Influence of socio-economic factors on Chinese female consumers’ information search behaviour in apparel shopping

Abstract

Given the increasing importance of female consumers in the Chinese apparel market and the significance of information search behaviour when shopping, the current study endeavoured to examine Chinese female consumers’ information search behaviours varied by socio-economic factors. The socio-economic variables examined in this study include educational background, total household income, and self-reported social class. Data were collected from a convenience sample of Chinese female consumers, ranging in age from their 20s to their 50s, all residing in Beijing, China. The results indicate that Chinese female consumers’ internal and external information search behaviour from human and non-human information sources varied by educational background, household income, and social class. Thus marketers should consider such socio-economic factors in their market segmentation strategy in China.