The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Second hand Market : A study on how to increase the participation in the second hand market for apparel

Linköping University | Department of Management and Engineering Master Thesis in Business Administration, 30 credits | International Business and Economics Program

Spring 2020 | ISRN-nummer: LIU-IEI-FIL-A--20/03379--SE

The Impact of Influencer

Marketing on Second hand

Market

A study on how to increase the participation in the

second hand market for apparel

Dena Farhadi

Beata Stefanska

Linköpings universitet SE-581 83 Linköping, Sverige

Abstract

Title: The Impact of Influencer Marketing on the Second hand market- A study on how to increase the participation in the second hand market for apparel

Authors: Dena Farhadi & Beata Stefanska

Supervisor: Hugo Guyader

Keywords: Second hand, influencer marketing, consumer behavior, sustainability, fashion industry, environmental awareness

Introduction: The second hand market for apparel is a good alternative for making sustainable purchases, given that it does not contribute to textile waste to the same extent as the fast fashion industry. Consumers are aware of the current environmental issues, however they do not always act according to their knowledge. Therefore, this study is devoted to examine the possibility to increase the consumer’s participation in the second hand market for apparel, as a solution to the problem of textile waste.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how influencer marketing can be used in order to increase the participation in the second hand market for apparel. Further, this paper examines the impact of the factors of price, environmental awareness and quality on sale and purchase of second hand apparel.

Method: To implement this study both quantitative and qualitative methodologies have been used. For the quantitative part surveys have been constructed, to get a broader view of the consumer behavior. Furthermore, interviews with different consumers were held for the qualitative part, to get a deeper insight in the consumer behavior. The collected data has later on been a support for the analysis.

Conclusion: This study shows that influencer marketing can indeed increase the participation on the second hand market for apparel, by increasing environmental awareness among the consumers. Moreover, the most influential factors are quality when purchasing, price when selling and environmental awareness both when purchasing and selling.

Sammanfattning

Titel: The Impact of Influencer Marketing in the Second hand market- A study on how to increase the participation in the second hand market for apparel

Författare: Dena Farhadi & Beata Stefanska

Handledare: Hugo Guyader

Keywords: Second hand, influencer marketing, consumer behavior, sustainability, fashion industry, environmental awareness

Introduktion: Andrahandsmarknaden för kläder är ett bra alternativ om man vill fatta hållbara köpbeslut, då det inte bidrar till textilavfall i samma utsträckning som fast fashion industrin. Konsumenter är idag medvetna om befintliga miljöproblem, men det är inte alltid de handlar i enlighet med sin kunskap. Därför är denna studie egnad åt att undersöka möjligheten att öka

konsumentens deltagande på andrahandsmarknaden för kläder som en lösning till textilavfallsproblemet.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur influencer marketing kan användas för att öka konsumentens deltagande på andrahandsmarknaden för kläder. Vidare, undersöker denna studie tre faktorers påverkan på köp och sälj av andrahandskläder. Dessa faktorer är pris, miljömedvetenhet och kvalitet.

Metod: För att genomföra den studie har både kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod används. Till den kvantitativa delen har enkäter skapats för att få en bredare bild av konsumentens beteende. Vidare har intervjuer hållits med olika konsumenter till den kvalitativa delen. Detta har gjorts för att få en djupare insikt i konsumentens beteende. Den data som har samlats har senare varit stöd för den analys som har gjorts.

Slutsats: Denna studie visar att influencer marketing kan användas för att öka kundens deltagande på andrahandsmarknaden för kläder och detta genom att öka miljömedvetenheten bland kunderna. Dessutom visar studien att kvalitet är den faktorn som har störst inflytande på köpande, samtidigt som pris har störst effekt på säljande. Slutligen har miljömedvetenhet ett relativt stort inflytande på både köp och sälj.

Table of content

1.3 Purpose and Research Questions ... 7

2. Theoretical Framework ... 8

2.1 Endorsement marketing ... 8

2.2 Influencing the consumer ... 9

2.3 Social Learning Theory ... 10

2.4 The decision-making process ... 11

2.5 Attitude-behavior gap ... 12

The theory of Reasoned Action ... 12

2.6 The theoretical model of Influential factors ... 13

3. Methodology ... 15

3.1 Research methodology ... 15

3.2 Quantitative methodology - A survey ... 16

3.2.1 Survey Design ... 17

3.2.2 Distribution ... 18

3.2.3 Data analysis ... 20

3.2.4 Reliability and validity ... 21

3.3 Qualitative methodology - Interviews ... 21 3.3.1 Sampling ... 22 3.3.2 Data analysis ... 22 3.3.3 Limitations ... 23 3.4 Ethical considerations ... 23 4. Results ... 24

4.1 Empirical data - the surveys ... 24

4.1.1 Age ... 24

4.1.2 Occupation ... 24

4.1.3 Reliability ... 25

4.1.4 Descriptive statistics ... 25

4.1.5 The Model of Influential factors ... 27

4.2 Empirical data - interviews ... 28

4.2.1 Interviews with consumers ... 28

4.2.2 Interview with influencer ... 33

5. Discussion ... 35

5.1 What are the most important factors to increase the participation of the consumer in the second hand market? ... 35

5.2 How is the relation between the attitude of the consumer, regarding sustainability, and their purchasing behavior? ... 37

5.3 How could influencer marketing increase the participation of the consumer in the second hand market? ... 39

5.3.1 Activity on social media ... 39

5.3.2 Reasons to follow influencers ... 40

5.3.3 The decision-making process ... 41

5.3.4 Exposure to advertisements ... 43

6. Conclusion ... 45

6.2 Future research ... 47

References ... 48

Appendix ... 52

Appendix A: Interview questions for consumers ... 52

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1. Introduction

Sustainable consumption is something that the consumers have been focusing more on when making purchasing decisions (Johnstone & Lindh, 2018). In the beginning of the twenty first century the consumers became more aware about the environmental issues, which in turn led them to seek products that are more sustainable (Chen, Ghosh, Liu & Zhao, 2019). Second hand sale and purchase is commonly associated with sustainable consumption (Johnstone & Lindh, 2018), since it is a non-excessive consumption occurring in many forms (Khurana & Tadesse, 2019).

The sustainable mindset has been noticed clearly in the mainstream society through online communication platforms, where consumers and influencers create a culture of online experts sharing opinions on products. This in turn implies new patterns of consumer behavior, requiring a better and adapted marketing (Johnstone & Lindh, 2018). Further on, social media has been playing a significant role in the fashion industry, since it has been used as a communication platform, where both the consumers and the firms are

responsible content creators (Guercini, Bernal & Prentice, 2018).

1.1 Background

1.1.1 Second hand

The second hand market is usually associated with sustainable consumption, where promotion of second hand apparel affects consumers purchasing behavior and disposal habits. It makes the consumers to participate more in the second hand market and makes them rethink whether their purchasing decisions are sustainable and not challenging for the environment (Nagurney, Yu & Floden, 2015). In the second hand market, used apparel is being resold, which extends life of the clothing item (Yang, Song & Tong, 2017) and moreover, it helps the environment in the sense of used apparel not ending up on the landfills but being reused (Sorensen & Johnson Jorgensen, 2019).

Further, the second hand market mainly consists of the alternatives to purchase, sell or donate used clothes, through second hand stores, charity shops, thrift stores, vintage stores, flea markets, actions and different online markets for second hand clothing. The items are typically sold or purchased at a low price, compared to apparel sold in a regular clothing store. The second hand consumption is mainly driven by sustainable motives, or by personal motives, such as esthetics or excitement of finding something authentic and of good quality (Sorensen & Johnson Jorgensen, 2019).

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Moreover, with the society being more concerned about the environmental impact of overconsumption and the disposal of textile waste, the second hand market will grow even bigger, compared to what it is now (Liang & Xu, 2017). However, the awareness is still quite low which therefore makes the second hand market a niche market and not a mass market (Khurana & Tadesse, 2019). A few decades ago the second hand market was only associated with poverty and low social status, however the trend of fast fashion has made clothes into a disposable and rapid purchase items. Therefore, second hand clothes are becoming more appealing for many, because it is seen as a mean of self expression and a way to

differentiate for the consumers (Khurana & Tadesse, 2019), since they can find clothes that are different from the rest to a low price (Liang & Xu, 2017).

Additionally, reuse of clothes helps to reduce the amount of textile being disposed to the landfills, and therefore leads to a reduction of environmental pollution. Even though, the second hand market is a multibillion dollar business with many consumers today, there are still some concerns regarding the clothes, especially in the western society. The main concerns are regarding previous owners, hygiene and freshness of the clothes, which makes the consumers distance themselves from participation in the second hand market (Liang & Xu, 2017).

1.1.2 Fast fashion

The fashion industry is one of the most important industries in the world, driving a big part of the global economy today. The textile market represents 2% of the global Gross Domestic Product, making it one of the largest consumption industries in the world. Simultaneously, in a global perspective, the industry in 2016 was employing more than 60 million people in the whole value chain (Kaczorowska-Spychalska, 2018).

Over the last 20 years the fashion industry has evolved and expanded its boundaries due to digitalization, which has not only affected sale but also contributed to creation of new ways to market (Guercini, Bernal & Prentice, 2018). The most crucial changes that the industry has undergone during the past two decades, are moving away from mass production of standardized styles and patterns, and also increased number of fashion seasons (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010).

Until the mid-1980s the industry was mainly based on low cost mass production, characterized by a standardized production because of the design restrictions in the factories. At the same time the consumers, during this period of time, were not equally sensitive regarding fashion styles as they are today (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). However the female interest in fashion style suddenly increased in the 1980s, resulting in a

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implemented an increased variation in the assortment by offering a variety of colors and textures to clothes. Therefore, mass production of standardized clothes was no longer the way to gain profit in the fashion industry (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). Simultaneously, while the consumers were demanding a wider range of clothes, the retailers began to expand the product range with new and updated products with a higher responsiveness to the fashion trends by providing new and demanded products instead of only looking at the cost efficiency regarding manufacture (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). In order to increase the variety, the retailers added more fashion seasons, imposing a big pressure on the

suppliers, forcing them to deliver products in smaller batches to a shorter lead time. Instead of having two to four seasons each year, retailers added three to five mid-seasons in

between (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010).

Further, every collection introduced to the market follows a life cycle consisting of three stages which are: introduction, acceptance, and regression. In the introduction stage the product is first accepted by a small number of consumers, to over time get accepted by a larger group of people in the acceptance stage after which it begins to decline and becomes obsolete by the end of the life cycle. Usually the life cycle can vary from few weeks to decades but because of fast fashion, the life cycle of a product is much shorter, it can be a month or less (Joung, 2014). Furthermore, fast fashion apparel is being sold at a low price due to the poor quality of the items. Therefore, the consumers tend to replace outworn clothes for new ones more often, which is easy due to widespread of social media. In general fast fashion clothes are meant to be worn less than ten times and for that reason fast

fashion is also called “disposable fashion” (Joung, 2014).

1.1.3 Environmental footprint

For many decades the fashion industry has been focusing on improving the environmental footprint along the upstream supply chain, by working on the social and environmental issues related to the production. The main focus for many years has been to improve human rights, management of waste, toxic-free production and use of sustainable materials, while the downstream supply chain issues, like for instance reuse and end-of-use management of clothes has not been prioritized (Hvass, 2014). Due to fast fashion, the fashion industry has constantly been growing because of the more frequent purchases, which in turn has led to an expanded production. This makes post-consumer textile waste even a bigger issue than before, since the textile waste is growing with the industry. Even if there are several reuse and recycling alternatives, such as donations to charities or second hand markets, textile waste is still a growing problem (Hvass, 2014). Just recently this problem has been

addressed from the recycling and second hand retailer perspective. A piece of clothing could both have long or short life-cycle, with a high or low environmental impact, depending on

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the consumers and how they decide to use the product and what to do with it after it has been used (Hvass, 2014).

Further, according to a study by Bhatt, Silverman & Dickson (2019), due to the high speed of fast fashion industry, the consumers dispose old clothes in order to make more wardrobe space, which in turn leads to them being able to purchase new ones. Most of the disposed clothes end up on landfill sites or incinerators, which has a negative impact on the environment and the well-being of the society (Bhatt et al., 2019).

Given the connection between fast fashion and the environment, in one way or another, fast fashion industry does leave an environmental footprint on the earth. Therefore, the concept of sustainability is relevant to mention in this study. In accordance to United Nations, sustainability can be defined as, “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations, 2020). That is the required tradeoff, which is the main issue faced by the sustainable consumption today (Brundtland, 1987).

An increase of public knowledge regarding environmental sustainability awareness is the first step leading to changes in consumer behavior. Social media has become a place supporting human interaction and collaboration and therefore it has been used not only as a tool for effective communication and interaction between users themselves, but also by companies and brands, given that it facilitates sharing information with a wider crowd (Hamid, Ijab, Sulaiman, Anwar & Norman, 2017).

1.1.4 Influencer marketing

According to Davidavičienė, Davidavičius & Tamosiuniene (2019) with the integrated marketing communication a brand can create its own communication channel that reaches to the desirable audience. Social media has become an important media in the online marketing communication due to its fast growth and possibility to reach the target audience through various social media platforms (Davidavičienė et al., 2019). Through social media the users can share and create content where they simultaneously seek for new skills and abilities to self-express, which leads to a creation of communities and relationships. This makes the social media channels no longer an optional channel but a mandatory one, through which the information can be spread effectively in order to minimize the risk of misunderstandings, errors and conflicts between groups and individuals (Davidavičienė et al., 2019).

Further, influencer marketing is a trend that evolved from social media marketing, which implies a brand, product or service being promoted by an influencer (Brown & Fiorella, 2013). An influencer is a person with a social media platform, who has the capability to

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influence consumer behavior and the perception of a brand, product, or service. The influencers are opinion leading profiles that are used by the companies and brands in their marketing efforts (Brown & Fiorella, 2013) in order to increase the brand awareness among the consumers and also to influence consumers purchasing decisions (Lou & Yuan, 2019). Further, an influencer can be considered as a third party in between the companies and the consumers, that helps to drive the consumer behavior in a direction that benefits

companies (Lou & Yuan, 2019). However it is of importance that the influencers work as an independent party (Paço & Oliveira, 2017) specialized in a certain area, i.e fashion or fitness, with business collaborations that matches their image (Lou & Yuan, 2019). With this type of marketing the consumers tend to have a more positive response to the promotion, as it is done by a person who is viewed as trustworthy and personable for the consumers (Woods, 2016).

Currently, social media has a large impact on the consumers and their perception of information and news (Lou & Yuan, 2019). According to a study by Lou & Yuan (2019), during the recent years more consumers are relying on social media for news, where they simultaneously encounter a larger number of commercials on a daily basis. Furthermore, social media is becoming more habitual among users, resulting in the consumers using it to seek information as they treat it as a source of information (Lou & Yuan, 2019). In a survey, conducted among Twitter users, the results show that 40% of the users have purchased something because of the influence from an influencer tweet (Lou & Yuan, 2019). Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that is very successful in today's business environment. In 2018 a study showed that 39% of marketers planned to increase budget for influencer marketing, while at the same time 19% of marketers intended to spend more than $100,000 on a campaign (Lou & Yuan, 2019). Furthermore the same study shows that 94% of marketers found influencer marketing effective, while it also gives a return on investment (ROI) that is 11 times higher than the traditional advertisement (Lou & Yuan, 2019).

Therefor, this study aims to examine the consumer behavior, considering sustainability and more specifically second hand market participation. Further, the aim is to understand how and if influencer marketing could lead the consumer more towards the second hand market.

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1.2 Problematization

Sustainable consumption has been recognized in the mainstream society because of the increasing awareness among the consumers regarding the impact that their purchase decisions have on the environment (Johnstone & Lindh, 2018). It has resulted in the second hand market getting more recognition in the fashion industry (Liang & Xu, 2017), because of the of fast fashion that offers clothes of low quality to a low price. This trend makes the consumers to purchase more clothing items, which leaves an environmental footprint in each step of the clothing life cycle (Claudio, 2007). Disposable fashion, which fast fashion is also known as, means that clothes are not meant to be worn more than ten times due to its low quality. The consumer is supposed to constantly replace used apparel with new ones (Joung, 2014). A constant replacement of clothes leads to an increased amount of textile waste, ending up on the landfills. Furthermore, the downstream supply chain has not been prioritized as much as the upstream supply chain, as the textile waste is growing with the industry and the problem has been addressed by the second hand market (Hvass, 2014). However, the second hand market gives the possibility to extend the life cycle of the clothes, where used clothes are being sold at a low price or given away through donations.

Participation in the second hand market is typically associated with a sustainable

consumption where it affects the purchase behavior and disposal habits, hence it leads the consumers to be more aware of the environmental impact caused by their behavior (Nagurney et al., 2015). Further, the second hand market not only contributes to a

reduction of the textile waste disposed to the landfills, but it also reduces the environmental pollution. With the increase of environmental awareness, the second hand market is

expected to grow even more. Although, there are still some concerns noticed especially in the western society regarding the hygiene and freshness of the clothes, which makes the consumers to distantiate themselves from participating in the second hand market (Liang & Xu, 2017).

Environmental awareness gets more recognition from social media platforms (Johnstone & Lindh, 2018), as the consumers rely more on social media when it comes to information and news (Lou & Yuan, 2019). The different platforms are treated as news channels by many consumers where they, together with influencers on the platforms, share opinions and create information. At the same time, social media has become a new marketplace for companies and influencers where the consumer encounters large number of promotions everyday (Lou & Yuan, 2019). For that reason a lot of companies have moved from

traditional marketing to influencer marketing due to its efficiency to reach out to many, as it has a much higher ROI (Lou & Yuan, 2019).

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The main problem that this study focuses on, is textile waste in the downstream supply chain in the fashion industry, which has a negative effect on the environment. Therefore, this study will examine the possibilitie of increasing and broadening participation on the second hand market for apparel through influencer marketing, as a possible solution for the issue of textile waste

1.3 Purpose and Research Questions

This study aims to examine how influencer marketing can be used in order to affect the consumer behavior in terms of increasing the participation in the second hand market for apparel. Moreover this study will examine the impact that the factor of price, environmental awareness and quality have on sale and purchase of second hand apparel.

Research Questions:

● What are the most important factors, according to the consumer, when participating in the second hand market?

● How is the relation between the attitude of the consumer, regarding sustainability, and their purchasing behavior?

● How could influencer marketing increase the participation of the consumer in the second hand market?

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2. Theoretical Framework

This chapter will present the theories that are considered relevant for this study.

Furthermore, the theories combined will help to examine and analyse the data collected for this study. The aim is to examine the perception of the consumer regarding

endorsement marketing, more specifically influencer marketing, and how one could influence the consumer by examining different learning methods and influences. Moreover, by looking at the decision-making process of the consumers the aim is to understand where in the process the consumer is mainly reachable. Lastly, by including a theory of the attitude-behavior gap together with the theory of Reasoned Actions and a model of influential factors, the aim is to understand the correlation between the attitude of the consumer and its behavior.

2.1 Endorsement marketing

With influencer marketing being a current marketing trend (Brown & Fiorella, 2013), it is of importance to examine the background and effectiveness of this marketing strategy. It has been stated how a good marketing communication provides a better support for

competitive differential advantages (Erdogan, 1999). Furthermore, it has also been stated how many companies use endorsers in their marketing communications and how they put effort in matching their brand with the endorsers. However, there are different types of endorsers; created characters and celebrities (Erdogan, 1999), of which the phenomena of celebrity endorsement is considered relevant for this study. Celebrity endorsement can be further explained as a type of marketing where a celebrity or a well-known person, uses their recognition to advertise a consumer good by participating in the advertisement for the given good (Bergkvist & Zhou, 2016).

Throughout time, celebrity endorsement has been proven to be an efficient marketing strategy (Erdogan, 1999; Bergkvist & Zhou, 2016), leading to more companies turning to social media influencers as endorsers for their brand (Schouten, Janssen & Verspaget, 2020). Comparing these two types of endorsers, it has been stated how an influencer has an online-based career and how the career in fact is the reason for them to be known to the public (Schouten et al., 2020). Further, there are two processes that have been argued to form the basis for how brand endorsement has an impact on the effectiveness of the advertisement, which are identification with the endorser and perceived endorser credibility (Schouten et al., 2020). Also, it has been stated how a consumer who shares interests, values or characteristics with an endorser, is more likely to try to emulate the

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beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of the endorser. Moreover, regarding influencers one could argue how they are more presented as ordinary individuals, unlike celebrity endorsers, which perhaps makes them more relatable to the common consumer (Schouten et al., 2020). Lastly, referring to the process of credibility, it has been argued how if a brand, or a product, is endorsed by a credible person, consumers are more likely to evaluate the brand, or the product positively (Schouten et al., 2020). In addition to that, a credible person is motivated as a person considered to be trustworthy and who possesses some kind of expertise (Schouten et al., 2020).

2.2 Influencing the consumer

The phenomena of fixed-action patterns has been explained as a pattern of behaviors that occur in the same way and order every time, and is a study based on animal behavior (Cialdini, 2006). It has been explained how the fixed-action patterns can be seen as tapes and that there are different factors, also described as clicks, which activate the tapes of fixed behaviors. Further on, it is pointed out how this type of automatic action can be seen in human behavior as well. For example, a study by social psychologist Ellen Langer has shown how using the word ”because” while asking for a favor increases the chance of the other part complying to the request. The explanation for this is the fact that, when asked for a favor the human being is more likely to respond positively when given a reason (Cialdini, 2006). Furthermore, Cialdini (2006) points out six principles of influence: reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity (Cialdini, 2006). It is explained how these principles of influence activate the automatic behaviors and how these principles can be used in the marketing strategies of companies. Through applying, either one or several, of the influences, companies can induce certain kinds of behaviors that can be a benefit for their business.

Although, all principles are considered useful in a commercial context, for this study only two principles are considered relevant: the principle of liking and the principle of social proof. These two principles are considered relevant for this study, given that they are both connected to endorsement marketing. The principle of social proof implies how we tend to perceive a kind of behavior as right if we see that other people are acting in a similar way. An example of where this principle is used is in TV-shows where canned laughter is used. The following principle is the principle of liking that points out how the human being tends to accept a request when it comes from a person we like (Cialdini, 2006).

On the other hand, the phenomena of influencer marketing is also a considered useful in commercial contexts, more precisely in a marketing context (Reinikainen, Munnukka, Maity & Luoma-aho, 2019). Further on, influencer marketing can be further explained in detail by the megaphone effect, which states how regular consumers are allowed to grab the

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megaphone due to how social media is available to a broader audience. A regular consumer who grabs the megaphone is an individual, no expertise required, who collects its own audience through their actions and further shares thoughts and opinions with this audience (McQuarrie, Miller & Phillips, 2013).

Moreover, it has been stated how the relationship between the influencers and the consumers is different from the relationship between consumers and other marketers (Reinikainen et al., 2019). Further, Reinikainen et al. (2019) point out how brands can benefit from influencer marketing, since the influencers not only reach out to a large audience, but they also have a greater impact on e.g. brand perception and purchase intention because of their closer relationship to the consumers. The relationship between the influencers and the consumers can also be described as interactive, since the online platforms allow the user to interact with the influencer through e.g. commenting (Reinikainen et al., 2019).

Lastly, research has shown how consumers tend to mimic the behavior of other consumers (Ruvio, Gavish & Shoham, 2013). Although mimicry is stated to be an automatic behavior, it is intentional in the context of consumers mimicking the behavior of other consumers. This particular type of mimicking implies a process of decision-making that requires the awareness of the consumer (Ruvio et al., 2013). That is, the mimicry of other consumers is a planned behavior pattern, where the mimicker is striving to achieve a missing attribute, that the mimicked consumer possesses (Ruvio et al., 2013).

2.3 Social Learning Theory

It has been stated how psychological influences have an impact on the decision-making process of the consumer (Schiffman & Wisenblit, 2019). The psychological factors are the basis for the decision-making process and they emphasize the mental factors that have an impact on the behavior of a person, and the factors that drive a person to make a decision. Furthermore, aspects such as knowledge and experience have an impact on the learning of the person (Schiffman & Wisenblit, 2019). The Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura explains how a person must learn repertories of behavior and further on how one could obtain a pattern of response, either by direct experience or by observation (Bandura, 1977). Also, Bandura (1977) points out different ways of learning. One of the ways of learning is through the consequences of an action, where the theory explains how a person would select the more successful forms of behavior. That is, throughout this learning process, a person develops assumptions of the correct way to respond in different situations, which in turn is used when facing similar situations in the future (Bandura, 1977). However, learning only through response consequences is not considered optimal, or even possible, Bandura (1977) continues. Further, the author explains how a person learns most of its own behavior

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by observing how other people act and creating an idea of how to behave in future occasions (Bandura, 1977).

2.4 The decision-making process

Psychological theories play an essential role in business research, since it helps to understand the behavior of the consumer (Dowling, Guhl, Klapper, Spann, Stich & Yegoryan, 2019). Dowling et al., (2019) explain in their study on behavioral biases in marketing, how the decision-making process of the consumer can be divided into four phases: recognizing a need, pre-purchase phase, the actual purchase (or in some cases the consumer decides not to go through with the purchase) and lastly the post-purchase phase. Also, these four phases include various activities that the consumer goes through during this phase, also known as key activities (Dowling et al., 2019).

The first phase of the consumer decision-making process is the phase of need recognition, where the consumer, as one could understand from the name, recognizes the need for a product that could help satisfy the need (Dowling et al., 2019). Further on, Schiffman & Wisenblit (2019) have pointed out two ways that a need can arise; physiological arousal and cognitive arousal. The physiological arousal originates from the biogenic needs, such as hunger and the need to keep a decent body temperature. However, it is the cognitive arousal that could be considered essential in a marketing perspective, since it includes thoughts leading to a cognitive awareness of a need (Schiffman & Wisenblit, 2019). The cognitive arousal is explained to have an essential role for companies, as it enables them to awaken a need in the mind of the consumer through for instance a marketing

advertisement (Schiffman & Wisenblit, 2019). The purpose of an advertisement would then be to stimulate some kind of awareness regarding a desire or an imbalance in the mind of the consumer, which in turn would lead to the consumer wanting to act on the desire (Schiffman & Wisenblit, 2019). The following phase is the pre-purchase phase, where the consumer searches for information that could help satisfy the need aroused in the previous phase. Moreover, this phase of the consumer decision-making process includes activities such as evaluation of alternatives (Dowling et al., 2019). During this phase the consumer evaluates the value of the alternatives versus the effort needed to go through with the purchase and if the value exceeds the effort the consumer would decide to buy the product (Dowling et al., 2019).

The third phase of the consumer decision-making process is the actual purchase, or in some cases this phase means no purchase if the consumer does not consider that the value of the product exceeds the effort (Dowling et al., 2019). When making the decision, the consumer does not only decides whether to buy the product or not, but also the quantity, the retailer and what brand to buy (Dowling et al., 2019). The last phase of the consumer

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making process is the post-purchase phase, which implies the consumer using the product and later evaluating whether the experience matched the expectation (Dowling et al., 2019). Furthermore, the consumer could later share their experience of the product with other consumers, for instance through the concept of word-of-mouth (Dowling et al., 2019).

2.5 Attitude-behavior gap

The awareness of the environmental situation in the world has increased, which is something that has had a positive impact on how consumers view ethical consumerism, including consumers of apparel. The ethically minded consumer could for example be defined as a consumer who cares for the environmental and the social aspect (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). Nevertheless, an increase in the awareness has not resulted in changed consumer behavior, that is the consumers keep the behavior of repeatedly buying non-sustainable products, leading to a gap between their attitude towards the issue and their actual behavior (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). Further on, it is explained how several factors could have an impact on the ethical decision-making of the consumer and these factors could further be divided into external and internal factors. The external factors are pointed out to be price, institutional factors and social and cultural factors. Meanwhile, the internal factors are explained to be motivation, environmental knowledge, locus of control, attitudes and values (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018)

The theory of Reasoned Action

The theory of Reasoned Action by Fishbein & Ajzen (1975) implies that the behavior is determined by the intentional behavior, meanwhile the intentional behavior is determined by both the attitude and subjective norms. The attitude infers the individual feelings towards the determined behavior and it can be either negative, positive or neutral. Furthermore, the attitude is influenced by two factors which are behavioral beliefs,

implying the behavioral consequences as a motivation to the behavior. The second factor is evaluation which implies the evaluation of the potential action outcome caused by the behavior. Subjective norms according to Fishbein & Ajzen (1975) implies to the perception of relevant individuals and groups of people that can influence one's performance of behavior, which is also known as perceived social pressure. Subjective norms is also determined by two other factors, of which the first one is normative beliefs, which refers to whether the relevant individuals and groups approve the behavior. The second factor is motivation to comply, which implies whether the individual wants to comply with the social norms or not (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975).

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Figure 1 The theory of Reasoned Action. Reproduction of model by Fishbein & Ajzen (1975).

2.6 The theoretical model of Influential factors

According to a previous study conducted by Bray, Johns & Kilburn (2011), the factors that the consumer considers to be most influential, when it comes to ethical consumption, are price, quality and environmental awareness (Bray et al., 2011).

Price is the factor the consumers seem to value the most, indicating how the financial value is more important, compared to the ethical value. The consumers, according to the study, seem to be very price sensitive, although they are willing to pay slightly higher price for a product that is more ethical. However, if the price is too high, it can result in people avoiding purchasing ethical products (Bray et al., 2011). Additionally, Wiederhold & Martinez (2018) also state how price is one of the most important attributes when making purchasing decisions. Further on, the individual tends to primarily consider the biggest benefits for themselves, therefore they are most often searching for a low price when making purchases (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018).

When it comes to quality, it is another factor that influences the decision-making process, because the consumers are more attracted to a product which they perceive to be of higher quality (Bray et al., 2011). Lastly, regarding the environmental awareness, a consumer who is more aware and informed about the environment, tends to make more ethical and sustainable purchasing decisions (Bray et al., 2011).

In conclusion, the model of influential factors would consist of the factors price, quality and environmental awareness. Furthermore, these factors shall be related to both sales and

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purchase of second hand apparel, in order to investigate their impact on the specific behavior. Lastly, in order to investigate the impact that influencer marketing could have on the behavior, it will be related to environmental awareness.

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3. Methodology

This chapter will present the research methods that have been chosen in order to collect the data, through which the research questions can be answered. Therefore, this chapter will cover both a quantitative and qualitative research method, where the design, the distribution and sampling, and the analysis of the data for each research method will be presented. Finally, this chapter will conclude with the presentation of the ethical

consideration that this study has taken into account.

3.1 Research methodology

Considering the different focuses of the research questions, this thesis should include both a quantitative and qualitative methodology. A quantitative methodology allows to measure smaller differences between the respondents, leading to an understanding of different consumers on a micro-level (Bryman, 2018). Further, a survey enables to collect

information about a population in a more efficient way (Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Mitch, 2009). Moreover, regarding the first research question, the aim is to measure the

correlation between factors and impact, making it relevant to choose a quantitative methodology for this particular research question. To measure the correlation between factors and impact, it is necessary to determine indicators to help measure the chosen factors (Bryman, 2018). Looking on the first research question, the aim is to examine what factors have the most impact on the participation of the consumers in the second hand market, requiring a quantitative research methodology. Therefore, by constructing a survey, the first research question will be answered. Lastly, this study is focused on the behavior of consumers at a certain point of time, that is their present behavior, making this a cross-sectional study (Zikmund et al., 2009).

On the other hand, a qualitative research method is a research strategy, primary focusing on words, which mainly emphasizes an inductive view on the relationship between theory and practice. This indicates that in an inductive approach, where the result of a study often leads to creation of a theory, meaning that this approach is built on generalization of the collected data (Bryman, 2018). In addition to the previously mentioned, the qualitative research method implies that interpretation of the data, where the importance lies in the understanding of the social reality, which at the same time shows that social characteristics are a result of a interplay between the individuals (Bryman, 2018).

The qualitative research method has been chosen in order to collect data that is more suitable for the second and third research question, where the aim is to understand thoughts and motives behind a certain behavior and how it could be influenced.

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Furthermore, Seidman (2013) explains the purpose of interviewing as understanding another person, more specifically their lived experience and what they do with this particular experience. This indeed motivates the decision to use interviews as a research method, for parts of this study, as the aim is to understand the behavior of the consumer as a pattern. From that, the aim is to further examine the possibilities to increase a certain behavior.

This study is mainly based on a inductive approach where a range of grounded theories are used in order to analyse the data that has been gathered in this study and creation of new theories. An inductive approach is usually related to a qualitative research method (Bryman, 2016), where this study is partly based on a qualitative research method which consists of semi structured interviews. On the other hand, the deductive approach, which is usually followed by a quantitative research methodology can be partially applied for this study (Bryman, 2016), since part of it is based on a quantitative research methodology where surveys have been conducted. This approach starts with the theory in order to build hypothesis (Bryman, 2016), however since this study does not include hypotheses to test, instead a model of influential factors has been created in order to see the correlation between the chosen factors and the behavior. Later the data has been collected in order to test the model (hypothesis), which afterwards based on the findings the theory is being revised (Bryman, 2016). Lastly, because of the lack of hypotheses in this study, it can not be fully considered deductive.

3.2 Quantitative methodology - A survey

From the literature research that has been done there are several factors that Wiederhold & Martinez (2018) and Liang & Xu (2017) describe have an impact on the decision-making of the consumer. Wiederhold & Martinez (2018) explain how price is one of the most

important attributes that affect the purchasing decision. At the same time, Liang & Xu (2017) explain how besides the price, also the quality of clothes and environmental awareness have an impact on the decision-making of the consumer, which in turn is connected to the participation in the second hand market. Therefore, for this thesis the chosen indicators are price, environmental awareness and quality.

For this research method two surveys have been constructed to test the indicators, in order to interact with as many consumers as possible. The surveys have been handed out both to consumers who already participate in the second hand market, as well as consumers who do not. Through these two surveys, all indicators have been tested with several questions to collect information regarding the factors.

17 3.2.1 Survey Design

The survey handed out to current participants in the second hand market, is from now on referred to as Survey A. The survey initiates with four background questions stating the age and main occupation of the respondent. The following two questions determine what social media platform the respondent uses most on a daily basis and whether they are likely to participate in the second hand market or not. Lastly, the remaining questions of the survey are organized according to the factors price, environmental awareness and quality.

The survey handed out to a more general group of consumers, from now on referred to as Survey B, includes the same questions as Survey A regarding measuring the factors. Although, there are three questions added to the initial questions determining if the consumer purchases or sells apparel in the second hand market and further if they are members of any second hand groups on social media. Regarding the remaining questions in the survey, they are organized according to the factors price, environmental awareness and quality, like in Survey A.

Price

To measure the impact of price as a factor, two questions have been constructed, where each question is connected to an activity in the participation in the second hand market. The questions measure the importance of price when deciding to participate in the given market, which in turn generates a perception of the impact of this particular factor on the decision-making. However, the alternative of donation has not been included in this part of the survey, assuming that the price is not of significant importance when one chooses to donate. Lastly, the respondents have answered to these questions on a scale from one to five (one being not important at all and five being very important), making the questions

structured (Zikmund et al., 2009).

Environmental awareness

For the factor of environmental awareness three questions have been constructed. The purpose of the questions has been to examine how aware the consumers consider themselves of the environmental situation and how they value sustainable purchases, comparing the attitude and how the consumers believe they are likely to behave. The last question also examines how the consumers view the impact of influencers on their

awareness of the environmental situation. Equal to the previous questions, the respondent has been able to answer on a scale from one to five.

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The survey ends with three questions connected to the factor of quality perception. Through the questions, the aim has been to measure how the consumers view the quality of second hand apparel and to investigate whether there is a difference in the importance of quality when purchasing compared to selling or donating. Lastly, through all questions connected to the factors the respondents have answered on a scale from one to five (one being the less and five being the most), making all the questions structured (Zikmund et al., 2009).

3.2.2 Distribution

The surveys have been distributed through Facebook groups targeting primarily Swedish consumers. As mentioned previously, surveys allow to collect information about a

population in a more effective way (Zikmund et al., 2009), and by sharing them online the aim has been to increase the efficiency in terms of lowering the cost of time. Furthermore, considering COVID-19 pandemic that erupted in the beginning of March, the health aspect has also been taken in mind, given that sharing the surveys online does not require any physical contact.

Survey A has been distributed on Facebook groups for buying and selling second hand items, mainly in groups active in Östergötland and Skåne. This way it has been possible to reach out to the right segment of consumers, while maintaining the efficiency of sharing the survey online. The alternative to this would have been sharing the survey physically in second hand stores, which considering COVID-19 pandemic is not the optimal way. When it comes to Survey B the survey has been shared on Facebook groups and the private pages of the authors on Facebook, in order to reach out to a more general group of consumers. Table 1 below shows the results from the T-test that was conducted in SPSS in order to see whether there are any significant differences in the data due to the two different ways that the surveys have been distributed.

19 Table 1 Independent- Samples T-test

According to the table there is no significant difference between survey A and survey B, except in the question about the impact of the influencer on the environmental awareness. That is confirmed by the difference in the mean and the p- value obtained in the Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances (Pallant, 2005), which is below 5 % indicating that the variability in scores is not the same for both surveys. This difference has been accepted because it does not have an impact on the discussion of the results, since it is not

statistically significant in the Model of Influential factors, which has been conducted in the upcoming chapter. Hence a decision has been made to merge the data and treat it as one sample.

20 3.2.3 Data analysis

The collected data has been coded in an Excel-file and further measured and analyzed through SPSS and SmartPLS.

By using SPSS, which is a statistical program, in order to examine whether there is a difference between the responses obtained in Survey A and B, an Independent- Samples T-test has been conducted. Independent- Samples T-T-test compares the means of two different groups, and tests whether there is a statistically significant difference in the means between the groups. The significance is tested with Levene's Test of Equality of Variance were the significance level (p-value) is 0.05. The test shows whether the variance of mean score is the same (Pallant, 2005). Further on, this test shows whether the data obtained from survey A and B could be merged together and treated as one sample.

Another test that has been conducted for this study in order to analyse the data is Descriptive Statistics. It has been used to describe the characteristics of the sample by presenting the mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. Standard deviation shows how well the mean represents the sample. A low value shows that the data scores are relatively close to the mean, while a high value on the other hand shows that the data scores are spread over a wider range from the mean (Field, 2009). On the other hand, skewness describes the distribution of the data. That is if the value is close to zero or if it is zero, the data is normally distributed. However, if the value is negative the data is skewed left, while a positive value indicates that the data is skewed right (Pallant, 2005). Simultaneously, kurtosis shows the peakedness of the data is normally distributed if the value is zero, or close to zero. A negative value shows the data is light-tailed while a positive value shows that data is heavy-tailed (Pallant, 2005). Although, the data is being considered accepted as normally distributed if the absolute value is less than 2 (George & Mallery, 2010).

The last test has been run through SmartPLS, which is a software through which the data has been analyzed graphically and where the factors were computed into a model of influential factors. The model of influential factors shows the cause-effect relationship between the factors measured in the survey and the consumer behavior (Smartpls, 2020). The final model of influential factors shows which of the main factors measured in the survey (price, quality and environmental awareness) has the biggest impact on the consumer behavior, in the sense of participation in the second hand market. Hence, after the model of influential factors has been conducted, in order to see whether the correlation is significant, a bootstrapping analysis has been conducted. Bootstrapping analysis is a procedure testing statistical significance in the path coefficients (Smartpls, 2020). The significance level that has been tested is 0.05, which implies that we can accept 5% chance

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that the result happens by chance. If the result falls within these 5 %, that is the p-value does not exceed 0.05, the result is statistically significant (Field, 2009).

3.2.4 Reliability and validity

Reliability and validity are important to take into account when choosing a scale that measures the output in the best way. Reliability and validity have in particular an impact on the quality of the data that has been obtained in the research (Pallant, 2005), where it ensures that the measurement error is as low as possible. (Field, 2009)

Validity shows whether the scale measures what it has been constructed to measure (Field, 2009). The surveys constructed for this study, are supposed to measure likelihood,

perception, awareness and importance on a scale from one to five. On the other hand, reliability indicates how free a scale is from random errors and it shows whether there is consistency in the scale. For instance, in a questionnaire, the respondent should get the same score if they would participate in it at two different points in time. In order to

measure reliability, in this study, a test of Composite Reliability has been conducted, which measures internal consistency of the scale and shows whether the sample is free from biases. In order for the data to be reliable the value should exceed 0.6 (Ringle, Da Silva & Bido, 2015).

3.2.5 Limitations

Given that this study is limited to Sweden and Swedish consumers, the surveys are only shared in Swedish groups on social media. Further, the surveys are in Swedish, requiring knowledge of the language to participate. However, this might eliminate Swedish

consumers, who for some reason do not speak or comprehend the Swedish language. Moreover, although digital surveys might be a more effective way to reach out to

respondents, it only gives access to consumers who use social media. This in turn provides a restricted view of the issue.

3.3 Qualitative methodology - Interviews

The qualitative research method chosen for this study is a semi structured interview, which signifies the interviewer following a predetermined questionnaire, while the order of the questions may vary depending on the development of the interview. Moreover, the questions are commonly formulated and are followed by supplementary questions in connection with what the responses being considered important for the study (Bryman, 2018). The purpose of an interview is to get an in depth understanding of the individual, their story, experiences and thoughts which makes them act in a certain way. It gives access

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to the context of a certain behavior which later makes it possible to study the meaning of the behavior (Seidman, 2006).

3.3.1 Sampling

Two interviews have been constructed, targeting two different types of respondents; consumers of second hand apparel and an influencer. For the first interview the target group has been consumers who already participate in the second hand market either through purchase, sales or/and donation. For this study, the interviews have been held with seven female consumers that are mainly in the age group between 20 and 25 years with different occupations in order to get varying results. Further on, the requests have been made online to consumers who participate in that particular market, due to limitations caused by COVID-19.

Before the interview each respondent has received an interview guide, sent by email, covering the structure of the interview together with the questions that are intended to be asked. For the second interview the target group are individuals working as influencers, that is they promote second-hand purchases on social media. The interview is held with one influencer who runs an Instagram account dedicated completely to promote second hand purchases of apparel and interior decoration. The account has been active since November 2019 and has over 1000 followers and 51 posts.

All interviews are held in the form of telephone interviews or through chatting platforms, such as Facebook Messenger. Because of COVID-19 pandemic the alternative of having face-to-face interviews is eliminated and interviews where physical presence is not required are chosen, due to sanitary concerns.

The aim with these interviews is to understand and analyze the consumer behavior. Therefore, the interviews are designed in a way, so the consumer does not need to feel intimidated to answer honestly.

3.3.2 Data analysis

The collected data from the interviews has been analyzed aside the theories presented in the theoretical framework. The transcribed data from the interviews has been presented in Table 8, where the similarities and deviations will be lifted. Furthermore, the data has been compared to the given theoretical framework, where it lastly has been interpreted. The aim is to investigate whether the data matches the theoretical framework.

23 3.3.3 Limitations

The main limitation for this research is COVID-19, which erupted during early March, when the data collection was about to begin. This made it difficult to get in touch with the

consumers for the interviews, and because of the sanitary concerns certain changes had to be implemented. The interviews, in order to maintain safety and not put anyone in danger, were conducted in forms of telephone interview or through chatting platforms, instead of face-to-face interviews as intended in the first place. Moreover, due to the telephone interview a lot of information has possibly been left out, considering how body language and face expressions could not be examined in this study.

Beyond that, another limitation of this research method is how it is not studying the actual behavior of the consumer, but instead examining how the consumers perceive and

understand their own behavior. Therefore, the perception the consumers have of their own behavior could vary from the reality. Lastly, what can also be considered as a limitation is that all the respondents are females in the age between 20 and 25. It might not give a fair image of the reality because of a lack of diversity in the sample.

3.4 Ethical considerations

The ethical considerations taken into account in this study is giving respondents

anonymity. It is known that the respondents are choosing to share their habits, which can feel very personal. While it is wanted of them to share their thoughts and reflections of their behavior, at the same time it is also wanted that they feel comfortable and not threatened. Therefore, the respondents will remain anonymous in this study. Moreover, the interviews have been recorded in order to not leave out on any information. Before each interview permission was received from the participants to record the interview and at the same time they were informed about the purpose of the recording. Lastly, regarding the survey, the concept of anonymity has been adapted as well. Further on, it has also been taken into consideration how when using survey as a method, especially when the survey is shared online, there is a risk that the respondent does not provide completely honest answers.

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4. Results

In this chapter of the study the results from the data collection will be presented.

Furthermore, the presentation of the data is divided according to the collection method. That is, first the statistical data from the surveys will be presented in tables, followed by tables summarizing the data from the interviews.

4.1 Empirical data - the surveys

4.1.1 Age Table 1

N 195

Mean 38.90

Missing value 24

The data collected from survey A consist of 99 respondents (50.8 %) while survey B consists of 96 respondents (49.2 %). Altogether there are 195 participants, where the mean age among the respondents for both surveys is 38.9 years. As shown in the Table 1, the missing value in this question is 24, which is caused by an technical error that occurred during the online distribution of survey B.

4.1.2 Occupation

Table 2

Occupation Frequency Percent

Students 60 31.1 Workers 94 48.7 Work Seekers 17 8.8 Seniors 17 8.8 Others 4 2.6 Missing value 2 1

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Looking at the main occupation among the respondents, as it is shown in Table 2 above, 48.7% of the respondents are workers. The second biggest group in both surveys is

students, as they represent 31.1 % of the sample. Seniors and work seekers are two equally big groups, where they both represents 8.8 % of the sample and the missing value is 2.

4.1.3 Reliability

Table 3 Composite Reliability

Composite Reliability Environmental awareness ---> Purchase

0.824 Environmental awareness--->Selling

Influencer Marketing ---> Environmental awareness Price when buying ---> Purchase

Price when selling ---> Selling

Quality when buying ---> Purchase 0.558

Quality when selling ---> Selling 0.595

Composite reliability shows internal consistency in the scale items, and for the scale to be reliable the value should be approximately 0.60 and above (Ringle et al., 2015). All three values shown in the table are either close to 0.60 or higher, hence the three values are the only ones considered reliable. The remaining values are not considered reliable.

4.1.4 Descriptive statistics

Table 4 below describes the data, after the data from survey A and B has been merged together into one sample. The data has been analysed through SPSS. It should also be mentioned how the additional questions in Survey B are excluded in the analysis, given that the data from both surveys is treated as one sample.

26 Table 4 Descriptive statistics

N Sample

Mean

Standard

Deviation Skewness Kurtosis Importance of price when making purchase

decisions regarding second hand items

195 3.93 1.046 -0.877 0.368

Importance of price when selling second hand 195 3.31 1.283 -0.223 -0.997

Environmental awareness 195 3.52 1.237 -0.566 -0.586

Importance of making sustainable purchase decisions

195 3.41 1.096 -0.337 -0.481

Likelihood of selling used clothes 195 3.17 1.400 -0.178 -1.255

Likelihood of donating used clothes 195 4.49 .755 -1.224 0.379

Likelihood of purchasing used clothes 195 3.35 1.344 -0.231 -1.176

The impact of the influencer on the environmental awareness

195 2.16 1.302 0.782 -0.641

Assessment of general quality of the second hand apparel

195 3.37 0.935 -0.050 -0.280

I Importance of quality when purchasing second hand apparel

195 4.35 0.741 -0.982 0.979

Importance of quality when selling or donating second hand apparel

195 4.16 0.944 -1.264 1.511

The highest mean shown in the table is 4.49, which shows the mean of the likelihood of donating used clothes, which in turn indicates the respondents are very likely to donate their used clothes. The second highest mean is 4.35, which belongs to the importance of quality when purchasing second hand clothes. It shows how the quality of second hand clothes is very important to the respondents, therefore it has received a relatively high rating. Further, when looking at the lowest mean in the sample, the impact of the influencer on environmental awareness has a mean of 2.16, which is far lower compared to the rest. It shows how influencers have a low impact on environmental awareness according to the respondents. On the other hand, the likelihood of selling used clothes has the highest standard deviation in the sample, which means that the values are being spread over a wide range (Field, 2009). While the importance of quality when purchasing second hand apparel has the lowest standard deviation, meaning that the values tend to be close to the mean (Field, 2009).

Skewness and Kurtosis shows the distribution of the data where for a normal distributed data the value for both Skewness and Kurtosis should be zero or close to zero (Pallant,

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2005). In this study, as it is seen in table 5, none of the values fulfill that requirement, which can depend on the size of the sample. However the accepted absolute value for a normal distributed data is the value of two(George & Mallery, 2010). As the table shows none of the values in either Skewness and Kurtosis exceed the value two , the data is

considered to be normally distributed and is therefore suited for further statistical analysis.

4.1.5 The Model of Influential factors

This table was obtained through running the data through SmartPLS, where the factors have been connected to the behaviors.

Table 6 The table of Influential factors

Original sample Sample Mean Standard Deviation T Statistics P Values

Environmental awareness ---> Purchase 0.156 0.158 0.073 2.126 0.034

Environmental awareness--->Selling 0.253 0.253 0.082 3.080 0.002

Influencer Marketing ---> Environmental awareness

-0.036 -0.036 0.103 0.352 0.724

Price when purchasing ---> Purchase 0.099 0.097 0.067 1.483 0.138

Price when selling ---> Selling 0.264 0.259 0.073 3.638 0.000

Quality when purchasing ---> Purchase 0.392 0.398 0.059 6.632 0.000

Quality when selling ---> Selling 0.113 0.130 0.070 1.614 0.107

The original sample shows the impact of each factor on the behavior. Further it can be seen how the quality when buying has the impact of 0.392 on buying, which is the highest impact in the table. The weakest correlation is between influencer marketing and environmental awareness, where the impact is -0.036, meaning that there is no impact. On the other hand, t-statistics together with the p-value shows whether the results have happened by chance or not (Field, 2009). For the result to be statistically significant, the p-value should be below 5 % (0.05) while the t-statistics should be relatively high (Field, 2009). The results that are statistically significant are; Environmental awareness ---> Buying, Environmental

awareness--->Selling, Price when selling ---> Selling and Quality when buying ---> Buying.

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*** p < 0.001 ; ** p < 0.01 ; * p < 0.05

Figure 3 The model of Influential factors

4.2 Empirical data - interviews

In this part of the chapter the data from the interviews will be presented, divided into two parts. The first part will contain two tables presenting the data from the interviews held with consumers of second hand apparel, followed by a presentation of the data from the interview with an influencer.

4.2.1 Interviews with consumers

In the qualitative part of this research seven interviews have been held, all with female consumers of second hand apparel. Given that the aim was to target consumers of different backgrounds, the fact that all interview participants are women is a coincidence. However this could have an impact on the analysis in this study. Further on, the respondents will be referred to as Respondent A, B, C, D, E, F and G. To keep the respondents as anonymous as possible, a short presentation of each person will follow, where they are presented by age and main occupation.

29 Table 7 Presentation of respondents

Respondent Age Main occupation

A 22 Student

B 20 Student

C 25 Student

D 41 Owner of a second hand store

E 23 Student

F 22 Personal assistant

G 23 Social worker

As it can be seen in Table 7, the respondents are mainly between 20 and 25 years old. Furthermore four out of seven have studying as their main occupation. However, there are also three workers, of which one of the respondents has a job related to the second hand market.

Table 8 Interviews with consumers

Questions Results from interviews

The consumer in general

Purchase vs. disposal When it comes to whether the consumer purchases more or disposes, the results are quite balanced. Respondent A, B and G donate more than they purchase second hand apparel, while Respondent C, D and E purchase more than they donate. However Respondent E mentions that she purchases more than donates in terms of occasions, which does not necessarily mean that there shall be a difference in terms of quantity. Lastly, Respondent F participates equally in the activities of purchasing and donating.

Environmental awareness - Fashion industry

Regarding the effects of the fashion industry on the environment, all respondents are aware of the negative relation between the two parts. Respondent B, C and F are aware of how the mass consumption has a negative impact on the environment and more specifically Respondent C points out how mass production in turn contributes to mass consumption.