Ian Phau

Profiling fashion innovators

As fashion innovators are the chief buyers of fashion at the introductory stage, they have significant influence on the product at the later stages. Building on this, this study attempts to achieve four main objectives. First, it provides a demographic profile of fashion innovators. Second, it identifies the differences in self‐concepts between innovators and non‐innovators. Third, it attempts to discover if innovators are impulse purchasers. Finally, it investigates if fashion innovators will purchase impulsively online from Internet stores. The results show that innovators were found to have a unique self‐image. They are more excitable, indulgent, contemporary, liberal and colourful. Compared to the results in Goldsmith et al.s study, only two of the characteristics were found to be identical (contemporary and colourful). The differences in other self‐ascribed characteristics are excitable and indulgent (this study) and comfortable, pleasant and vain. The results also seem to suggest that innovativeness is related to marital status. Fashion innovators generally exhibit impulsive behaviour. They might be able to expand their scope of fashion knowledge through the Internet, not just merely through fashion magazines. However, the findings of this study showed that there is no difference between fashion innovators and non‐innovators in Internet purchase. Despite this finding, the Internet can still be used as an advertising tool to appeal to the innovators.

Conceptualizing the country of origin of brand

With the globalization of international trade, consumers today are faced with a proliferation of products with multicountry affiliations (hybrid products). As such it is likely that the country of origin of manufacture of a hybrid product is no longer the most important determinant in the evaluation of brand image and product quality. This paper therefore extends prior country of origin research by conceptualizing the country of origin of brand as an alternative evaluation tool. In particular, an earlier definition of country of origin is revisited for its emphasis on the country of brand. We have also highlighted the strategic, conceptual and practical relevance in the form of future research propositions. The managerial implications are also presented.

An investigation of the effects of environmental claims in promotional messages for clothing brands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how consumers respond to environmental claims of three types contained in promotional messages attributed to one respected “green” brand and one mainstream leisure clothing.Design/methodology/approach – A mall‐intercept questionnaire‐based survey in one city in Australia collected responses from 380 respondents, who rated environmental claims contained in promotional messages delivered via garment tags attached to T‐shirts.Findings – Shoppers responded more positively to product‐related messages than cause‐related messages. They found environmental claims to be more credible if attributed to the green brands than to the neutral brand.Research limitations/implications – Future research might focus on the “green” market segment rather than interacting with the general population, and devise niche marketing strategies to clothes retailers. There is also room for more vivid pro‐green statements as test stimuli, perhaps generated by in‐depth qualitative researc...

Profiling brand‐piracy‐prone consumers: an exploratory study in Hong Kong’s clothing industry

This research profiles consumers of pirated products, specifically pirated brands of clothing. Utilising a structured questionnaire and counter‐biasing statements, results from face‐to‐face street‐intercept interviews showed that low spenders on pirated brands of clothing are mainly people aged 19 to 24 with a blue‐collar occupation, relatively low monthly income, secondary education level, and no children. High spenders on pirated brands are in the age bracket 25‐34 with white‐collar jobs, a monthly income of HK

Attitudes toward domestic and foreign luxury brand apparel: a comparison between status and non status teenagers

10,000‐HK

Dimensions of consumer knowledge and its impacts on country of origin effects among Australian consumers: a case of fast‐consuming product

19,999, tertiary or university education, and children. Consumers identify pirated brands of clothing usually by lower price and buying location, but price was not the sole determinant for purchase. Finally, they bought the pirated brands mainly for private use. Based on these results, the paper makes recommendations to original brand manufacturers and policy makers for combating pirated products.

Understanding compulsive buying tendencies among young Australians: the roles of money attitudes and credit card usage

Purpose – The purpose of the current research is to determine if status and non‐status seeking Australian teenagers differ in their attitudes toward buying domestic and foreign (i.e. Italy, Japan, China) luxury brand apparel.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 365 teenagers participated in this study through a self‐completed questionnaire. Fishbeins Multi‐Attribute Attitude Model was used to measure and compare attitudes toward buying domestic and foreign made apparel. Repeated measure ANOVA and t‐tests were utilized to examine whether the groups differed with regards to their attitudes toward buying luxury brand apparel, using a comparison of apparels “Made in Australia” with those “Made in Italy”, “Made in Japan” and “Made in China”.Findings – The research findings indicate that status‐seeking teenagers have overall, a more positive attitude toward foreign luxury brand apparel as compared to Australian luxury brands, with the exception of Chinese brands. On the other hand, non‐status seeking teena...

Re‐examining traditional service quality in an e‐banking era

Purpose – The main purpose of the study is to extend Schaefers paper by investigating how different dimensions of consumer knowledge may affect country of origin cues with an Australian sample.Design/methodology/approach – A self‐administered mail survey was used in this study. The main sample consisted of Australian residents who are aged 18 and above and may or may not be alcoholic drinkers. The mailing list was purchased from a local council consisting of a suburb of metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. The total usable response rate was 38.7 per cent.Findings – The results indicated that country of origin cues affect Australian consumers in beer evaluations despite its weak influences. It suggested that brand familiarity and objective product knowledge mediate the extent to which consumers relied on country of origin in product evaluation. However, the study found inconsistent results between different levels of objective knowledge and its effects on country of origin of manufacture.Originality/val...

Engaging in complaint behaviour

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate money attitudes and credit card usage, between compulsive and non‐compulsive buyers, of young Australians. It also serves to validate the money attitude scale (MAS) using an Australian sample.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a mall intercept method in a major shopping complex in Perth, Western Australia. A self‐administered questionnaire was distributed and recorded a response rate of 18 per cent.Findings – Compulsive buyers are more likely to perceive money as a source of power and prestige. They are also more frequent users of credit cards and are more likely to bargain hunt. There are no differences between compulsive and non‐compulsive buyers for the dimensions of time retention, distrust, and anxiety of the MAS.Research limitations/implications – The study has only captured young adult Australians and should not be generalized across other demographics and national consumers. Studies on compulsive behaviour of online shoppin...

How young adult consumers evaluate diffusion brands: effects of brand loyalty and status consumption

Purpose – This paper aims to re‐examine the role of traditional service quality in an e‐banking environment by providing a review of how traditional service quality perceptions have evolved through the current and continuing stream of change in banking technology and the corresponding changes in the nature of how banks interact with their customers.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a mail survey sent out to a commercially purchased mailing list of 2,500 business names and addresses. The overall usable response rate was 30.6 per cent. Quadrant analysis was performed on the service quality dimensions from the SERVQUAL scale.Findings – While the importance ranking of the five SERVQUAL dimensions has not changed dramatically over the years, large discrepancies were found between customer expectations and their perceived performance of traditional banking services.Practical implications – Quadrant analysis produced specific recommendations on how banks should prioritise the allocation of t...