Effects of evaluative criteria on fashion brand extension

Abstract

PurposeTo identify dimensions of evaluative criteria used when purchasing casual apparel and casual home furnishings and to determine which evaluative criteria served as predictors of brand extension purchase behavior of these products.Design/methodology/approachA mailed self‐administered survey sent to a randomized sample of 739 female consumers residing in three metropolitan areas in a southwest state in the USA resulted in a response rate of 32.7 percent. Purchase frequency of 15 brands that extended across apparel and home furnishings and the importance of 17 evaluative criteria were measured using 7‐point Likert‐type scales. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation and path analysis using LISREL 8 were performed.FindingsImage, quality, color/style, and design/beauty of fashion products are important criteria when purchasing extended brands of casual apparel and home furnishings. Image of fashion products was the strongest predictor when brands were extended from apparel to home furnishings products.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to female consumers living in urban areas in one state in the USA and to casual apparel and home furnishings fashion product categories.Practical implicationsSuggests retailers focus on brand or store image when extending brand from apparel to home furnishings and merchandise multiple product categories to increase sales across product categories.Originality/valueLittle research on brand extension of fashion products exists yet this is a growing strategic area of fashion product development and merchandising. This study addresses the need to examine consumer behavior associated with fashion brand extension.