Search Results (148)

This paper examines the strategic decisions of fashion brands to develop and sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs) within the metaverse. We construct two operational models based on whether NFTs are adopted: the traditional fashion model without NFT (Scenario T) and the digital fashion model with NFT (Scenario D). By comparing the equilibrium outcomes of fashion brands in Scenarios T and D, we derive valuable insights into the implementation of digital strategies in the fashion industry. Our analysis reveals three key findings. First and foremost, the proportion of fashion customers to conventional customers, as well as the digital value and cost of NFTs, are direct factors influencing the adoption of digital strategies by fashion brands. Secondly, opportunistic pricing by manufacturers is an indirect factor influencing fashion brands’ strategic choices, and a fixed production price contract can effectively avoid this case. Finally, we find that personalized pricing and a free NFT strategy are effective tools to boost fashion brands’ digital revenues. Full article

Masstige fashion brands present a promising alternative to both luxury and fast fashion in the context of sustainability, offering an affordable yet prestigious option. However, these brands face the challenge of leveraging digital transformation tools while balancing prestige and accessibility. With its visual appeal, interactive features, and daily usage, Instagram Stories is a highly engaging communication tool for masstige brands. Despite its importance, ephemeral brand communication remains an underexplored area. This study investigates how young consumers interpret and decode Instagram Stories featuring human models from masstige fashion brands that represent identitary values Sexuality and Seduction, Seasonality, and Renewal. Using mind mapping and focus group discussions with 75 frequent Instagram users, findings reveal that audiences actively reinterpret brand messages, sometimes reshaping their intended meaning. Highly stylized celebrities led to skepticism or disengagement, while authentic, everyday portrayals fostered positive engagement. Sexualized imagery was often reframed as functional rather than aspirational. The study reveals that while brands aim to communicate identitary values such as Sexuality and Seduction, these are usually reinterpreted or even rejected by users in favor of values like comfort, simplicity, or emotional authenticity. Conversely, values like Seasonality, Renewal, and Quality were more consistently recognized and positively decoded, suggesting a more substantial alignment between brand encoding and audience perception in those domains. Full article

The fashion industry is facing increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices given its significant impact on the environment. This research aims to analyze the implications of marketing strategies in the fashion industry’s transition towards a sustainable and responsible business model. The study starts from the premise that marketing can influence consumer behavior and turn sustainability into a competitive advantage. To investigate this aspect, SmartPLS software was used and hypotheses were tested on the relationship between marketing strategies to educate and sensitize consumers on sustainability issues in the fashion industry and the creation of a sustainably engaged community. Moreover, it becomes essential to collaborate with non-governmental organizations and other brands that share their sustainability values. The research was based on a sample of 227 respondents, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that marketing strategies that promote transparency in supply chain and production processes, enhance brand reputation and credibility and, promote innovation in sustainable materials and production processes through marketing strategies contributing to creating an engaged community, as well as through brand commitment to sustainability through concrete actions and access to new markets and growth opportunities. Marketing strategies to educate and sensitize consumers on sustainability issues in the fashion industry contribute to increasing consumer interest in sustainable products. The implications of the study highlight the need for coherent marketing approaches to support the sustainable transformation of the fashion industry. Full article

Premium fashion brands are increasingly adopting Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to reduce costs and enhance creativity. However, consumers have mixed perceptions of clothing with AI-generated patterns (CAGPs) launched by premium fashion brands, especially in online shopping contexts where consumers cannot examine physical products firsthand. This study integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with Customer Perceived Value (CPV) to investigate Chinese Millennials’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward online purchases of CAGPs launched by premium fashion brands. Using a purposive sampling approach, the study collected 471 valid responses from Chinese Millennials. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then employed to test the proposed model and hypotheses. The results reveal that perceived brand design effort and perceived price value are primary drivers of purchase intention for CAGPs from premium fashion brands, while perceived aesthetic value significantly shapes consumer attitudes. The subjective norm and attitude positively influence purchase intention. This study sheds light on the roles of aesthetic, emotional, monetary and social factors in driving purchase intention, offering practical suggestions for premium brands’ product design and marketing strategies. Full article

The clothing industry greatly impacts the global economy by producing billions of pieces of clothing and employing millions. However, it negatively impacts the environment, as it is one of the most polluting sectors in the world. This bibliometric review aims to identify influential authors and affiliations, journals, productive and cited countries, emerging and recent themes, and future research directions focusing on the dynamics of clothing brands’ sustainability practices. A comprehensive dataset from Scopus and the Web of Science contains 612 articles, and Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used to analyze the data. Findings reveal that sustainability is not just a concern for developed countries but is also gaining attention in emerging economies like India. This bibliometric analysis presents its relationship with sustainable development goals (SDGs), combines performance analysis and science mapping of clothing brands’ sustainability practices, and evaluates thematic clusters to highlight future research scopes to fill the literature gap for further concentration on behavioral aspects, advanced supply chains, effective communication, and promoting the usage of sustainable technologies, which can help to align with business models for sustainability and resilience. Therefore, clothing brands’ sustainability practices should focus on smart and functional clothing through eco-friendly manufacturing and designing long-lasting clothes to enrich clothing performance. They should adopt innovative technologies for resource utilization, recycling, waste management, supply chain, and also emphasize communication with the consumers to encourage them to purchase eco-friendly and long-lasting clothes. Full article

This research aims to investigate, using the C-A-B theory, the buying decision-making processes of Gen Z consumers in the United States when exposed to fast fashion brand advertising messages including greenwashing elements. Responses of 345 valid participants from the Amazon Mturk platform were analyzed through Mplus 8.11 and SPSS 29. Two-step, structural equation modeling was implemented to test the hypothesis. Additionally, 5000 bootstrapping iterations were used to examine the indirect effects. Study findings indicated that Gen Z consumers responded positively and negatively to fast fashion brands’ product promotional messages. Despite feeling skeptical and betrayed over the greenwashing assertion, they intend to purchase the goods. A contributing factor to this unforeseen purchasing intention may be their indifference towards environmental concerns. Moreover, when greenwashing assertions are infused with product advantages through strategic ingenuity and aligned with the specific demands of certain generations, the perception of positive emotional reaction supersedes the negative, hence facilitating the purchase of the green product. Furthermore, there is evidence of optimism biases, a cognitive bias where they exaggerate their capacity to identify instances of greenwashing, prioritize more on their certain needs, and underestimate the associated environmental risk for others. This clarifies the paradoxical buying patterns of Gen Z consumers. Although Gen Z is the youngest demographic, their tastes for fast fashion apparel may alter as they develop and their lifestyles adapt, influenced by both positive and negative emotional reactions to fast fashion brands. Consequently, the fast fashion business must retain this customer by utilizing sustainability messaging instead of misleading greenwashing assertions in the future. Full article

One of the core objectives of the European Green Deal in pursuing climate neutrality and sustainable development is the decarbonization of high-impact sectors. Among the most polluting is the fast fashion industry, driven by linear business models that must urgently transition to circular economy frameworks and decarbonized supply chains. Fast fashion poses significant environmental and social challenges due to its high greenhouse gas emissions, excessive resource consumption, and substantial waste generation. To foster greater sustainability within the sector, this study examines environmental indicators defined by the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), in accordance with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) 2022/2464. Aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), these standards aim to harmonize sustainability disclosures and enable better decision-making across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions throughout Europe. This research focuses on five key environmental aspects—climate change, pollution, water resource management, biodiversity, and circular economy/resource use—across four leading fast fashion brands: Mango, Zara, H&M, and Shein. Using an exploratory web-based methodology, this study evaluates how these companies disclose and implement ESG strategies in their supply chains. The central aim is to assess the sustainability and resilience of their operations, with particular emphasis on communication strategies that support the transition from linear to circular business models. Ultimately, this study seeks to highlight both the progress and persistent challenges faced by the fast fashion industry in aligning with ESG and ESRS requirements. Full article

Femvertising is increasingly being used by brands to showcase their values and attract consumers, especially in the fashion industry. Previous studies mainly focused on its impact on female consumers, while the perceptions and responses of male consumers are usually ignored. Focusing on the context of men purchasing women’s clothes as gifts, this study aimed to explore the impact of femvertising on male consumers’ gift purchasing intention and reveal the mechanism, with the mediating effects of female empowerment and brand hypocrisy and the moderation effect of gift recipient. A situational experiment was conducted to acquire data, and hypotheses were tested with regression analysis and the bootstrapping method. The results demonstrated that the total effect of femvertising on male consumers’ gift purchasing intention is not significant, but there is a positive mediating effect of female empowerment and a negative mediating effect of brand hypocrisy, and the mediating effect of female empowerment is stronger for a communal relationship (versus an exchange relationship). Full article

Greenwashing, the phenomenon of companies misleading consumers about their sustainability practices, is prevalent in the fashion industry. This study explores consumer opinions on greenwashing through analysis of social media discourse. Cognitive dissonance theory served as the theoretical framework, explaining how consumers reconcile conflicting information about brands’ sustainability claims. In Study 1, 446 comments on 12 Reddit posts were collected using the search term “fashion greenwashing”. Using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm and manual review, we identified three major themes: the phenomenon of fashion greenwashing, consumer empowerment in sustainable fashion, and skepticism towards fast fashion brands’ marketing strategies. In Study 2, using the search term, “#fashiongreenwashing”, two researchers collected and analyzed 76 Instagram posts with 370 comments. A manual review was employed to extract major themes, and network graphs of caption tags within the same theme were constructed. Three major themes emerged: strategies to combat fashion greenwashing, examples of fashion greenwashing, and advocacy and regulation in sustainable fashion. Findings from Studies 1 and 2 revealed that consumers are increasingly aware of brands’ deceptive practices and advocacy for sustainable practices to resolve this dissonance when they see greenwashing information. This study underscored the need for fashion brands to provide transparent and authentic information. Full article

Marketers are increasingly interested in digital content marketing (DCM) strategies that have the potential to enhance consumer behaviour. However, there is a dearth of academic research that delves into the impact of DCM on brand defence. This study aims to investigate the impact of DCM on brand defence through behavioural engagement and brand attachment (in a Jordanian fashion industry case study). The results demonstrate a notable benefit of the direct effect of DCM on behavioural engagement, brand attachment, and brand defence. DCM is the strongest determinant of brand defence, followed by behavioural engagement and brand attachment. Behavioural engagement exerts a substantial beneficial impact on brand attachment. The results of this research indicate that both behavioural engagement and brand attachment significantly influence brand defence. The mediation results indicate that brand attachment fails to mediate the positive impact of DCM on brand defence. Moreover, the study determines that behavioural engagement mediates the positive impact of DCM on brand defence. This study is of high importance for marketing strategies, emphasising the pivotal importance of DCM in developing effective marketing approaches. Full article

Within the global wave of manufacturing intelligence, AI technologies are revolutionizing industrial frameworks through deep integration. As a resource-intensive sector, fashion has become a pivotal arena for assessing AI’s role in sustainable development. China, the world’s largest apparel producer, faces unique AI integration challenges, highlighting the intersection of innovation and sustainability. To further explore the impact of AI-powered try-on technology on the impulsive buying intentions of young Chinese consumers, this research utilizes a modified version of the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model. From the lens of online shopping, the research investigates how key features of AI-powered try-on technology, such as visual vividness, interactive control, personalized configuration, and ease of use, affect impulsive buying intentions. Additionally, the study examines the mediating roles of perceived utilitarian value, perceived hedonic value, and perceived immersion, alongside the moderating role of brand trust. A structured online survey was conducted with 366 participants, and the data were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) method. The findings reveal that the four core attributes of AI-powered try-on technology have a positive effect on impulsive buying intentions. Furthermore, the mediating roles of perceived utilitarian value, perceived hedonic value, and perceived immersion, along with the moderating influence of brand trust, were substantiated. In the realm of online apparel shopping, AI-powered try-on technology effectively stimulates impulsive buying behavior and drives online purchases. These results offer valuable theoretical insights for enhancing AI-powered try-on applications, while also providing strategic guidance for fashion brands and e-commerce platforms in developing AI-driven sustainable marketing approaches. Full article

Digital technologies represented by AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and digital twins, along with the expansion of metaverse platforms and digital marketing concepts, have attracted the attention of numerous sports fashion product consumers and brands, particularly in the category of sports shoes. Therefore, in the context of digital technologies, understanding the factors that affect consumer experience and the preferences in the online purchasing process of sports shoes is very important. This study employs Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic analysis to analyze 44,110 online user posts and comments from social platforms, extracting thematic elements of consumer experience needs for purchasing sports shoes online. The information obtained is further encoded and designed into a questionnaire, which is then utilized alongside the Kano model to analyze the overall preferences of consumer experience needs. The results indicate that webpage design and basic product information are considered as Must-be attributes for user experience needs; providing information on after-sales service policies and product comment, products’ special feature information, and online size testing are recognized as Performance attributes. Additionally, high-tech interaction methods, visual presentation, personalized customization, virtual try-on, apparel matching recommendations, and dressing scenario recommendations are identified as Attractive attributes. The study reveals that in the context of new digital technology development, the online shopping experience for sports shoes is enhanced across four dimensions: platform experience augmentation, product experience augmentation, user demand augmentation, and interactive experience augmentation. These four dimensions collectively constitute the holistic experience design for the online retail platform. Therefore, this research provides case references and theoretical insights for researchers and developers in the fields of brand marketing, experience design, and product service innovation. Full article

Driven by the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the demand for personalized fashion, China’s second-hand clothing market is developing rapidly. Chinese consumers have begun to accept second-hand clothing, and online platforms such as Xianyu and Zhier have promoted the widespread trading of second-hand clothing. This study explored the key factors influencing customer satisfaction in China’s sustainable second-hand clothing market. Using a mixed research approach, factors such as pricing strategy, product quality, brand image, customer service, market environment and promotions were identified. The conclusion of grounded theory is that price, product quality, brand reputation, customer service quality, economic environment and platform promotions have a strong impact on customer satisfaction. The Kano model highlights the sensitivity of customer service quality, economic environment and promotions in improving satisfaction. Price is crucial, confirming the price sensitivity of customers. Brand reputation and product quality significantly increase satisfaction. Customer satisfaction significantly affects the amount of sustainable recycling. This study improves the theoretical framework and research hypotheses, provides valuable insights for future research and practical applications and contributes to the sustainable development of the second-hand clothing market. Full article

This study investigates the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in consumer decision-making, particularly in comparison to traditional human influencers. As consumer trust in social media influencers has declined, largely due to concerns about the financial motivations behind endorsements, AI tools such as ChatGPT have emerged as perceived neutral intermediaries. The research aims to understand whether AI systems can replace human influencers in shaping purchasing decisions and, if so, in which sectors. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a quantitative survey of 478 participants with prior experience using both AI tools and interacting with social media influencers, complemented by 15 semi-structured interviews. The results reveal that AI is favoured over human influencers in product categories where objectivity and precision are critical, such as electronics and sporting goods, while human influencers remain influential in emotionally driven sectors like fashion and beauty. These findings suggest that the future of marketing will show a reduced need for human social media influencers and may involve a hybrid model where AI systems dominate data-driven recommendations and human influencers continue to foster emotional engagement. This shift has important implications for brands as they adapt to changing consumer trust dynamics. Full article

With the rise of the green economy and the increasing awareness of consumer sustainability, green marketing has become a global competition strategy adopted by the textile and apparel industry. This study explores key factors and challenges in green marketing to support the industry’s sustainable development. Using the PRISMA 2020 methodology, 54 studies were systematically reviewed to identify core themes: green marketing and branding, consumer behavior and green consumption, circular economy and sustainability, green supply chain management, and textile and fashion culture. The findings reveal that consumers’ understanding of green knowledge and corporate green branding strategies are key factors in the success of green marketing. This review integrates effective strategies for practitioners and new directions for future research. It also highlights the added value of green marketing in fostering sustainability and proposes a conceptual framework for industry application. By addressing gaps in existing research, this study provides actionable recommendations for bridging theory and practice in green marketing. Future research should investigate region-specific dynamics and further develop strategies to enhance the industry’s sustainability efforts. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay between green marketing and sustainable development in textiles and apparel. Full article