Slow your consumers down : A quantitative study on which aspects affect consumer satisfaction within the fashion industry.

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SLOW YOUR CONSUMERS DOWN

A quantitative study on which aspects affect consumers satisfaction within the Fashion industry.

SVERDRUP OEHLER, VICTORIA

WINDER, ADELLE

School of Business, Society & Engineering

Course: Master Thesis in Business Administration Course code: FOA403

15 cr

Supervisor: Cecilia Lindh Date: 2020/06/02, 2020/06/09

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ABSTRACT

Date: 2020/06/02, 2020/06/09

Level: Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr

Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University

Authors: Victoria Sverdrup Oehler Adelle Winder

(94/01/22) (96/09/04)

Title: Slow your consumers down: A quantitative study on which aspects affect consumer satisfaction within the fashion industry.

Tutor: Cecilia Lindh

Keywords: Slow Fashion, Consumer satisfaction, Sustainability, Price, Quality.

Research questions: Which aspects influence consumer satisfaction towards a fashion brand?

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to research which factors influence consumer satisfaction towards a fashion company. The purpose is also, to contribute with knowledge on the concept Slow Fashion.

Method: This research is carried out by using a quantitative method, a survey was made together with two other research groups, an Associate Professor and a PhD candidate. The survey was available for circa four and a half months and the responses was then analyzed with SPSS, which led to the results.

Conclusion: Four out of five hypotheses turned out to be supported after the survey was analyzed. The aspects that affect the consumer’s satisfaction are price, quality, reviews and to have a sustainable business model, while recommendations do not.

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Acknowledgements

First, we would like to thank all members of the research team; Laura, Ellinor, Cecile and Minda, without your ideas, suggestions and support we would not have been able to complete

this research. Of course, the warmest of thanks to our supervisor Professor Cecilia Lindh for her assistance and help through this writing process.

We want to send our greatest of thanks to all family members and friends who participated in the survey and supported us while writing our Master thesis. Thanks to you we have a

research with responses from all over the world!

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Definition of concepts

Business model: Osterwalder, Pigneur and Tucci (2005, p. 3) made the definition for a business models as a “conceptualization of the way a company does business” in order to “identify the elements and relationships that describe the business a company does” (Tunn, Bocken, Van Den Hende & Schoormans, 2019).

CSR: Corporate social responsibility, the responsibilities companies have towards the environment, society and the people working at the company. They need to maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides. (Beal, 2014)

Customer satisfaction: Customer satisfaction is an emotional response to an experience provided by a product or service. The customer evaluates the certain product and generates a sense of fulfillment. When talking specifically about fashion, retailers associate customer satisfaction with the service, price and product they are offering to the customers. (Oliver, 1997; Pan & Zinkhan, 2006; Hui & Yee, 2015)

Fast fashion: This type of fashion is usually trendy and is sold at a low price. The consumer often believes that the garments have a high replaceable factor. (Watson & Yan, 2013)

Slow Fashion: Slow Fashion is an approach that offers the consumer more sustainable and ethical ways of being fashionable that have implications for design, production, consumption, and use (Hazel, 2008).

Sustainability: It is often seen as the desired goal of environmental management but can be used in many different contexts (Brown, Hanson, Liverman & Merideth, 1987). In this work, sustainability is used in the manner of the environment.

Trustworthiness: Merriam-Webster dictionary defines trustworthy as being “able to be relied on, to do or provide what is needed or right: deserving of trust” (Merriam-Webster, n.d).

Word-of-mouth: It is a concept where the consumers are doing the marketing for the company by spreading positive (or negative) feelings about the company itself and their products (Sernovitz, 2014).

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1. Introduction

The purpose of the introductory part is to present the background to the study area. Then a problem formulation follows in which the study area is problematized. The purpose of the essay is then formulated which leads to the research question. The function of the introductory part is to give the reader a basic understanding of the essay.

1.1 Background

Fashion can indicate status, social class and art, and it is a way for people to express themselves. It reflects and arises from people’s lives and living conditions, and even external factors such as political, economic and social can influence fashion decisions. Fashion can also be related to vanity and lust. (Johansson, 2010) The fashion industry is getting more and more globalized due to the innovation of technologies, which has led to increased consumption as a result of higher living standards in most of the developed countries (Zamani, Svanström, Peters, & Rydberg, 2015). Between the years 2015 and 2020, the global apparel market is calculated to grow in value from US $1.3 trillion to roughly US $1.5 trillion. These numbers indicate that the demand for clothes is increasing around the world. (O’Connell, 2020) The global fashion and textile industry accounts for two percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (Fashionunited, n.d.) and it is the second largest polluter in the world after the oil industry (Sweeny, 2015). In every growing industry, there are both positive and negative changes, environmentally, socially and economically. Previous studies have established that the growth of the fashion industry has affected the environment negatively. (Ekström, Gustafsson, Hjelmgren & Salomonsson, 2012; Lo, Yeung, & Cheng, 2012; Joy, Sherry, Venkatesh, Wang & Chan, 2012) In today’s society, fashion has become a disposable item because of the ever-changing collections and low prices (Labfresh, n.d.).

While the industry grows and becomes more profitable, consumers become more involved in the fast fashion cycle (Morgan & Birtwistle, 2009). Morgan and Birtwistle (2009) found that young fashion consumers are unaware of the need for clothing recycling; in a study conducted by the previously mentioned authors, participants found that fast fashion encourages a throwaway culture. In which, garments are disposed of before they complete their real life-cycle. As consumers become increasingly aware of the benefits of recycling in general, fashion

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2 plays a separate role. While people show concern for sustainability, low prices and new trends still play an important role in their purchase behavior, thus, creating a big contradiction between sustainable purchase behavior and mass consumption of cheap seasonal garments. (Johansson, 2010; Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013)

Slow Fashion started as a manifestation against fast fashion, opposite to popular belief, its purpose is not to slow down the supply chain but to emphasize on the importance of the implementation of a sustainable process (Hazel, 2008; Fletcher, 2010). The “slow” approach offers more sustainable and ethical ways of being fashionable and it has implications for design, production, consumption, and use (Hazel, 2008). Slow Fashion represents a vision of sustainability, based on different values and goals, it requires a changed infrastructure and reduced throughput of goods. It involves the design of classic garments instead of trendy ones and it usually has longer production times. (Fletcher, 2010) Still, it is important to mention that because of the novelty of this subject, no formal definition has been made (Štefko & Steffek, 2018; Zarley Watson & Yan, 2013). This leads to the definition of Slow Fashion made by the researchers of this study: An anti-fast fashion movement with focus on a sustainable and ethical production process, which delivers high quality season-less garments that can be worn for a long period of time and thus have a higher price than the non-sustainable ones.

1.1.1 Fashion consumption

When making ethical consumption decisions, consumers of fashion differ from consumers of other products (Niinimäki, 2010). Fashion consumers show less engagement in sustainable items because they cannot see a direct effect on their well-being and health produced by buying unethical fashion (Joergens, 2006), on the contrary to consuming food that is unethically produced (Ochoa, 2011; Joergens, 2006). Fashion consumers do not want to trade their “need” for clothing in order to be sustainable and pay more for less garments (Joergens, 2006; Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004).

1.1.1.1 Fast Fashion Consumer

Consumers usually choose to buy trendy garments at a low price and a high replaceable factor (Watson & Yan, 2013). A study conducted by Watson and Yan (2013) showed that consumers seek to avoid guilt after purchase, so fast fashion consumers achieve that through shopping low cost garments. Also, consumers achieve a sense of fulfillment by buying in bulk, which means that they prefer to buy quantity over quality at a lower price. The sense of satisfaction provided

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3 by the purchase usually ends after the thrill of the purchase itself or by the time the customer needs to wash the item for the first time. (Watson & Yan, 2013) Garments are often perceived as perishable and styles are likely to degrade quickly, so in order to keep up with the latest trends, the fast fashion model suggest the thought “buy more and spend less” (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013). Pablo Isla, CEO of Inditex (Zara, Bershka etc.) once said “If you enter a Zara store and see something you like, you know you’d better buy it because if you come back, it won’t be there” (Johansson, 2010, p. 22). This reflects directly on the consumption pace set by the retailers, as prices are low and trends keep changing in a rapid manner, people end up not wearing all the clothes they purchased. Furthermore, these garments are poorly constructed and not made to last, which means that they need to be replaced in a short amount of time, increasing the rate of consumption. (Johansson, 2010)

1.1.1.2 Slow Fashion Consumer

As an opposite, Slow Fashion consumers seek to purchase high quality clothes that have versatile designs, this allows them to build a wardrobe that reflects the care and consideration with which they chose those clothes. Quality over quantity is a true statement for this kind of consumer, whose goal is to find season-less garments that can be worn all year around. (Watson & Yan, 2013)

Furthermore, in order to face times of recession, shortage of supplies, exploitation of natural resources and the constant chase of new trends, some consumers, retailers and suppliers are starting to shift their attention towards Slow Fashion (Johansson, 2010). As the movement of Slow Fashion seeks to place value on local resources and economies while being transparent about the production process and creating garments with longer life cycles (Hazel, 2008), consumers experience a continued sense of satisfaction even after the purchase itself. They are placing more focus on their love for couture and art as a way to achieve hedonism. (Watson & Yan 2013) Slow Fashion incorporates green fibers and new technology to reduce waste and pollution as a way to encourage their consumers to be more conscious about their consumption patterns. It also incorporates social responsibility, sustainability, and transparency as strategies to improve their businesses and maintain profitability. (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013)

1.1.2 Important aspects for consumer satisfaction

A firm must work on building trust with the consumer, this could be achieved by offering good quality products which would lead towards consumer satisfaction (Bergeron, 2001; Po-Young,

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4 Gin-Yuang & Yu, 2012). Trust is the customer's confidence in the reliability and integrity of a retailer’s actions (De Wulf, Odekerken-Schröder & Iacobucci, 2001; Stathopoulou & Balabanis, 2016). Trust between the customer and the store is very important when it comes to online shopping, since the products are intangible until the consumer receives them (Stathopoulou & Balabanis, 2016; Po-Young, et al., 2012). Satisfying the customer may create trust between both parties (Hui & Yee, 2015). Satisfaction is crucial when building a loyalty bond with the customer, which eventually will encourage them to buy from the company again (Hui & Yee, 2015; Jamal & Anastasiadou, 2009). Consumer satisfaction is directly related to the price, quality and service that is being offered by the company (Oliver, 1997; Pan & Zinkhan, 2006). According to Fagerstrøm and Ghinea (2011) and Reibstein (2002), price has a high impact on the consumer's purchase decision and when the price is below market standard, it makes the customer more willing to buy than when it is more expensive (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011). Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (1985) claims that the price sets the standard for the perception of the product quality. Seen from the consumers perspective, quality is the main indicator on how much the garment is worth on the market (Gitimu, Workman & Robinson, 2013). Pookulangara and Shephard (2013) argues that sustainable garments often have a higher quality, which makes them last longer. Houston and Taylor (1999) found that the quality of the garment strengthens the trust and increases the willingness to buy. Reviews and recommendations are also related to purchase intent because customers are more likely to buy a product if it has good reviews online (Hsu, Chuan-Chuan Lin & Chiang, 2013) or if a friend or family member had recommended it (Smith, Menon & Sivakumar, 2005).

1.2 Research problem

In the fashion industry, the trend of Slow Fashion is finally emerging, big companies such as the Swedish company H&M are starting to develop clothing lines with sustainable features like organic cotton or sweat free manufacturing (Johansson, 2010). This is why it is imperative to investigate the willingness of consumers to be sustainable and the significance of brands in that context. Research shows that people rather buy fast fashion because of the inexpensive price and because they are not willing to give up the number of clothes they can get for the same amount of money (Watson & Yan, 2013). Pookulangara and Shephard (2013) argue that many consumers are buying fast fashion because they want to be trendy and “in style”, which may

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5 not be the case when it comes to Slow Fashion. There is not much information on this subject and no formal definition has yet been established (Štefko & Steffek, 2018; Zarley Watson & Yan, 2013). Besides that, no information about how the price of fashion garments affects the consumer’s satisfaction towards the company has been found. Therefore, this research aims to help define how Slow Fashion should be looked at by companies, designers and consumers.

1.3 Purpose and research question

The purpose of this thesis is to study which aspects influence consumer satisfaction towards a fashion company. The perception and importance of quality, price, reviews, recommendations and a sustainable business model have when shopping for apparel are reviewed with a quantitative research method. The aim is to contribute with new knowledge to the field of Slow Fashion by studying consumers behavior when buying apparel and the impact a sustainable strategy for fashion sales can have in the economic and environmental aspects. The focus during this research is to investigate the consumer. After establishing the problem and purpose, the research question was created. With all of the mentioned factors above in mind, this study aims to answer following question:

- Which aspects influence consumer satisfaction towards a fashion brand?

1.4 Thesis outline

The development of this research will start with a literature review, in which the main concepts covered in this research are explained, which is then followed by the hypotheses development and the conceptual model. Then comes the methodology which consists of information about data collection, sample, analysis, validity and reliability. Afterwards, the results and a discussion are presented, and finally, the conclusion that includes further research, managerial implications and limitations of our study.

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2. Literature review

Lee (2013) defines marketing as a communication channel between a product and the target group, which is the consumer. The overall process of marketing is about identifying consumer needs and define how the product in question can meet them, rather than just sell the product (Lee, 2013). Marketing is considered essential because of the increasing competition among companies over the customers, which has led to stronger promotional strategies for every one of them (Azad & Roshan, 2014). Since fashion consumers are always looking for new trends, it is of great importance that companies in the clothing industry are able to win the consumers attention with the help of their marketing strategies (Tokatli, 2008). Through clear communication, a company can build and enhance relationships with its customers, by maintaining this connection the company can have good references and favorable word-of-mouth can be generated (Grönroos, 2004).

A company who adopts fast fashion as their strategy needs to have a supply chain that is prepared to respond quickly to customers’ demands by delivering the latest fashion merchandise to all selling points within a month (Levy & Weitz, 2008; Sull & Turconi, 2008; Watson & Yan, 2013). This type of retailer needs to communicate with their consumers in a rapid manner in order to increase demand and reach profitability. They generally use electronic media, such as e-mail and social media ads among other tools for advertisement, direct marketing and promotion. (Jonsson & Solaja, 2019; Sodhi, 2011)

Fast fashion retailers usually appeal to the need of satisfying the consumer, studies have shown that buyers can feel remorse after shopping (Watson & Yan, 2013) so one strategy used to avoid this feeling is the promise of a charitable action in consequence of the purchase (Jonsson & Solaja, 2019), i.e. “By buying this product, we will donate the same product to a child in need”.

On the contrary to this, Slow Fashion represents sustainable thoughtful consumption, made with quality and care. Concepts like fair trade, sweatshop-free, or recycled can be found in advertisements, but most of all, its purpose to last longer has an effect on design which is carefully thought in order to be season-less. (Fletcher, 2010; Watson & Yan, 2013; Jonsson & Solaja, 2019) Consumers seek to satisfy their needs by purchasing sustainable clothing, all of

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7 these characteristics can be mentioned when advertising this type of garments, as the customer has a higher appreciation for authenticity and genuineness of products (Becker, Wiegand & Reinartz, 2019).

When marketing a green product, the marketer needs to use a different approach than when marketing a non-green product, the focus must be on long-term use rather than short-term (Groening, Sarkis & Zhu, 2018). Uthamaputhran, Shazneem and Hasliana (2014) define green marketing as multiple tools used when marketing green products to green consumers. Green marketing strategy is a technique to identify, anticipate and meet customer demands in a sustainable way (Sugandini, Muafi, Susilowati, Siswanti & Syafri, 2020), it is also a productive way to achieve business success by educating customers to be more environmentally responsible and informing them on the benefits of consuming green products (Sugandini, et al., 2018; Grant, 2007). According to Uthamaputhran et al. (2014), there is a link between a company’s green marketing strategy and the customers’ purchase of green products. Sugandini et al. (2020) states that successful green marketing campaigns raises the consumer’s awareness of green products, which leads to a higher consumption of them. Converse Renew is an initiative where the company advertises and explains how they recycle old shoes to make new ones (Converse, 2020) and Quicksilver’s “Designed for Radness” campaign explains how they recycle PET bottles in order to make bathing suits (Quicksilver, 2020). Even though these strategies are used to market environmentally friendly products, it is also being discussed if they are sustainable in the long run, and if they really are encouraging a consumption of green products (Reich & Soule, 2016).

The following sections present previous research on the different aspects that influence consumer satisfaction towards sustainable fashion consumption and on what customer satisfaction actually means. In this part, the hypotheses of the study will be presented together with the conceptual model.

2.1 Customer satisfaction

Nowadays, one of the most important factors for a business to be successful is to build-up and maintain customer satisfaction. A firm must work on trust and loyalty-based quality service. (Bergeron, 2001; Po-Young, et al., 2012) By judging a product, customers decide if it generates

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8 a sense of fulfillment that could be later transformed into customer satisfaction. In the apparel industry, retailers consider that customer satisfaction directly relates to the price, quality and service they offer to the customer at the moment shopping occurs. (Oliver, 1997; Pan & Zinkhan, 2006)

Customer satisfaction is essential to build loyalty towards a brand. This behavior encourages the customer to re-purchase another product from the same brand or store in the future, it also could mean that the loyal customer is likely to provide a positive word-of-mouth feedback on the purchased product. (Hui & Yee, 2015; Jamal & Anastasiadou, 2009) Furthermore, satisfaction is important because it leads towards customer loyalty, which ultimately leads to brand equity, thus, it is important to create and maintain differentiation in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It is also important to mention that not all customers show the same levels of loyalty towards a brand, it depends on their segment as well as the brand. (Jamal & Anastasiadou, 2009)

Grönroos (2004) states that in extension to the value of the product itself, additional value for the consumer can be added through creating a relationship between the consumer and the company. A relationship like this can offer the consumer security, trust and a feeling of control which could help to reduce the uncertainty that can occur before purchase. After the relationship has been established, all efforts to nourish and strengthen this bond are favorable because then the consumer can spread a positive word-of-mouth. (Grönroos, 2004)

An important part of satisfaction is the trust created between the consumer and the company (Grönroos, 2004), which leads us to consider trust as an important factor that directly affects customer satisfaction. Trust is interpreted as the consumer’s confidence in the reliability and integrity of a retailer’s actions, and it translates into engagement despite the risks it may involve (De Wulf, et al., 2001; Stathopoulou & Balabanis, 2016). In a retail setting, if the relationship between customer and salesclerk is successful, we can talk about trust amongst them, which allows them to exchange information in order to deliver the product or service the shopper is looking for. Satisfied customers will easier become loyal to the brand (Hui & Yee, 2015) and that is the ultimate goal for a company; to create loyalty with the customer. One of the strategies used is the creation and implementation of loyalty programs, which seek to create psychological bonds with customers, build expectations and then by fulfilling them, increase trustworthiness. (Stathopoulou & Balabanis, 2016)

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9 In online shopping, trust becomes even more important because the consumer has fewer tangible and verifiable resources to rely on. In addition to that, in order to complete the purchase, personal information such as banking and address details are needed. Hence, the need for trust towards the company’s policy for handling personal information is essential. The same happens when a customer joins a loyalty program. (Stathopoulou & Balabanis, 2016; Po-Young, et al., 2012)

2.2 Sustainable business model

The global development, the rising global population and the increasing resource use and environmental impacts make it hard for companies to operate as usual if the goal is to have a sustainable future (Bocken, Short, Rana & Evans, 2014). This has also led to that the consumers are more aware of their consumption patterns and how they affect the environment. This makes buying sustainable products more popular even though it costs more money in general. (Kumar, Mangla, Luthra, Rana & Dwivedi, 2018) A comprehensive approach is needed to address the challenges if we are to achieve a sustainable future, which means that responses to environmental changes must be parallel to economic and social change. A sustainable business model means that the company incorporates stakeholder interests, including the environment and society. (Bocken, et al., 2014) In the eyes of the consumer, having a sustainable business model can be a major competitive advantage (Hofer, Cantor & Dai, 2011; Streimikiene, Navikaite & Varanavicius, 2016; Bocken, et al., 2014). Yang, Evans, Vladimirova and Rana (2017) state that sustainability is one of the true key factors for long-term business profit and success. They continue with discussing the importance of having a overall understanding of value in order to be more sustainable (Yang, et al., 2017). Tunn et al. (2019) suggest that a subscription policy could be a part of a sustainable business model in the clothing industry. It would decrease the amount of unnecessary no-longer-used garments since they would be sent to another consumer (Tunn, et al., 2019). According to Hamid, Ijab, Sulaiman, Anwar and Norman (2017), increased knowledge about environmental sustainability awareness is one of the biggest factors for behavioral change amongst consumers.

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2.3 Product related features

When a customer is considering to buy a product, many things play a part in the decision making process. It can be online reviews, recommendations, price, waiting time (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011), quality or involvement with a product (Gitimu, et al., 2013). Some of these things are involved in a concept called product related features. In this research, Chan and Wong’s (2012) definition is being used as a measurement tool, and those features are mainly price and quality.

2.3.1 Price

Price is an important factor when attracting customers to the online store, just because of the high impact it has on the purchase decision making process for many customers (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011; Reibstein, 2002). Fagerstrøm and Ghinea’s (2011) study shows that when the price is below the market standards in one online shop, it makes the consumer more willing to buy rather than when the price is above market standards. The study also shows that a low price has a stronger impact than customer reviews (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011), which Baubonienė and Gulevičiūtė’s (2015) study also confirms. Lo, Chou and Teng (2013) have found that consumers expect prices to be lower when buying online, compared to in physical stores, even though the prices are more or less the same.

In general, fashion consumers have a price interval that they consider acceptable to pay for a fashion garment (Bratt, 1999; Crane and Clarke, 1994). Miller (1992) claims that when the price of the garment is higher than what the consumer is willing to pay, they abstain from buying it. Since sustainable fashion is positioned as a price premium on the market (Brito, Carbone & Blanquart, 2008), only a few customers are willing to pay for it (Crane & Clarke, 1994). Parasuraman et al. (1985) highlights the importance in picking the right price because if the fashion garment is priced below the customer’s set interval, they will get suspicious about the quality. A high price, on the other hand, will make the customer think that the quality is going to be high (Parasuraman, et al., 1985) but as previous research suggests, most customers are not willing to pay more (Joergens, 2006; Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004).

2.3.2 Quality

A garment’s worth on the market depends on how the consumer assesses the quality (Gitimu, et al., 2013) and the value represents the garment’s usefulness (Scheller & Kunz, 1998). The

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11 quality of the garment influences the consumer’s decision during purchase (Swinker & Hines, 2006). The appearance (e.g. colour) of the garment was seen as more important than performance characteristics (e.g. durability) as a quality indicator (Gitimu, et al., 2013). The fabric also has a major influence on how the quality is perceived, because it has a convincing effect on the garment’s performance and appearance (Hines & O’Neal, 1995). Garments with higher quality are often more sustainable and are therefore incorporated in the Slow Fashion concept. More and more consumers see the importance of buying fashion with a higher quality. (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013)

When the consumer is less familiar with a brand or a company and the price level is high, the perceived risk feels larger. Under these circumstances, the consumer tends to have the idea that a higher price indicates better quality. (Chan & Wong, 2012) Li, Hess, & Valacich (2006) argue that the quality of the product influences the consumers purchasing choice and at the same time impacts on the overall satisfaction of the product. Moreover, Patterson (1993) argues that product quality is the main determinant of the consumer’s satisfaction. Chinomona, Okoumba and Pooe’s (2013) study shows that anticipated product quality is positively related to trust, which Kaplan and Nieschwietz (2003) agree with. Additionally, Houston and Taylor (1999) found that the quality of a product increases the customer’s willingness to purchase and strengthens the trust.

2.4 Reviews and recommendations

Social media has become a place where individuals get to express their emotions and where they can find other people’s opinions on certain things (Lamberton & Stephen, 2016). When it comes to online shopping, many customers turn to social media as a source of information to read reviews from strangers (Goldsmith & Horowitz, 2006; Schindler & Bickart, 2005; Sen & Lerman, 2007). According to Hsu et al. (2013) is the number of consumers that seek information online before making a purchase 81% and out of those, 74% get influenced in their purchase decision by the advice they receive. According to a report done by Nielsen (2015) more than two thirds of the consumers trust the reviews they read online. Additionally, Wu and Wu (2016) have found that positive online reviews also can influence the consumers eagerness to pay to a certain extent, and reviews are also known to influence the creation of consumer trust (Stouthuysen, Teunis, Reusen & Slabbinck, 2018).

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12 Moreover, Kawaf and Istanbulluoglu (2019) mention that there are multiple studies on online reviews related to other products, but fashion is an area that is nearly unexplored. The researchers continue to argue that clothing is both hedonistic and heterogeneous in nature because of variations in color, style, size and texture and that those factors should make online reviews relevant. They also argue for the individuality of fashion and that it might make the reviews less relevant, however, an influencer’s review might have a higher impact on their followers. (Kawaf & Istanbulluoglu, 2019) De Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders (2017) argue that trust towards influencers is perceived as low, this is because they usually get compensated in some way in order to promote certain products or brands, hence, their opinions can be biased.

Smith et al. (2005) suggests that many consumers seek recommendations online in order to, in an effective way, manage the amount of information that is available. Researchers also propose that recommendations from friends and family significantly influence consumer’s purchase decision (Smith, et al., 2005). As mentioned earlier, there are risks connected with shopping online, Dowling and Staelin (1994) state that consumers seek recommendations in order to manage these perceived risks and to also make them seem smaller. Past research propose that consumers rather rely on recommendations or word-of-mouth information than product attribute information (Herr, Kardes, & Kim, 1991). This depends on the fact that word-of-mouth information is more vivid (Herr, et al., 1991) and it is perceived as more trustworthy than the marketer-provided information (Smith, 1993).

2.5 Hypotheses Development

In this section, the different hypotheses for this study is presented together with relevant theory. These hypotheses are later the basis for the results and the analysis of this research. In this study, we investigate how the satisfaction towards fashion companies can be affected by price, quality, reviews, recommendations and if they have a sustainable business model.

In response to the environmental impact increase, customers are becoming more aware of their consumption patterns and how they affect the environment, which causes an inclination towards buying sustainable products even though they cost more (Kumar, et al., 2018). At the same time, businesses are paying more attention to sustainable practices as regulations to

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13 protect the environment since it has become essential (Kumar, et al., 2018; Panda, et al., 2019). According to different authors, companies are now focusing on increasing their environmental activities in order to obtain competitive advantage in contrast to its competitors, and thus, adding value to the company (Hofer, et al., 2011; Streimikiene, et al., 2016). These facts lead to the first hypothesis, which is:

H1: Fashion brands with a sustainable business model will increase consumer satisfaction.

When attracting customers to the online store, price is an important factor because it has a high impact on the purchase decision (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011; Reibstein, 2002). A below market standard price makes the customer more eager to buy. At the same time, price has a higher impact on the customer than customer reviews have. (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011) A high price can make the customer refrain from buying the garment (Miller, 1992) and this happens because many customers have a price interval for what they are willing to pay for a specific fashion item (Bratt, 1999; Crane and Clarke, 1994). Parasuraman et al. (1985) claims that the price sets the customer expectation on the product quality. After reading different studies and not finding a connection between price and customer satisfaction, the second hypothesis is:

H2: Price perception affects consumer satisfaction.

Buying garments with a higher quality is often more sustainable than buying garments with a lower quality. At the same time, more people are seeing the importance of being sustainable when buying fashion. (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013) Li et al. (2006) argue that the quality of the product impacts the consumers overall satisfaction, which also Patterson (1993) supports. The product quality is positively related to trust (Chinomona, et al., 2013; Kaplan & Nieschwietz, 2003) as it further increases the customer's willingness to purchase and at the same time strengthens the trust (Houston & Taylor, 1999). The conclusion of this has led to the third hypothesis of this study:

H3: Quality increases consumer satisfaction.

Social media is a place where consumers can express their emotions on certain products and services (Lamberton & Stephen, 2016). Different studies have found that many customers turn to online reviews and recommendations before making a purchase on the internet (Goldsmith & Horowitz, 2006; Schindler & Bickart, 2005; Sen & Lerman, 2007). Recommendations from friends and family are also a source of information that influences consumers purchase decision

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14 (Smith, et al., 2005). Nielsen (2015) claims that two thirds of the consumers who read reviews online trust them and Stouthuysen et al's. (2018) study shows that reviews influence the creation of consumer trust. This takes us to the fourth hypothesis which is divided into two constructs:

H4a: Reviews affect consumer satisfaction.

H4b: Recommendations affect consumer satisfaction.

When creating a conceptual model, different types of variables were used: dependent and independent variables. The dependent variable is the one that needs to be explained, understood or predicted while the independent variable is the performance one that has measurable characteristics which in turn influence, affect or explain the dependent variable. (Hair, Wolfinbarger Celci, Money, Samouel & Page, 2011) This conceptual model consists of four independent variables; sustainability awareness (H1), price (H2), quality (H3) and reviews and recommendations (H4a, H4b) whilst there is only one dependent variable: consumer satisfaction. The hypotheses are created based on how the independent variables are expected to affect the dependent variable.

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3. Method

The purpose of the methodology chapter is to guide the reader through all of the steps taken to reach a final result. In this chapter, the outline of the work is presented as well as justifications for the approach, data collection process is also presented as well as sample group, operationalization and data analysis.

3.1 Research design

To be able to answer the research question of this study, a quantitative research method was used. This because the aim of the research question is to contribute with a general understanding of which aspects actually affect the consumer’s satisfaction. (Ghauri, Grønhaug & Strange, 2020; Bryman & Bell, 2013) Quantitative research is, according to Bryman and Bell (2013), about collecting numerical data and that is why a survey suits for this type of research. The purpose with this type of research is to develop questions what will lead to measurable and distinct results. Using a survey is advantageous because it reaches a larger part of the population which leads to a broader and more generalized result. (Bryman & Bell, 2013)

A hypothetically controlled deductive approach is used in this study, since the hypotheses are developed from previous literature and are empirically investigated (Bryman & Bell, 2013). The philosophical approach chosen for this study was positivism as it is the most common within social sciences (Isaeva, Bachmann, Bristow & Saunders, 2015), since it aims to understand the relation between social dynamics in reality and the universal laws (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2016; Isaeva, et al., 2015). Epistemology is the same as the theory of knowledge, that is the science of what to know and how to reach knowledge. Epistemology is linked to ontology, which is the perception of reality. (Bryman & Bell, 2013) This study is based on five hypotheses related to aspects that might affect the consumer’s satisfaction against a company, these will then be tested either negatively or positively. This will then lead to generalized conclusions about what applies in general. This study followed every step of Bryman and Bell’s (2013) deductive working process (which can be seen in better detail in Figure 2), except the last step where the researchers are supposed to go back and reformulate the theory.

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Figure 2. The deductive process (Bryman & Bell, 2013)

3.2 Data Collection

An extensive literature review was implemented to complement the information gathered from the survey, articles were collected from several databases such as Primo, ABI Inform, Scopus, Emerald amongst others. Search was conducted by using key words such as “Slow Fashion”, “fashion”, “price and fashion”, “quality and fashion”, “sustainability”, “sustainability fashion” “quality”, “satisfaction”, “reviews”, “recommendations”, and “product related features”.

As mentioned earlier, this study was conducted by using a quantitative research method. A survey was made by six International Marketing Master’s students and an Associate Professor from Mälardalen University in collaboration with a PhD candidate from Örebro University. One of the groups focused on the impact CSR can have on consumers purchase intent towards buying fashion online. The other group focused their study on how Slow Fashion behavior is affected by social media influencers and if social media influencers affect fashion purchase intent. The main purpose of working together with two other Master thesis groups, was to be able to gather as much responses as possible and with a broader spread throughout the world. Furthermore, by working with researchers we could also expand the survey reach as well as

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17 ensure that we are collaborating in a subject that it is of interest to the contemporary research community. All of the question used were influenced by previous studies in one way or another. The questionnaire started to circulate online on November 29, 2019 and ended on April 15, 2020.

The survey was made in English and then translated to Spanish, French and German in order to reach a broader audience. The translations were afterwards back translated to English to certify best possible understanding. The survey was distributed via the internet and the eight researchers involved spread the survey amongst their acquaintances and social networks. The survey was mainly distributed through personal messages on social platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and through email. The survey was also posted in different groups on Facebook to reach more respondents. One of these groups is called Slow Fashion World, the purpose with sharing the survey in that group was to reach even more people interested in the Slow Fashion movement. The respondents were asked to notify when the survey was completed through either liking or commenting on the post or by sending a message. If no notification was received, a reminder was sent to increase the response rate. (Anastasiadou, Lindh & Vasse, 2018)

Non-probability sampling was utilized since all of the respondents were asked to spread the survey further (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2019) to create a snowball sampling method with the goal to obtain as much responses as possible (Vogt, 1999). According to Baltar and Brunet (2012), snowball sampling can be an efficient tool to use on social media in order to increase the number of respondents. Therefore, snowball sampling was believed to be appropriate for this study even though with this method it is not possible to choose who will answer the survey and if they already have basic knowledge about the subject. (Baltar & Brunet, 2012).

The survey included sixteen questions with the concepts of purchase behavior, disposal behavior and awareness of CSR behavior within brands and fashion companies, it also contained open-ended questions for participants to explain how they interpret the concept “Slow Fashion”. The survey finished off with some demographic questions (e.g profession, age, gender and nationality) so the researchers could have control of the reach of the survey. The survey consisted of primarily closed questions (Bryman & Bell, 2013), which were answered to with the help of a seven-point Likert scale (Bryman & Bell, 2013; Pallant, 2013). In this survey, option 1 represented “Totally disagree” / “Not at all important” and the scale

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18 went to option 7 which represented “Completely agree” / “Very important”. Two questions were carried out with a vertical format with one question having the options “Yes” and “No” while the other one had more options on the vertical scale; “Daily”, “A few times a week”, “A few times a month”, “A few times a year” and “Less than once every year” (Bryman & Bell, 2013). The option “Don’t know” was also available throughout the survey for the respondents in order to avoid answering a question incorrectly due to lack of knowledge.

This survey was developed and used as the main source of information for three different research groups, each one of them selected the most relevant questions for their own investigation, ensuring that all groups used different elements of the questionnaire.

3.3 Operationalization

The question items used in this study where mostly based on existing literature, even though some of them got modified to fit the subject Slow Fashion. Three questions where used to measure the dependent variable Satisfaction; one to measure if the respondent only buys from retailers that actively try to improve customer satisfaction (Gerson, 1993); and one to measure whether they only buy from retailers that sell trustworthy products (Lanford & Hübscher, 2004); and the third one measured if the respondent only bought from retailers that have a good historical reputation (Ou & Abratt, 2004). The independent variable Sustainable business model is measured by two question items: “I only buy fashion garments from companies that are ethically or sustainably certified” and “I only buy fashion garments from companies that protect the environment”. These question items are inspired from Goworek’s (2011) research. The second independent variable is Price and it is also measured with two question items, which are: “I only buy from online fashion retailers that have competitive prices” and “The price of fashion garments is important to me”, these are influenced by the work of Kopalle et al. (2009). The third independent variable used is Quality and is like the others, measured with two question items; “I only buy from online retailers that make good quality products” and “The quality of fashion garments is important to me”, these were influenced by previous work by Birtwistle and Tsim (2005). The two last independent variables Reviews and Recommendations were measured with four question items. “I only buy from online fashion retailers that have been recommended to me” is influenced by Smith et al. (2005) and Rose, Clark, Samouel and Hair’s (2012) work whilst “I only buy from online fashion retailers that

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19 have had good product reviews” is inspired by Hsu et al. (2013) and Zhang, Zhao and Gupta’s (2017) previous research. The other two question items; "I am more likely to buy a product if an online influencer reviews it positively" and "I am more likely to like a brand if an online influencer reviews it positively" were inspired by Djafarova and Rushworth (2017). A full operationalization table can be found in Appendix 1.

3.4 Sample

The goal of this research was to collect information from people of various nationalities, ages, genders and professions, to investigate the global consumer and its behaviors. Since it is impossible to question the worldwide population, according to Bryman and Bell (2013), the requirement for a sample group is almost always relevant when doing a quantitative survey.

The sample group for this study, was everyone over the age of 18 who usually shops online, specifically for fashion products. According to Collingridge & Gantt (2008) this method is called purposive, and as its name says, is used to fulfill a specific purpose. In this case it meant choosing the participants who have experienced buying fashion online. Sampling techniques in a quantitative study usually aim to attain a random number of responses, the idea is to build up the general aspect in which the results can be applied to people outside the original survey. (Collingridge & Gantt, 2008)

After circa four and a half months, the collective efforts resulted in 717 responses from 59 countries, out of the 717 responses, one was omitted due to missing or incorrect values, which made the final dataset 716 responses. 77% of the sample corresponds to six countries which can be seen in Figure 3, and in Appendix 3 all countries are displayed. The response rate was calculated and resulted in 72%. Out of those, 69,5% were women while 29,5% were men, apart from these, 1% chose not to identify their gender. The largest age group was people born between 1980 and 1999 with 79,9% responses while the second largest group was people born between 1960 and 1979 with 13,3% responses. Other questions related to the respondent’s demographic included education level, current occupation and how often they buy products online can be found in Appendix 2. The survey also showed that 28,1% of the respondents knew what the term Slow Fashion meant, while 71,9% answered that they did not know what

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20 the concept represents. The ones that answered that they knew what Slow Fashion meant also had the opportunity to write their opinion about it.

Figure 3. Country count

3.5 Data analysis

The relevant questions for the study were analyzed through the program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in order to answer the hypotheses and draw conclusions. A correlation analysis was used in order to determine how strong the relationship between two variables are; since the survey was constructed with Likert scales, the correlation coefficient (r) was measured with a Spearman Rank Order Correlation (rho) which is designed for ordinal level or ranked data (Pallant, 2013).

After measuring the correlation values, a Cronbach's Alpha analysis was made, this provides a measure of consistency within a test, which is shown by a number between 0 and 1 and it describes the extent to which the selected question items measure the same concept or construct. It is important to determine this value before examining the results in order to ensure validity, it also shows the amount of errors found in a test. The higher the alpha value the higher level of correlation, however, it is important to mention that alpha is also affected by the length of the test. (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011)

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3.5.1 Reliability and validity

To be able to present the method chapter in a precise manner, a reliability and validity chapter is a must according to Mohajan (2017). The researcher continues to argue that the two concepts are the most important tools of measurement in a well thought out research (Mohajan, 2017). Reliability and validity increase the transparency and the accuracy of the assessment of the research (Mohajan, 2017; Tavakol & Dennick, 2011).

Reliability determines to which extent the data is consistent, and that means that if the study were to be made once more with different samples of the same population, the consistency would be high and similar results would be presented (Hernon & Schwartz, 2009; Mohajan, 2017; Altheide & Johnson, 1994). To increase reliability in this research, multiple sources of data have been used in many places to support the same statement (Babbie, 2010). When doing the data analysis, Cronbach’s alpha (α) was used as a measurement tool (Mohajan, 2017). According to Ghauri et al. (2020), the Cronbach’s Alpha ranges from 0 to 1, where a low correlation between the items illustrates low reliability within the question items measured. Hinton, Brownlow, McMurray, & Cozens (2014) state that a score between 0.50 and 0.70 shows a fair reliability, whilst a score from 0.70 to 0.90 indicates a high reliability, and finally a score from 0.90 to 1 shows an exceptional reliability. The constructs in this research were measured and two of them, sustainable business model and reviews and recommendations, have an Alpha higher than 0.70 which shows that they have a high reliability (see Table 1). The three other constructs, price, quality and satisfaction, have an Alpha lower than 0.70 which shows that the reliability level is moderate. Overall, these constructs are in the acceptable level of reliability (Hinton, et al., 2014).

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Table 1. Question items & Cronbach's Alpha

Validity on the other hand, measures to which extent the study's results can be generalized to a population (external) and if the instrument measures exactly what it intends to measure (internal). Internal validity also questions whether the interpretation of the research results are correct and if other factors have been taken into account. (Hernon & Schwartz, 2009; Mohajan, 2017; Altheide & Johnson, 1994) In order to increase the validity of the survey, all question items were inspired of previous research on similar concepts (Hayman, Lamb & Bulmer, 2006). The questions were also slightly altered to fit our research subject, Slow Fashion. If the research has strong validity, that means that it will be more reliable.

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4. Results

In this chapter, the results of the study will be presented and explained. The correlations of the dependent and independent variables will be presented and also the regression of the hypotheses test.

4.1 Correlation & Regression

Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient was used in order to measure how the constructs were connected to each other. All constructs were significant at a 0.01 level except for one. The other four constructs show correlation in a significant level, “Satisfaction - Quality” has the highest correlation with 0.479**, followed by “Satisfaction - Reviews” with 0.376**, and “Satisfaction - Sustainable business model” with 0.290**, “Satisfaction - Price” showed a correlation of 0.260** which implies the relation is supported. For the last variable “Satisfaction - Recommendations” the relationship is insignificant, which means that there is no relationship between them, we suggest further study within these variables. All the correlations can be seen in Table 2.

In order to further test the hypotheses, a linear regression was made in SPSS, this test showed that four out of five hypotheses were supported. H1 Fashion brands with a sustainable business model will increase consumer satisfaction received t-value of 3,644, a significance of 0.000 and a positive correlation, which shows that this hypothesis is supported. H2: Price affects

consumer satisfaction received a t-value of 3.867, a significance of 0.000 and a strong correlation, thus, being positive and supported. H3: Quality increases consumer satisfaction has the highest t-value with 11.258 and a 0.000 significance, it also has a strong correlation, hence, this hypothesis is positive and supported. H4a: Reviews affect consumer satisfaction has the second highest t-value with 5.572 and a 0.000 significance, and a good level of correlation, so this hypothesis is also positive and supported. Lastly, we have H4b: Recommendations affect consumer satisfaction, the t-value is 1.253 and the significance is 0.211, and the correlation is not significant, thus, this hypothesis is not supported and cannot be used farther in this research. The t-values and significance are shown in Table 2.

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24 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

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5. Discussion

After doing the SPSS analysis with the selected questions, four out of five hypotheses were proven to be supported by the study. However, we suggest that all of them are suitable for further research. In this section, the hypotheses will be connected to previous research and the differences/similarities will be discussed.

5.1 Sustainable business model

As stated in the first hypothesis, we believe that brands who adopt a sustainable business model will increase customer satisfaction which goes in line with the statement that consumers now are looking for more sustainable options when it comes to fashion products as a response to the environmental impact this industry has (Kumar, et al., 2018). Simultaneously, brands are looking to adopt these practices in order to have a higher competitive advantage and ultimately add value to the company (Hofer, et al., 2011; Streimikiene, et al., 2016; Bocken, et al., 2014). We have now seen how internationally known brands who already have a base of loyal customers, are trying to introduce sustainable consumption to them by making ads about the new processes they have adopted and how they support the environment by changing classical production practices. Converse Renew (Converse, 2020) and Quicksilver “Designed for Radness” (Quicksilver, 2020) are some examples of the change we are seeing in the fashion industry and how these brands are trying to reach their customers to remain loyal and create consciousness at the same time.

In the survey made for this study, the respondents stated that they would buy fashion products from a company that is ethically or sustainable certified but not exclusively from them. This implies that they understand how this certification helps the environment and the impact their purchase has, but it is not a critical factor for them in the purchase decision, which goes in line with Watson and Yan’s (2013) research. Moreover, our interpretation of this is that while people are learning more about CSR and how companies are trying to reduce their environmental impact, their focus is going to other industries and fashion is not a priority just yet.

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5.2 Price

Price always plays an important part when it comes to shopping, it has a direct impact on the purchase decision (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011; Reibstein, 2002), and research shows that if the price offered is below market standards the customer will be eager to buy a product (Fagerstrøm & Ghinea, 2011). As mentioned before, if the price is higher, it can make the customers abstain from buying that specific product (Miller, 1992), since customers have already set an idea of how much this garment should cost (Bratt, 1999; Crane and Clarke, 1994). There were no previous studies that found a positive correlation between price and customer satisfaction, which led us to formulate the second hypothesis which states that price perception affects consumer satisfaction.

When going through the survey results, this statement turned out to be supported because we noticed that most of the respondents showed high interest in competitive prices. Price is an important factor that affects the purchase decision, focusing specifically on fashion. Even though some theory suggests that consumers are willing to pay a higher price for a sustainable garment, the survey shows that while consumers understand the importance of a green product, they would prefer to buy the less expensive garment, implying that quantity wins over quality. “Today’s fashion is full of contradictions. People express that they are interested in sustainability but continue to seek out fast inexpensive fashions” (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013, p. 200).

5.3 Quality

When it comes to sustainability, it is always more effective to buy high quality items because they will last longer, and this comes along with people’s desire of buying more sustainable garments (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013). Quality is also related to satisfaction and trust since it increases the purchase intent and, in the end, it strengthens trust (Chinomona, et al., 2013; Kaplan & Nieschwietz, 2003; Houston & Taylor, 1999).

The third hypothesis formulated in this research states that quality increases consumer satisfaction, which indicates that quality is one of the most looked for characteristics when buying a fashion garment. Most of the respondents showed that they are more eager to buy a

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27 product from a company that makes high quality products. Although, in the survey some of the responses showed that customers can see past it and prioritize other features like price. The same principle applies when buying online, whether the quality is perceived from the product itself or the brand as a whole, it plays an important role on the purchase decision.

Slow Fashion represents sustainable thoughtful consumption, made with quality and care. The whole purpose of Slow Fashion garments is to last longer, and these elements can be used as key points in a marketing campaign so consumers can satisfy their needs while purchasing sustainable products.

5.4 Reviews and recommendations

As social media keeps growing as a place where consumers can write and express their opinions about products and services (Lamberton & Stephen, 2016), research indicates that consumers now seek for reviews and recommendations online before purchasing a product (Goldsmith & Horowitz, 2006; Schindler & Bickart, 2005; Sen & Lerman, 2007). Informal reviews and recommendations such as from family or friends can also be considered of value before the final purchase decision (Smith, et al., 2005). These reviews can have a significant impact on the creation of consumer’s trust and loyalty (Stouthuysen, et al., 2018).

On the question items directly related to reviews from influencers, responses show that consumers are willing to give their trust to a product or brand solely because of an influencer review and that it increases the satisfaction, which supports hypothesis 4a. Although influencers can perceive benefits from the product or brand if they act as their ambassadors.

Smith et al. (2005) suggests that many consumers seek recommendations online in order to organize and better understand all of the information available online, as well as asking for the opinion of friends and family members on a specific product in order to make the purchase decision. This kind of behavior attends to the need to mitigate the perceived risk of online buying (Dowling and Staelin, 1994). As word-of-mouth has proven to be more reliable (Herr, et al., 1991) than product related features, as the last one is marketing-provided (Smith, 1993).

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28 On the contrary, hypothesis 4b states that recommendations affect consumer satisfaction, this

premise was proven incorrect, as it was not supported. The responses showed that consumers are changing their behavior towards online reviews that come from influencers because marketing is evolving and thus, involving influencers into their business model. Furthermore, consumers are still looking for reviews and recommendations, also taking into account different sources like friends, family or peers who will give the same use to the product as the consumer. Overall, recommendations do not have a direct impact on consumer satisfaction towards a product or brand.

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6. Conclusion

In the conclusion chapter, the research question that is being answered is: - Which aspects influence consumer satisfaction towards a fashion brand?

The purpose of this study was to examine which aspects influence consumers’ satisfaction towards a fashion company. The features considered were; quality, price, reviews, recommendations and if the company had a sustainable business model. The purpose was also to contribute with information about Slow Fashion and the meaning and importance of it. Moreover, the study adds information to the research gap on how the price of garments can influence consumer satisfaction towards a company. Quality was proven to be the most important factor that influence the consumer satisfaction, which was not a big revelation because it is supported by previous theory. Reviews were also found to be an important factor as people look for validation from peers before buying online in order to avoid feelings of guilt and to increase satisfaction. A theory on how price affects satisfaction was not found before the study was conducted, however, this study showed that customers do play special attention to price because it is connected to the customer’s perception which ultimately translates into satisfaction. This information made the results much more interesting because it gives room for further research and knowledge on how customers perceive product related features, especially price.

The purpose of this research was to focus on sustainability and Slow Fashion, and the goal was to understand how consumers perceive and behave towards this concept. Adding to this, the purpose was also to see which aspects that affect consumer satisfaction. However, the survey showed that people are not as aware as we thought they would be of the sustainability aspect. Consumers perceive sustainability as an important factor when it comes to fashion, but it is not as important as products that have a direct effect on their health, this is why we suggest that marketing efforts are needed in order to create more awareness and increase the rate in which conscious fashion is promoted and purchased. Finally, recommendations were not proven to be connected towards consumer satisfaction, which was unexpected because even though customers seek for reviews and recommendations before buying, the feeling of satisfaction comes directly from the product not the person who recommended it.

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30 This study has confirmed what previous theory has established on the importance of quality and price as the main attributes a consumer looks for when buying fashion online. However, this research also brings to light the lack of consciousness consumers have towards fashion and sustainability. Green marketing is the area in which companies should focus on in the next years in order to be able to educate consumers on the positive impact they could have in the environment by changing their consumption patterns to more sustainable ones while still satisfying consumers’ desire of buying fashion.

6.1 Managerial implications

Companies in the fashion industry need to fully understand the impact their current practices have on the environment and to find a different approach in order to minimize the degradation of resources. By introducing green marketing into their business practices, companies can create a full-scale strategy with the aim to educate loyal consumers on how Slow Fashion and conscious consumption can be introduced into their way of living. At the same time, attract new customers who already have understood this premise and want to interact with a company that cares about the environment.

As we have seen in this study, customers understand the importance of buying sustainable garments, but when the purchase decision is made, sustainability is not a deal breaker. This becomes especially useful for marketers because fashion consumers are always on the lookout for new trends to try out. Furthermore, this information can lead to a marketing strategy that solely focuses on gaining customers’ attention and then to educate them on how buying the garments and brands they like can help to mitigate the impact this industry has on our planet.

6.2 Limitations

Demographics turned out to be one of the limitations of this research. While the researchers focused on sending the survey out evenly between women and men, at the end, more female responses were found. This is seen as a limitation because while women usually buy more fashion items, men are also starting to buy garments online, so further research on men’s behavior towards sustainability and fashion would be interesting. Another limitation was the age of the respondents, 79,9% picked the option born 1980-1999 which means that there is a

Slow your consumers down : A quantitative study on which aspects affect consumer satisfaction within the fashion industry.