The female fan goes shopping: Satisfaction, involvement and utilitarian value when shopping for women’s Star Wars merchandise

Abstract

This study explored women’s views on the Star Wars merchandise that is marketed to them when the franchise merchandise as a whole is predominantly marketed to males. The study aimed to look at the satisfaction, involvement and utilitarian value that female consumers have when shopping for women’s Star Wars merchandise in order to make the comparison as described by the theoretical framework of expectancy disconfirmation. The researchers conducted semi-structured, one-on-one video interviews with eight participants who were recruited from a Star Wars-focused group on Facebook. The results of the study revealed that although the participants had certain expectations with women’s Star Wars merchandise, they were disappointed in what was being offered to them in stores. The participants experienced negative disconfirmation as the perceived performance of the women’s Star Wars merchandise did not meet their expectations, resulting in dissatisfaction.