Typology of Fashion Product Consumers: Application of Mixture-model Segmentation Analysis

Abstract

Proper consumer segmentation is receiving more attention from industry professionals as markets become more diverse and consumer-centered. Researchers have recognized the limitations of the traditional cluster analysis technique and this research study analyzes market segmentation using Mixture-model or latent-class segmentation. This study used a questionnaire to determine the characteristics of clothing shoppers using a new technique that proved its superiority over traditional techniques. Questions included items measuring fashion shopping behavior, store choice criteria, apparel consumption styles, price perception by product type, and demographic characteristics. Data were collected from 1074 males and females in their 20s and 30s through an online survey. SPSS 16.0 and Latent GOLD 4.0 were used to analyze the data. The ideal typology of clothing shoppers using the Mixture-model were: `brand loyalty orientated group`, `group of conservative late 30s`, `group of pleasure-emotion early 20s`, `value oriented consumer product with high-income group`, `group of eco/symbol oriented consumer`, and `group of utility/goal oriented male consumer`. This study showed differences in fashion product purchasing behavior by conducting market segmentation for clothing shoppers using the Mixture-model.