Affluent female consumers and fashion involvement

Abstract

Women, the world's most powerful consumers, are the largest, fastest-growing market in the world (Barletta 2006). Fashion-involved female consumers are considered the drivers and legitimists of the fashion adoption process (O'Cass 2000). The newly dominant role played by women, both as consumers and influencers of consumption is just as important as the increased wealth of Americans (Silverstein and Fiske 2003). This study examined affluent female consumers' personality traits, price perceptions, media usage, selected demographics and fashion involvement. A mailed survey of 1200 female consumers in eight cities across the U.S. yielded a 36% response rate from which a subset (n = 239) of female consumers who were affluent was drawn. Regression analysis indicated that variance in media usage and price perceptions above and beyond socio-economic characteristics were influenced by fashion involvement. As women's purchase behaviour is very different from men's, it is essential for businesses that target female consumers to make a shift in marketing strategies and include factors other than socio-economic characteristics.