase decision of such people is focused on deriving utility from proving their connectivity with high status.
For me, the dress is an important part of the human personality so I spend on it. I dress in a way that allows me to build relevance with my gender. Being a girl, I choose a dressing that adds to my feminine looks. I believe that a girl must dress differently from a boy. So, I follow dressing that adds to my feminine appearance. Although some people follow fashion more or less I always consider it an important aspect. The dressing has its relevance with brand, origins and other similar aspects. I believe that one needs to fit in the society by following the trend and the right kind of dressing. The reason for dressing in such a way is to feel more confident, positive, powerful and stylish (Howard & Sheth, 1968). Right clothes are empowering because they affect confidence level, self-esteem and also helps in propelling at school and other places. The choice of dressing is reflected in wardrobe size, colour, and type of dressing. The brand choices are also resulting in one's preferences associated with clothing (Hawkins & Mothersbaugh, 2009). Another thing that affects my decision to dressing is age. As I a teenager and heading to my twenties, so I try to choose something that looks amazing. I believe that girls at high-school must not choose boring or dull colours. A right dress will be the one with a bright colour and attractive style.
In choosing the right dress, I always wonder how I must represent myself at school and in the crowd. I also thought if dressing would make me feel positive and affect my self-esteem or not. During purchasing dresses, the factors that influence my decision include; prices, style, and comfort. I prefer to buy a dress that is affordable but stylish. I never compromise style for the money. Other factors that influence my decision include, “intelligence, confidence, trustworthiness, responsibility, authority, and organization”. For me, dressing is an intelligent choice that means spending money for gaining maximum utility. The outcomes are thus satisfaction, confidence, happiness, and positivity. According to me, dressing is an essential part of human life so one must make a clear choice after considering the cost and benefit analysis. Although I spend more on clothing it is linked to self-respect, high confidence, and satisfaction (Hawkins & Mothersbaugh, 2009).
Consumer behaviour theory
Consumer behaviour states that utility is the primary thing that impacts the purchase decision of an individual. The utility is linked with the maximum satisfaction of the customer. The client is willing to spend on a product that offers maximum utility. The theory also presents human beings as ‘rational economic man' CITATION Kav16 \l 1033 (Peighambari, Sattari, Kordestani, & Oghazi, 2016). The common factors that influence the purchase decision of an individual include need, evaluation of alternatives, need recognition and leads to the formation of purchase intention (Askegaard & Scott, 2012). The factors that influence consumer buying behaviours involve the socio-cultural environment and settings. The client employs its philosophy to resolve the issues of conflict, uncertainty leading towards risks and the motives of consumers buying patterns. William and Plouffe (2007) explain that the buying behaviours of consumers depend on their value maximization incentives. The assessment of consumer buying patterns provides information about the demand for products that leads to the identification of organizational buying patterns (Sattari, 2012). Their buying depends on personal and group choices. Consumers evaluate the cost and benefit of making a rational choice CITATION JFT99 \l 1033 (Tanner, 1999).
Consumer behaviour theory is linked to the rational decision of an individual. The purchase habit is associated with the value attached to a product. The environmental and cultural factors also influence the purchase decision of an individual (Hameed, Waqas, Aslam, Bilal & Umair, 2014). The buying attitudes result from the combined effects that include societal and individual factors. The overall assessment of consumer buying behaviour depicts that it is a complex model that include multiple goals and people that reflects a conflicting condition (Berthon, Pitt, Ewing & Carr, 2002). General preferences depend on clients' buying patterns and incentives. The effective development of buying behaviours leads to conflict resolution. Marketing activities also depend on organizational buying behaviours (Yale & Gilly, 1998).
Clientele preferences influence their buying behaviours. The factors that influence buying patterns involve personal, social, environmental and psychological factors (MacInnis & Folkes, 2010). Organizations study the customer's behaviours that include the assessment of their set of choices, thoughts, feelings, and utilization CITATION Man15 \l 1033 (Khaniwale, 2015).
I spend on clothes because it is linked to an impression that means that it is important for building a positive image among people (Buboltz, Miller & Williams, 1999). It is thus influenced by the way people look at dressing. I invest in dressing for building a positive and attractive impression among viewers. Clothing reflects self-image as it not only affects how people perceive you but is also important for maintaining self-identity (Hameed, Waqas, Aslam, Bilal & Umair, 2014).
References
Belk, R., Askegaard, S., & Scott, L. (Eds.). (2012). Research in consumer behaviour. Howard House, Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Berthon, P., Pitt, L., Ewing, M., & Carr, C. L. (2002). Potential research space in MIS: A framework for envisioning and evaluating research replication, extension, and generation. Information Systems Research, 13, 416-427.
Buboltz, W. C., Jr., Miller, M., & Williams, D. J. (1999). Content analysis of research in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (1973–1998). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 496-503.
Cokley, K., Caldwell, L., Miller, K., & Muhammad, G. (2001). Content analysis of the Journal of Black Psychology (1985- 1999). Journal of Black Psychology, 27, 424-438.
Furrer, O., Thomas, H., & Goussevskaia, A. (2008). The structure and evolution of the strategic management field: A content analysis of 26 years of strategic management research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 10, 1-23.
Hameed, M. A., Waqas, A., Aslam, M. N., Bilal, M., & Umair, M. (2014). Impact of TV advertisement on children buying behaviour. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4, 246-261.
Hawkins, D., & Mothersbaugh, D. (2009). Consumer behaviour: Building a marketing strategy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Helgeson, J. G., Kluge, E. A., Mager, J., & Taylor, C. (1984). Trends in consumer behavior literature: A content analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 10, 449-454.
Howard, J., & Sheth, J. N. (1968). The theory of buyer behavior. New York, NY: John Wiley.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Khaniwale, M. (2015). Consumer Buying Behavior . International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, Vol. 14 No. 2.
Kassarjian, H. H. (1977). Content analysis in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 4, 8-18. Kolbe, R. H., & Burnett, M. S. (1991). Content-analysis research: An examination of applications with directives for improving research reliability and objectivity. Journal of Consumer Research, 18, 243-250.
MacInnis, D. J., & Folkes, V. S. (2010). The disciplinary status of consumer behavior: A sociology of science perspective on key controversies. Journal of Consumer Research, 36, 899-914.
Pasadeos, Y., Phelps, J., & Kim, B. H. (1998). Disciplinary impact of advertising scholars: Temporal comparisons of influential authors, works and research networks. Journal of Advertising, 27, 53-70.
Peighambari, K., Sattari, S., Kordestani, A., & Oghazi, P. (2016). Consumer Behavior Research: A Synthesis of Recent Literature. SAGE Open, 1-9.
Robertson, T. S., & Kassarjian, H. H. (1991). Handbook of consumer behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Sattari, S. (2012). Essays on the issues of readability in the business disciplines (Doctoral thesis). Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. Solomon, M. R. (2013). Consumer behavior: Buying, having and being (10th ed.). Essex, England: Pearson Education.
Tanner, J. F. (1999). Industrial Marketing Management. Elservier .
Vallet-Bellmunt, T., Martínez-Fernández, M. T., & Capó-Vicedo, J. (2011). Supply chain management: A multidisciplinary content analysis of vertical relations between companies, 1997–2006. Industrial Marketing Management, 40, 1347-1367.
West, D. (2007). Directions in marketing communications research an analysis of the International Journal of Advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 26, 543-554.
Williams, B. C., & Plouffe, C. R. (2007). Assessing the evolution of sales knowledge: A 20-year content analysis. Industrial Marketing Management, 36, 408-419.
Wright, R. (2006). Consumer behaviour. London, England: Thomson Learning.
Yale, L., & Gilly, M. C. (1988). Trends in advertising research: A look at the content of marketing-oriented journals from 1976 to 1985. Journal of Advertising, 17, 12-22.
