Enhancing Apparel Store Patronage through Retailers’ Attributes and Sustainability. A Generational Approach

Abstract

While research on retailers’ attributes that influence store patronage is relatively plentiful, the influence on store patronage of consumers’ perceptions towards retailers’ sustainable behaviour is a new topic. The authors examine the influence of retailers’ sustainable behaviour and store attributes (assortment, price, personnel, advertising and convenience) on the patronage behaviour of generations X and Y (Millennials). Data were collected via a survey of 278 Xers and 402 Millennials in an emerging market. Results show that Generation X apparel store patronage is positively influenced by advertising and store personnel, whereas Millennials’ are influenced by assortment, personnel and advertising and to a weaker extent by retailers’ sustainable behaviour. The paper enlarges the understanding of generational theory in an emerging market, while from a managerial perspective the results are particularly useful for apparel retailers with regards to marketing strategies which need to be implemented in order to attract and retain Generation X and Y consumers.

Consumer Attitude towards Sustainability of Fast Fashion Products in the UK

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The Perspective of E-Business Sustainability and Website Accessibility of Online Stores

“…The importance of the website's accessibility can be also seen from the perspective of a parallel made with the traditional brick and mortar store's atmospherics. The retailers in the online environment have to build the same presence embedded into websites, like in the case of offline stores, to gain customers' attention and willingness [53,54]. Website accessibility can be considered one of the most important elements capable of contributing to that online positive experience [55][56][57].…”

The Importance Given to Food Naturalness Attributes by Millennial University Students

“…They represent the largest generational cohort [2,23], so their purchasing power makes them an appealing target group for many consumer industries and attracts many companies towards understanding the needs and behavior of this customer base. Consequently, millennials have become a remarkable group for study given their distinctive behavior as compared to other generations [7], their sharing of common values [24,25], enjoyment of life experiences [26], pursuance of specific motivations [3,5,14,27], and purchasing behavior [24,28]. Millennials are characterized as having a higher education level than other generations [1,29] or by the intensive use and adaptation of technology in their daily lives [17,28,30,31].…”

“…Consequently, millennials have become a remarkable group for study given their distinctive behavior as compared to other generations [7], their sharing of common values [24,25], enjoyment of life experiences [26], pursuance of specific motivations [3,5,14,27], and purchasing behavior [24,28]. Millennials are characterized as having a higher education level than other generations [1,29] or by the intensive use and adaptation of technology in their daily lives [17,28,30,31]. This consumer group exhibits different food purchasing behavior from other groups, are highly aware of their eating habits [7,31], and are more likely to come across an innovative food product on the market in a near future [24].…”