Acceptance of apparel private sale sites by consumers: application of original and extended technology acceptance model

Abstract

In this study, the private sale sites, a new way of online retailing of especially fashion type of apparel products, are investigated in order to determine and understand the acceptance of them by the consumers. The factors that determine the attitude and intention of consumers toward private sale sites are analyzed using two models: the original technology acceptance model (TAM) and proposed TAM which is extended with addition of distinctive features of these sites. These features are specified as quality dimensions in three groups, namely, system flexibility, service reputation, and service attractiveness. Both TAM and proposed TAM models are validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling on the data obtained from a sample of 344 people living in Turkey. In the end, it is suggested that the apparel retailers to focus on the service attractiveness and service reputation in order to influence the attitude of the consumers and motivate them to use the private sale sites.