Adolescents clothing motives and

store selection criteria

A comparison between South Korea and the
United States
Jessie H. Chen-Yu
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
Keum-Hee Hong
Silla University, Busan, South Korea, and
Yoo-Kyoung Seock
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare South Korean (SK) and United States (US)
adolescents clothing motives and their store selection criteria, examine whether adolescents with
different primary clothing motives would have similar or different store selection criteria, and examine
an interaction effect of country of residency and clothing motives on store selection criteria.
Design/methodology/approach A total of 307 US students and 297 SK students participated in
the study. The convenience sampling method was used to recruit teachers who volunteered to help
with the study and administer the survey.
Findings Results showed that clothing motives and store selection criteria differed signicantly
between SK and US participants. Participants with different primary clothing motives had
signicantly different store selection criteria. SK and US participants with the same primary clothing
motive did not have signicantly different store selection criteria.
Research limitations/implications Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling
method and, therefore, they could not represent adolescents generally in either country.
Practical implications Based on the ndings, suggestions for store positioning, service
management and international marketing strategies for apparel companies that target adolescents
were provided.
Originality/value Limited studies have examined adolescents motives behind the clothes they
purchase and wear, and their store selection criteria.
Keywords Adolescents, Students, Clothing, South Korea, United States of America
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Adolescents are often dened as individuals in age from ten to 19 (American
Psychological Association, 2002). Adolescence is a critical stage of life for physical,
emotional, social, and behavioral development. It is the time when individuals
self-identity becomes more dened (Keating, 1990). Adolescence is also an important
time for learning and acquiring life skills, such as interpersonal, social, and economical
skills, that could lead to a better future in adulthood. In recent years, adolescents have
more freedom and responsibility for spending and managing money than before
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1361-2026.htm
Adolescents
clothing motives
127
Received April 2009
Revised June 2009,
July 2009
Accepted September 2009
Journal of Fashion Marketing and
Management
Vol. 14 No. 1, 2010
pp. 127-144
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1361-2026
DOI 10.1108/13612021011025465
(Kamaruddin and Mokhlis, 2003). The buying power of adolescents accounts for $170
billion a year in the USA alone (Collins, 2006). Clothing plays an important role in
adolescents daily life and clothing purchases are one of the biggest expenditures in
their budget (Sarkisian-Miller, 2003). As a result, the adolescent apparel market is
growing rapidly and has become a signicant segment of the apparel industry.
Retailers are adapting new techniques, offering innovative designs, and introducing
new products to sustain adolescents interest (Market Research, 2008).
Many adolescents today are raised in the age of global telecommunications, and the
globalization of youth culture spreads through the mass media. Adolescents around
the globe have more in common with each other than with their parents (The Nielsen
Company, 2009). In an interesting experiment, when an advertising agency shot
videotapes of adolescents rooms in 25 countries, it was hard to tell whether the rooms
were in Los Angeles, Mexico City or Tokyo, according to the report from the Nielsen
Company. Shawn (1994) and Wee (1999) also report a unifying force of adolescents
that, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, appears to share similarities in product preference.
Adolescents in many countries buy a common collection of products such as Lee and
Levis jeans, Reebok and Nike athletic shoes, Cover Girl and Clinique make-up, Sega
and Nintendo video games, and Pepsi Cola. Bullmore (2000) suggests that the reason
why consumers preferences and lifestyle choices are becoming more comparable
across many countries is consumers similarities in technology usage and media
exposure. Assael (1998) indicates that adolescents comparable values, regardless of
their country of origin, are reinforced by similarities among cross-border music
channels, like MTV, experience with international travel, and reliable global
communications systems. More recently, Friedman (2007) claims that the world has
been attened by the convergence of major political events, technological innovations,
and companies business activities such as outsourcing, off-shore production, and
supply-chain management.
Many researchers assert that we may observe similar product preference and a
general trend towards uniformity in the global economy; however, cultural differences
will still remain. Mooij and Hofstede (2002) argue that although consumers in different
countries may have some things in common, many consumers attitudes and
behaviours still vary because cultural traditions are deeply ingrained in peoples values
and attitudes. For example, Japan, South Korea (SK), Taiwan, and Hong Kong have a
high degree of collectivism whereas countries such as the USA, Australia, and Canada
display strong individualism (Engel et al., 1995). In collectivist cultures, attitudes
towards events, actions, and objects rely on how they relate to the individuals needs to
belong, t-in, and maintain social harmony whereas attitudes in an individualistic
culture rely more on the individuals needs concerning uniqueness, self-expression, and
dening and validating internal attributes (Liu and McClure, 2001). Such cultural
differences may lead to different motives for purchasing and using a product, and
criteria of evaluating stores.
As a general trend towards more open trade and globalization, many marketers are
eager to identify the most appropriate approach to develop international marketing
strategies (Wee, 1999). The traditional view of international marketing suggests that
each local culture should be carefully researched for important differences, and the
marketing strategy should then be developed to t the specic culture (Peter and
Olson, 2005). Global marketing, on the other hand, favors marketing a product in the
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same way everywhere in the world based on the assumption that consumers
preferences are increasingly alike. To determine if the global marketing approach is
appropriate for a multinational company that targets the adolescent apparel market,
cross-national research is needed to examine if consumer behaviors are nearly identical
or if signicant differences still exist, even if the commonalities across nations have
been increasing. This study selected SK and US adolescents to compare the similarities
and differences in their clothing motives and store selection criteria. The specic
purposes of the study were:
.
to compare SK and US adolescents clothing motives and store selection criteria;
.
to examine whether adolescents with different primary clothing motives would
have similar or different store selection criteria; and
.
to examine an interaction effect of country of residency and clothing motives on
store selection criteria.
Literature review and hypothesis development
Motives
Motivation has been widely accepted as a theoretical foundation to understand
consumer behavior (Childers et al., 2001). Schiffman and Kanuk (2007) dene
motivation as the driving force within individuals that impels them to action. Solomon
(2006) emphasizes motivation as processes that lead people to behave as they do.
Mahatoo (1989) explains the process of motivation and the relationship of motives and
consumer behavior. During information processing, a stimulus will be interpreted by
the individual and may lead to the arousal of a need. If the need is strong enough to
cause the individual to begin to do something about it, this need will create a drive.
When the individual has a drive, his or her action to fulll the need is directed by the
motive. For example, when a consumer has a drive to purchase a coat to fulll his need
of keeping himself warm during the winter, an economy motive could lead to the
selection of a coat in a discount store. A coat in a discount store became the individuals
want. Different motives, for instance, social approval motive or recognition motive,
could each lead to different behaviors. For example, an adolescent with a need of social
approval may buy clothing similar to what others are wearing and use his or her
clothing to gain conrmation. An adolescent with a recognition motive may wear
unusual clothing to differentiate himself or herself from others to attract attention.
Solomon (2006) indicates that the specic path a person chooses to satisfy his or her
need is inuenced by his or her unique set of experiences and by the values of the
culture in which the person has been raised.
A few early studies have examined adolescents motives behind the clothes they
purchase and wear. In 1957, Remmers and Radler found that adolescents were very
receptive to peer opinions on clothing items and hair styles. A study of adolescent
females by Brittain (1963) also showed that girls wanted to exhibit the same taste with
their peers in clothing and tended to favor peer-suggested items. Such tendency to use
peer references for evaluating brands/stores and purchasing products can be explained
by social motivations to enhance an adolescents sense of belonging and create
favorable images among their friends, thereby helping them to form desirable social
identities (Mangleburg et al., 2004). A study conducted by Evans (1964) consistently
showed the importance of social approval in US high school adolescents clothing
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motives; however, recognition was found to be the top clothing motive. Adolescents
who had a strong recognition motive relied on attering garments, new and different
styles, and expensive garments to gain recognition. Adolescents who were
predominantly motivated by the desire to conform to their peers usually chose
styles approved by their friends and wore garments as expensive as those worn by
their peers.
Two more current studies in adolescents motives in buying apparel products
revealed different results from previous early studies. Miles (1996) investigated
adolescents motives for buying tennis shoes in a contemporary culture and found that
the shoes were bought as fashion items rather than functional items. Certain brands of
tennis shoes, usually at the more expensive end of the range, were seen as having
status qualities. These results support the proposition that clothing allows consumers
to express an identity or image in terms of their symbolic or expressive meanings
(Hawkins et al., 1998). Another study conducted by Chen-Yu and Seock (2002) found
that for US high school male adolescents, sexual attraction was the most important
clothing motive, followed by recognition. For female adolescents, recreation was the
predominant clothing motive, followed by sexual attraction. These ndings support
earlier researchers notion that physical appearance is an important attribute in social
interaction (Dion et al., 1972) and acts as a visual cue in forming friendships, enhancing
social interactions, and gaining social approval (Kennedy, 1990). The nding of
recreation as the top motive for female adolescents is consistent with the report of
Moses (2000), indicating that many adolescents in developed countries, such as the
USA, come from afuent or middle-class parents, having allowance money to spend,
and thus, recreation is an important shopping motive for them. They go shopping for
the excitement of the shopping trip to fulll the need for stimulation (Arnold and
Reynolds, 2003).
According to DeLong et al. (1998), SK consumers prefer to buy products that are
approved by friends, colleagues and relatives. Since SK society is characterized as
collectivistic culture (Hofstede, 2003), Korean people value interdependence and
conformity. Such cultural traits may inuence their motives accordingly when
selecting apparel items. However, very few studies addressed SK consumers clothing
motives and no study was found focusing on adolescents. This study attempts to
identify SK adolescents clothing motives and compare them with US adolescents. Kim
et al. (2002) indicate that consumers needs vary considerably with cultural differences
and that different needs may lead to different motives. According to this proposition
and previous studies discussed above, we anticipated that consumers in different
countries may have different motives for clothing purchase and wear; therefore, H1
was proposed as below:
H1. Clothing motives will signicantly differ between SK and US participants.
According to Baker et al. (2002), shopping motives have a signicant effect on the
consumers cognitive response to the perceived quality of merchandise and service.
Blackwell et al. (2001) suggest that motives affect consumers decision process and play
an important role in consumers evaluation of alternatives. Mahatoo (1989) also
proposes that motives inuence the importance of the criteria that consumers use to
evaluate products, brands, and stores. Several previous studies support this
proposition. Groeppel-Klein et al. (1999) found that motives inuenced the number
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and importance of the criteria that consumers used to evaluate stores. Nobel et al.
(2006) found that motives were closely related to the choice of retail outlets. Consumers,
based on their motives, assessed what benets they wished to obtain from retail outlets
and then chose the retailers that satised these desires. These studies suggest that
consumers motives play an important role in their alternative evaluations and decision
processes, and therefore, we anticipated that consumers with different clothing
motives may have different store selection criteria, and therefore, H2 was proposed as
below:
H2. Store selection criteria will signicantly differ by participants primary
clothing motives.
Store selection criteria
Blackwell et al. (2001) indicate that the process of choosing a specic store involves the
matching of consumers characteristics with store characteristics. Consumers form
images of stores based on their perceptions of the attributes that they consider
important. Based on these attribute criteria, consumers judge various store alternatives
and determine which store best meets their needs. With respect to clothing store
selection, studies have shown that merchandise assortment and price range were
among the most important criteria for college students in Canada, the UK and the USA
(Rabolt et al., 1988; Velde et al., 1996). Focusing on US college students, Rabolt et al.
(1988) found merchandise assortment was the most important clothing store selection
criterion and price range was the second. On the other hand, Velde et al. (1996), in
surveying college students in Canada and the UK, found that price range and
merchandise assortment were the second and the third most important clothing store
selection criteria, respectively. For these two populations, the most important store
selection criterion was merchandise quality.
Hong and Koh (2002) studied the importance that SK married women placed on
clothing store attributes. Consistent with the US ndings, price and merchandise
variety were important store selection criteria for SK female consumers. In addition to
these two variables, customer service and convenience were identied as important
selection criteria. No study was found to have focused on SK adolescents apparel store
selection criteria. However, SK married womens store selection criteria discovered in
Hong and Kohs study may provide some insight into SK adolescents store choice
because children learn about consumption by watching their parents behavior and
imitating it (Solomon, 2006). The decision-making regarding the purchases of womens
and childrens clothing is wife-dominant, whereas it is a wife-and-husband joint
decision for mens clothing (Engel et al., 1995). Thus, children may learn from their
mothers which attributes are important when choosing apparel stores.
The cross-national comparison studies in store selection criteria between SK and the
USA mainly have been focused on discount stores. Jin and Kim (2003) studied
consumers perceptions of service quality of discount stores between SK and the USA
and found that consumers in the two countries assigned a different importance to three
service quality dimensions of discount stores. Among three service quality dimensions,
Americans rated rst on physical aspects, second on personal attention, and third on
reliability, while SK consumers rated these dimensions in the reverse order. Kim and
Chen-Yu (2005) compared the differences in the evaluation of the importance of
discount store attributes between SK and the USA and also found signicant
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differences between SK and US consumers. SK consumers considered store-related
attributes, such as store layout, salesperson, rest room, seating for resting, and
parking, signicantly more important, but product-related attributes, such as product
assortment, product quality, prices, well-known brands, and product variety,
signicantly less important than did the US consumers. These studies showed that
SK and US consumers had signicantly different store selection criteria.
Studies examining adolescents store selection criteria have been limited. Moore and
Moschis (1978) found that price and brand name were the most important selection
criteria for US adolescents. More recent research conducted by Chen-Yu and Seock
(2002) found consistent results, indicating that price was the most important store
selection criterion for US adolescents, followed by product variety and availability,
which included the availability of well-known brands. No research was conducted for
studying SK adolescents apparel store selection criteria. This study attempts to
identify SK adolescents apparel store selection criteria and compare them with US
adolescents. The consumer decision processes model (Blackwell et al., 2001) suggests
that culture as a variable of environmental inuences affects consumers alternative
evaluation process. Due to consumers different cultures, consumers place different
weights on store/product attributes during alternative evaluation. According to this
proposition and previous studies discussed above, we anticipated that residency in
different countries may place importance on different store attributes during
alternative evaluation, and therefore, H3 was proposed as below:
H3. Store selection criteria will signicantly differ between SK and US
participants.
Cultural differences and product preference similarities between SK and US consumers
Consumers in different cultures are likely to have different values (Ackerman and
Tellis, 2001) because cultural traditions are deeply ingrained in their values and
attitudes (Kotler and Armstrong, 1999). When analyzing cultural characteristics that
inuence values, attitudes and behaviors, Hofstede (2003) characterizes cultures of
countries with collectivism versus individualism and assigns each country an
Individualism Index score, ranged from 1-100. 100 indicates the highest degree of
individualism and the lowest degree of collectivism. Hofstede assigns a score of 18 to
SK, indicating a high degree of collectivism and a low degree of individualism. The US
receives a score of 91, indicating a very high degree of individualism and a very low
degree of collectivism. According to Moses (2000), most adolescents in Asian countries,
such as SK, value anonymity and avoid standing out in the crowd. They study long
hours and are highly ambitious and goal-directed. Their top priority is to make good
grades in school and use higher education to further their career advancement. These
studious types also exist in the USA, but they may be regarded as being nerdish. Most
adolescents living in developed countries, such as the USA, are described by Moses as
the trying-to-become-independent hedonist. They respond to sensory stimulation and
tend to get bored easily. Experimenting is their second nature.
Despite having signicant differences in their cultural background, SK and US
adolescents also have many similarities. Similar to the adolescent market in the US, the
buying power of SK adolescent market has also signicantly increased in recent years
(Market Research, 2008; Yoh et al., 2006). With an estimated 10 billion dollars a year in
buying power and an inuence on more than $36 billion in family purchases in 2003,
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Korean Institute for Youth Development (2004) projected that SK adolescents
spending and their inuence will signicantly increase over the next ten years. SK and
US adolescents have many similarities in their product preferences and regular
activities. Moses reports that teens outside the USA have tried to emulate US teens and
US teens have played an important role in forming global teen culture. Movies and
television programs have shown the fashion trends and spending behavior of US teens.
Through various media, SK adolescents have copied US fashion such as jeans,
sneakers, and the back-pack look. SK adolescents are very sensitive to current fashion
trends (Kwon, 2000). Shopping for and buying clothes are an important activity for SK
adolescents (Slater, 2004). They are very conscious about how they look from other
peoples viewpoints or the image they reect upon others. As a result, they place a
higher value on aesthetics over quality (Yoh et al., 2006). In addition to fashion, SK and
US adolescents also have the same passion for music and sports (Moses, 2000).
Although SK and US adolescents have signicant differences in their cultural
background, they also have many similarities in their product preferences and regular
activities. Store selection criteria may be similar to product preferences, and thus, it is
possible that adolescents in different countries, if they have the same clothing motive,
may place similar weights on store attributes. To examine this extrapolation, the
inuence of the interaction between country of residence and clothing motives on store
selection criteria was also examined. Accordingly, H4 was formulated as below:
H4. There will be no signicant interaction between participants country of
residence and their primary clothing motives in store selection criteria.
Instrument
A questionnaire was rst developed in American English. The questionnaire contained
20 items measuring clothing motives and 17 items measuring store selection criteria.
These items were adopted from the study of Chen-Yu and Seock (2002) because the
reliabilities of the two scales were reported high (0.90 and 0.86, respectively). Both
clothing motives and store selection criteria were measured on a seven-point Likert
scale. The scale of clothing motives ranged from Strongly Disagree (1), Neutral (4),
to Strongly Agree (7). The score of store selection criteria ranged from Not
Important (1), Neutral (4), to Very Important (7). Demographic information,
including gender, age, and class year, were measured at the end of the questionnaire.
The American English questionnaire was rst pilot-tested with 14 US high school
students to ensure all questions were easy to understand for high school adolescents
and then was translated into Korean. To ensure the correctness of translation, the
back-translation method was used. The Korean questionnaire was translated back to
American English, and then the back-translated questionnaire was compared with the
original English questionnaire to ensure that the meaning of each question was
consistent in both questionnaires. A pilot test with 17 SK high school students was
then conducted. Based on the pilot test results, several Korean terms were revised for
better representation of the original meaning and context.
Subjects and data collection
US participants were high school students in 9th to 12th grade and SK participants
were high school students in 10th to 12th grade because in SK, high school starts at
10th grade. Because of the difculty in recruiting adolescent participants, the
Adolescents
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convenience sampling method was used to recruit teachers who volunteered to help
with this study and administer the survey. A total of 604 high school students, 297 in
SK and 307 in the USA, participated in the study. In both countries, the numbers of
male and female participants were about even (SK 50.3 percent males, 49.7 percent
females; USA 48.1 percent males, 51.9 percent females).
Preliminary data analysis
Factor analyses with varimax rotation were used to group the 20 items of clothing
motives and 17 items of store selection criteria. The criterion of Eigen value greater
than 1.00 was used to determine the number of factors to extract. Factor loading
greater than 0.50 was set to determine the items included in the factor. For clothing
motives, the results revealed a four-factor solution explaining 63.6 percent of the total
variance (see Table I). The four factors were labeled as Social approval, Recreation,
Recognition, and Image expression. Of 20 items, one item The current fashion trend is
important to me was excluded because the factor loadings of this item were greater
than 0.50 in more than one factor, indicating that this item did not clearly belong to one
specic factor. The score of each factor (i.e. factor score) was determined by the
average score of the items in each factor.
Factor name and items Factor loading
Social approval (eigenvalue 8.13, variance explained 40.6 percent,
coefcient alpha 0.82)
I buy clothing similar to what others are wearing 0.79
Dressing to appeal to the other gender is important to me 0.68
I buy clothing to draw the attention of the opposite sex 0.67
I am uncomfortable when my clothes are different from others 0.63
I buy clothing to keep up to date on fashion 0.62
I buy clothes with well-known logos 0.59
I would not buy the clothes if my good friends told me they did not like them 0.58
Recreation (eigenvalue 2.13, variance explained 10.6 percent, coefcient
alpha 0.89)
I enjoy shopping for clothing 0.84
Shopping for clothes puts me in a good mood 0.83
Shopping enjoyment is important to me when I buy clothes 0.80
I spend time to nd the garment looking best on me 0.63
I consider myself to be fashion-conscious 0.59
Recognition (eigenvalue 1.34, variance explained 6.7 percent, coefcient
alpha 0.79)
I wear clothes that make me feel distinctive 0.76
I enjoy wearing unusual clothing, even though I attract attention 0.72
Differentiation from others is important to me 0.68
I buy clothing to express who I am 0.64
Image expression (eigenvalue 1.14, variance explained 5.7 percent,
coefcient alpha 0.77)
I like to be considered outstandingly well dressed 0.82
Expressing my image is important to me 0.74
Beauty expression is important to me 0.68
Table I.
Factor analysis of
clothing motives
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For store selection criteria, the factor analysis revealed a ve-factor solution explaining
65.8 percent of the total variance (see Table II). The ve factors were labeled as Store
environment/facility, Product variety/price, Store display, Customer service/store
image, and Well-known brands availability. Of 17 items, one item, store community
involvement was excluded because the factor loadings of this item were greater than
0.50 in more than one factor.
To identify participants with the same clothing motive, the highest clothing motive
factor score was used to categorize participants into four groups (i.e. social approval,
recreation, recognition, image expression). For example, if a participant had the highest
score in the Social Approval factor, he or she was categorized in the Social Approval
group. To examine the validity of the classication, in each group, participants four
clothing motive factor scores were compared. The results of Multiple RepeatedMeasures
Analysis of Variance conrmed that the average factor score was signicantly higher in
the factor in which participants were classied. For example, participants in the Social
Approval clothing motive group did have a signicantly higher average score in the
Social Approval factor [F3; 154 253:48, p , 0:001] (see Table III).
Results
Comparison of clothing motives between SK and the USA (H1)
To determine whether clothing motives signicantly differed between SK and US
participants, a Hotellings Trace of Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was
Name and items
Factor
loading Eigenvalue
Percent of
variance
Coefcient
alpha
Store environment/facility 5.65 33.2 0.79
Music 0.79
Number of tting rooms 0.74
Lighting 0.73
Resting seats 0.57
Restroom 0.52
Product variety/price 1.98 11.6 0.79
Variety in style 0.79
Variety in product category 0.74
Availability of size 0.74
Price 0.51
Store display 1.27 7.5 0.81
Product display in the store 0.82
Window display 0.81
Attractiveness of store layout 0.64
Customer service/store image 1.25 7.3 0.65
Sales persons 0.76
Ease of return 0.67
Store image/reputation 0.60
Well-known brands availability 1.05 6.2
Availability of well-known
brands 0.79
Table II.
Factor analysis of store
selection criteria
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clothing motives
135
used because MANOVA is an appropriate tool to compare group means when there are
several dependent variables. In H1, the two groups were SK and US participants and
the four dependent variables were the four types of clothing motives (i.e. social
approval, recreation, recognition, and image expression).
The results showed that a signicant difference existed between SK and US
participants in clothing motives [F1; 541 149:03, p , 0:001]. Tukeys Honestly
Signicant Difference Test (THSDT), one type of Post Hoc test, was used to perform
multiple comparisons between group means. Compared with SK participants, the
results showed that US participants had signicantly higher social approval,
recreation, and recognition motives, while SK participants had signicantly higher
image expression motive (see Table IV). The percentages of SK and US participants in
the four clothing motive groups illustrate the differences between SK and US
participants. Among SK participants, more than three quarters of participants (78.7
percent) were in the image expression group, followed by the recreation group (14.6
percent). Few SK participants were in the recognition group (4.6 percent) or Social
Approval group (2.1 percent). Among US participants, 43.3 percent were in the
Mean of factor score
Social approval Recreation Recognition Image expression F value
Social approval group 5.04
a
4.20
b
3.99
b
4.29
b
45.19
*
Recreation group 4.17
c
5.92
a
4.51
c
4.96
b
253.48
*
Recognition group 3.70
b
3.93
b
5.27
a
4.19
b
44.44
*
Image expression group 3.67
c
4.38
b
4.03
c
5.68
a
503.68
*
Notes: In the same horizontal row, means with different superscript letters (a, b, c) are signicantly
different at 0.05 level by THSDT;
*
p , 0.001
Table III.
Verication of the
classication of clothing
motive groups
Mean
SK US F value
Clothing motives
MANOVA Hotellings Trace test 149.03
* *
Univariate F tests:
Social approval 3.31 4.60 194.95
* *
Recreation 4.31 5.23 54.13
* *
Recognition 3.89 4.76 66.50
* *
Image expression 5.39 4.97 15.96
* *
Store criteria attributes
MANOVA Hotellings Trace test 10.03
* *
Univariate F tests:
Store environment and facility 3.89 3.57 2.29
Product variety and price 5.73 5.30 6.91
*
Store display 4.42 4.39 0.02
Customer service and store image 4.94 4.36 9.17
*
Well-known brands availability 3.90 5.08 24.90
* *
Notes:
*
p , 0.01,
* *
p , 0.001
Table IV.
Comparisons of clothing
motives and store criteria
attributes between South
Korean and US
participants
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recreation group, followed by the image expression group (22.4 percent), the
recognition group (19.3 percent), and then the social approval group (15.1 percent).
Based on these results, H1 was supported. Clothing motives signicantly differed
between SK and US participants.
Comparison of store selection criteria among four clothing motive groups (H2)
To compare the differences between SK and US participants and the differences among
participants with different types of clothing motives, another Hotellings Trace of
MANOVA was used to examine H2 to H4. The two independent variables were
country of residence and clothing motives, and the dependent variables were the ve
store criteria attributes (i.e. store environment and facility, product variety and price,
store display, customer service and store image, and well-known brands availability).
The results showed that signicant differences existed in store attribute criteria
among the four clothing motive groups [F3; 523 2:85, p , 0:001]. The univariate F
tests showed that signicant differences were in all ve factors of store attribute
criteria (see Table V), indicating that participants in different motive groups placed
varying weights on different store attributes. Participants in the recreation group
consistently had high scores in all ve factors of store selection criteria, suggesting
that all store attributes were important to participants who enjoyed shopping for
clothing. Participants in the recognition group consistently had low scores in all ve
factors of store selection criteria, indicating that store attributes were less important to
participants who strongly desired to gain recognition through their clothing.
Participants in the image expression group considered product variety/price and
customer service/store image to be important store attributes. Similar to participants in
the image expression group, participants in the social approval group also considered
product variety/price and customer service/store image to be important. However,
compared with the other three clothing motive groups, participants in the social
approval group had the highest score in store environment/facility. They also placed
Mean
Social
approval Recreation Recognition
Image
expression F value
MANOVA Hotellings Trace
test 2.85
* * *
Univariate F tests:
Store environment and
facility 4.51
a
3.77
a
3.29
b
3.36
b
5.62
* *
Product variety and price 5.48 5.83
a
5.17
b
5.55
a
3.88
* *
Store display 4.60 4.72
a
3.98
b
4.32
b
3.28
*
Customer service and store
image 5.10
a
4.78
a
4.11
b
4.58
a
3.64
*
Well-known brands
availability 4.81
a
4.91
a
3.83
b
4.43
b
5.40
* *
Notes: In the same horizontal row, means with a superscript letter of a are signicantly greater
than the means with a superscript letter of b at 0.05 level by THSDT;
*
p , 0.05,
* *
p , 0.01,
* * *
p , 0.001
Table V.
Comparisons of store
selection criteria among
clothing motive groups
Adolescents
clothing motives
137
more weight on well-known brand availability than participants in the image
expression and recognition groups. Based on these results, H2 was supported. Store
selection criteria signicantly differed by participants clothing motives.
Comparison of store selection criteria between SK and the USA (H3)
For participants in both countries, product variety/price was the most important store
selection criteria [F1; 523 10:03, p , 0:001] (see Table IV). However, signicant
differences still existed. Product variety/price and customer service/store image were
more important to SK participants, while the availability of well-known brands was
more important to US participants. Thus, H3 was supported. Store selection criteria
signicantly differed between SK and US participants.
Comparison of store selection criteria between SK and US participants with the same
clothing motive (H4)
There was no signicant interaction between country of residence and clothing motive
groups in store selection criteria, indicating that SK and US participants who had the
same primary clothing motive did not signicantly differ in their store selection
criteria. Based on this result, H4 was supported.
Discussion and implications
Comparison of clothing motives between SK and the USA
When the clothing motives were compared between the two countries, signicant
results were found in all four clothing motives. More than three quarters of SK
participants had a primary clothing motive of image expression. This result is
consistent with Yoh et al.s (2006) report, indicating that SK adolescents are very
conscious about how they look from other peoples viewpoints and the image they
reect to others. The reason behind this nding may be explained by the suggestion of
Blackwell et al. (2001), indicating that in collectivist culture, consumers motivational
drives focus on similarity. As Hofstede (2003) indicates, SK has a strong collectivist
culture, which may be a reason why most SK participants had the same clothing
motive.
Different from SK participants, the primary clothing motive of US participants
varied. A certain percentage of US participants were in each clothing motive group.
This result is consistent with a traditional American value identied by Williams
(1970), who indicates that Americans respect the individual pursuing his or her own
vision and have less regard for group identity than other cultures. Among the four
clothing motives, more US participants had recreation as their primary clothing
motive. This result is consistent with one American cultural trend, money is for
pleasure, identied by Wakeeld and Baker (1998). In past generations, money was
seen as security to protect against bad times or an unforeseen event, but the view has
been shifting toward seeing money more as a tool for achieving pleasure and less as a
protective device.
The different results between the two countries in clothing motives suggest that
cultural differences may still be a powerful force in forming consumers motives for
purchasing and wearing clothing. These ndings are consistent with Solomons
(2006) argument that consumers motives are inuenced by their unique set of
experiences and by the values found in the culture in which they have been raised.
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To identify target customers in each country, multinational companies still need to
carefully research each local culture for signicant differences. Apparel companies
marketing to both SK and US adolescents may consider selecting different segments
in the two countries as their target customers. Since the majority of SK participants
had image expression as their primary clothing motive, adolescents with the
clothing motive of image expression may be the best choice for the target segment
in the SK adolescent market. Participants in this group liked to be regarded as
outstandingly well dressed, and expressing image and beauty was important to
them. Providing product style that can help the adolescents in this group to express
themselves is critical. In different countries, the image that adolescents try to
express, and their perceptions of beauty and well-dressed may vary. To target
this segment, international apparel companies need to understand in each country
what types of apparel products and what kinds of styles adolescents consider
attractive and use as a tool to express themselves.
More US participants were in the recreation group. Participants in this group
enjoyed shopping for clothing because it put them in a good mood. They considered
themselves fashion-conscious and were willing to spend time to nd the garment that
looked best on them. According to these results, apparel retailers need to provide
fashionable garments and create a shopping environment that their customers can
enjoy. Because consumers in this segment are willing to spend time to nd the best
garment for them, they are likely to engage in ongoing clothing searches. Providing
product information, especially for the new fashion products, may be an effective way
to target this segment. According to Fine (2002), media and online advertising are good
tools to communicate to young customers and assist them in nding the garment that
looks best on them.
Comparison of store selection criteria among clothing motive groups
The results of our study show that participants with different primary clothing
motives made use of different store selection criteria, suggesting that apparel retailers
need to understand target customers clothing motives. Based on the information of
clothing motives, apparel retailers select proper store attributes to create store images
that can attract target customers and provide benets that can fulll their specic
needs. For example, if a company selects as its target customers adolescents whose
primary clothing motive is image expression, our study suggests that product
variety/price and customer service/store image are the store attributes that should be
emphasized. In addition to providing various garment styles for adolescents in this
segment to express themselves, retailers should pay attention to their store image.
Sirgy (1982) developed the self-image and product-image congruity theory, proposing
that consumers would purchase a product with an image consistent with their own
self-image and use the product as a form of self-expression or as a means of achieving
their ideal self. This theory may also be applied to a store image. When consumers
select stores, they are likely to choose a store that has an image consistent with their
self-image
Participants in the recreation group considered all store attributes to be important.
To attract adolescents with a primary clothing motive of recreation, all store attributes
need to be superior to create an enjoyable shopping experience. Compared with other
three clothing motive groups, participants in the social approval group considered
Adolescents
clothing motives
139
store environment/facility to be more important. Accordingly, retailers that target
adolescents in this segment should take extra effort in store attributes such as music,
lighting, and seating to create an environment comfortable for their customers to
socialize with their friends. Participants in this group were likely to buy clothing with
well-known brands and clothing that was similar to what others were wearing.
Wearing clothing with the same well-known brand logo as their friends may fulll the
need of belonging to a group. Participants in the recognition group, on the other hand,
considered all store attributes to be less signicant than the participants did in other
three groups, indicating that they did not pay much attention to store attributes.
Further studies are needed to identify the concerns of the customers in this segment to
fulll their needs.
Comparison of store selection criteria between SK and the USA
The factor of product variety/price was the most important store-attribute criteria
in both countries although SK participants considered this factor even more
important than did their counterpart. This result is consistent with the studies
conducted by Rabolt et al. (1988) and Hong and Koh (2002), which showed that
product variety and price were the two most important store attributes for US
college students and SK female married consumers. These results suggest that
providing products with great variety in product category, style, and size, while
maintaining affordable prices can be a positioning strategy for apparel retail stores
in both SK and the USA.
SK participants considered customer service/store image to be more important
than US participants. This result is consistent with the ndings of Hong and Koh
(2002), which found that customer service was an important store attribute for SK
female consumers in addition to product variety and price. Schmitt and Pan (1994)
indicate that in Asia, even consumers of low-cost services/purchases expect a
relatively high level of service. Riddle (1992) found that westerners valued the
efciency of the service, while Asians preferred people-oriented services. These
studies suggest that the degree of SK consumers expectations for service and their
preference in service style may differ from US consumers. To adjust management
strategies in sales persons and return policy, consumer studies need to be conducted
to understand how SK adolescents would like to be served. Similarly, studies are
also needed to understand what type of store image SK adolescents like. The WWW
Lifestyle Monitor (1997) reports that US adolescents look for a cool image. It is
possible that SK adolescents also prefer a cool store image; however, studies need to
be conducted to determine whether the image considered as cool in the USA is also
considered as cool in SK.
US participants considered the availability of well-known brands signicantly more
important than the SK participants. This result may be explained by one of the
American core values, material well-being, identied by Blackwell et al. (2001).
Americans place great value on articles that others can see such as clothing from
well-known brands. This value may be one reason behind the US participants greater
willingness to pay a high price for clothes with a well-known brand name than their
counterpart. The other reason may be that well-known brands are very expensive in
SK. Most SK adolescents may not have the monetary resources to buy the well-known
brands.
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Comparison of store selection criteria between SK and US participants with the same
clothing motive
No signicant difference was found when the store selection criteria were compared
between SK and US participants who had the same clothing motive. Previous studies
showed that adolescents across countries had similar product preferences (Moses,
2000; Wee, 1999). Our study results further indicated that, similar to product
preferences, adolescents placed similar weights on store attributes when selecting
stores if they had the same clothing motive. This result implies that apparel retailers
may use similar store attributes to attract adolescents who have similar clothing
motives in different countries. Although our results showed that multinational
companies still need to research each local culture to identify target customers in each
country, the commonalities found in the results suggest that a standardized global
strategy in store attributes may be possible for international adolescent apparel
companies that target adolescent consumers with the same clothing motive.
Limitations and recommendations
Our study provides some understanding of adolescents clothing motives and store
selection criteria in SK and the USA. However, this research has several limitations.
The main limitation is in the subject sampling. Participants were recruited using a
convenience sampling method, and therefore, they could not represent general high
school adolescents in either country. Succeeding studies are needed to provide
consistent evidence for verication of our ndings. Building on the current study,
future studies may wish to investigate older-aged young consumers who generate their
own income and are under less parental inuence. Adolescents in other countries can
be examined to investigate if similarities and differences exist. In this study, only store
attributes were examined. To understand if the standardized global marketing
approach can be applied to international adolescent apparel markets, further studies
are needed to examine other marketing strategies, such as product positioning, pricing,
promotion, and advertising. Since global telecommunication technology has been
constantly improving, the commonalities across nations are expected to continue to
increase. Longitudinal studies may provide interesting information about how much
and how fast the world has been attened.
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Corresponding author
Jessie Chen-Yu can be contacted at: chenyu@vt.edu
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