Secondhand Fashion Research Articles

Analysis of Consumer Behaviour in Purchasing Second-Hand Fashion Products: An Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour Model

Analysis of Consumer Behaviour in Purchasing Second-Hand Fashion Products: An Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour Model

Building consumer trust in secondhand fashion: A signaling theory perspective on how consumer orientation and environmental awareness shape engagement

The secondhand fashion market suffers from information asymmetry, creating consumer distrust and limited engagement in secondhand fashion (ESHF). The existing research on how sellers and product signals can mitigate this distrust is limited and produces conflicting results. This is particularly true in terms of understanding how signaling interacts with consumer-specific factors such as orientation and environmental awareness. Thus, this study contributes to understanding the factors driving consumer trust (CT) and ESHF through signaling theory and the nuanced role of consumer orientation and environmental awareness. Structural equation modeling, including multigroup analysis, is employed to test the proposed hypotheses with a sample of 203 Indonesian consumers from a secondhand market platform. The findings indicate that signals such as seller reputation, product history, and refurbishment details significantly enhance CT, with seller reputation being the most influential of the factors. The effectiveness of these signals varies by consumer orientation: functionality-oriented consumers respond more to remarketing information, whereas newness-conscious consumers are influenced more by refurbishment details. Additionally, consumer environmental awareness significantly strengthens the positive relationship between CT and ESHF, highlighting the importance of aligning environmental values with trust-building measures to enhance consumer ESHF. These insights enrich the theoretical understanding of signaling in secondhand markets and offer practical guidance for addressing the challenges associated with CT and ESHF.

Scarcity effect in collaborative fashion consumption via the C2C online platform: moderating effect of consumer price sensitivity and gender

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of scarcity on purchase intention in a collaborative fashion consumption situation using a C2C platform. Furthermore, it examines the moderating effect of consumer price sensitivity and gender. A mixed experimental design method of 2 (scarcity level: high vs. low) × 2 (consumer price sensitivity: high vs. low) × 2 (gender: male vs. female) was applied. This study found that although the scarcity level did not directly affect purchase intention, the effect was moderated by price sensitivity. Consumers with high price sensitivity show greater purchase intention under low scarcity, whereas consumers with low price sensitivity show greater purchase intention under high scarcity. Moreover, the interaction effect of scarcity level and price sensitivity on purchase intention significantly differed for women, but not for men. This study provides insights for C2C platform marketers to devise marketing strategies considering the scarcity of second-hand fashion products and consumer traits.

Consumer Engagement in Fashion Circularity in China: Exploring Consumer Online Fashion Resale through the Lens of Social Practice Theory

Fashion resale has emerged as a notable strategy for the fashion industry to reduce its environmental footprint by promoting fashion circularity. Despite extensive research on consumer awareness of resale and the purchase of pre-owned items, there remains a gap in understanding the factors that influence consumers’ participation in resale markets, encompassing both selling and buying practices. Drawing on social practice theory (SPT), this qualitative study examines the nuanced factors influencing consumers’ online resale practices and investigates how online fashion resale practices (OFRPs) have become integrated into their daily consumption patterns. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty experienced Chinese consumers engaged in both the selling and buying practices of secondhand fashion. Initially, the study identified eight nuanced motivations and seven challenges influencing consumers’ OFRPs. Subsequently, the research uncovered two types of materials and seven core skills necessary for successful OFRP transactions, along with six associated meanings of OFRPs. Specifically, we found that participants seamlessly integrated OFRP into their daily routines through nurtured sociality, and OFRP only fostered sustainable consumption behaviors in one-third of participants, suggesting significant room for improvement. This study provides empirical insights into the existing literature and offers actionable recommendations to key stakeholders for advancing fashion circularity—a critical objective for the sustainability of the fashion industry.

Sustainable style without stigma: Can norms and social reassurance influence secondhand fashion recommendation behavior among Gen Z?

ABSTRACT Generation Z consumers are interested in sustainability issues, but they often perceive sustainable fashion as expensive, unfashionable, and inaccessible. Previous studies suggest that secondhand fashion can be a cost-effective and attractive sustainable option for Gen Z. However, lingering stigmas associated with secondhand fashion may affect their willingness to disclose and recommend secondhand shopping. By integrating Theory of Planned Behavior, Norm Activation Model, and Social Proof principle, this study identifies factors that may reduce negative perceptions of secondhand fashion. Data were collected using a convenience sample (N = 208), and PLS-SEM was used to analyze the suggested relationships. The findings of the present study expand the literature by confirming the influence of norms and influencer social reassurance on behavioral intentions. In practical terms, practitioners may create campaigns with social media influencers to reduce Gen Z’s lingering stigma toward secondhand shopping.

Beauty banned: navigating aesthetic citizenship in Rwandan borderlands

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the discourse on aesthetic citizenship within the context of recent policy shifts in Rwanda. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in 2019, I examine two recent import bans of beauty products affecting second-hand fashion and skin-whitening cosmetics, which have had significant implications for the everyday aesthetic practices of Rwandan sex workers. While both initiatives were ostensibly progressive, with the rejection of donated clothing from the West and the prohibition of hazardous cosmetics, these policies have had profound consequences for those whose livelihoods rely on aesthetic labour as a means of social currency. Utilizing the concept of ‘aesthetic citizenship’, I examine how post-genocide Rwanda has expanded its pursuit of creating a harmonious state to include regulations with aesthetic ramifications. Against this backdrop, I demonstrate that by challenging the state-upheld notions of appearance, my sex-worker interlocutors expanded their aesthetic belonging and consumption beyond Rwanda, navigating their aesthetic desires in its borderlands.

Negative and positive contamination in secondhand fashion consumption: does culture matter?

PurposeDespite the growing popularity of online secondhand platforms globally, there is a lack of studies exploring how consumers worldwide perceive contamination and the use of secondhand goods differently according to the culture. Based on the consumer contamination theory, this study aims to investigate the cultural differences of South Koreans and Americans by examining three variables (e.g. transaction type, ownership duration and physical attractiveness) related to consumers' perception of contamination and purchase intentions for a secondhand apparel item.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 422 US and South Korean female consumers who were assigned to an experimental scenario, and their secondhand purchase intentions and perceived contamination were compared through independent t-tests and moderated regression analyses.FindingsConsumers' purchase intentions increased, and perceived contamination decreased when the transaction type was business-to-consumer (vs consumer-to-consumer), when the item had been owned for a shorter period of time and when the item was sold by an attractive seller. Such effect was more pronounced for South Korean consumers than the US consumers in the negative contamination contexts (i.e. transaction type, ownership duration), but not in the positive contamination context (i.e. attractiveness).Originality/valueThe findings of the study add to the literature on consumer contamination theory through an examination of several negative and positive contamination factors in retail contexts and highlight the role of culture as a critical moderator.

Usability and User Experience on Secondhand Fashion Digital Platforms: A Comparative Study

With the fashion industry's negative impact already widely acknowledged, we've seen new ways of consuming and investing in the circular economy system. After establishing the importance of new technologies in today's fashion consumption, the spotlight is now on the role of e-commerce in the advent of circularity. This article presents a comparative analysis on four second-hand fashion e-commerce websites available in Portugal, with the goal of understanding the importance of usability and user experience for e-business and identifying the best and worst interaction design practices. With implications for academia as well as the fashion and communication industries, this study demonstrates that the analyzed platforms do not have structural issues, becoming examples to be considered for their good performance – which may be the cause for increased interest in the circular economy – and exposing guidelines for future research.

Pre-loved or hatred? Consumers’ perception of value towards second-hand fashion consumption in Sri Lanka

Purpose The fashion industry has been accused of being the second largest environmental polluter in the world. Millions of tons of post-consumer waste are dumped in landfills and garbage disposal sites each year. However, environmental concerns are emerging as a mainstream issue among modern-day consumers. This critical problem has prompted fashion retailers and brands to embrace sustainable practices to address consumers’ environmental concerns by reducing pollution. Given this background, this research aims to understand consumer’s perceptions of value towards second-hand fashion consumption in the context of Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study uses a qualitative approach to understand consumers’ perceptions of value towards second-hand fashion consumption. Findings This research uses the theoretical model of the means-end chain model and shows five consumer’s values of second-hand consumers: price-consciousness, consciousness on emotional bonds, comfortability consciousness, quality and brand consciousness and social and environmental consciousness. Furthermore, the authors show non-second-hand fashion consumers’ values as social status consciousness, hygienic consciousness, comfortability consciousness, quality and brand consciousness and self-expressive consciousness. Originality/value This research sheds some light on the emerging knowledge of second-hand consumption. This research further points out certain practical implications by drawing attention to a few opportunities and challenges associated with the second-hand fashion business within the Sri Lankan fashion retail sector, in particular when launching new fashion brands catering to second-hand fashion consumers.

#sustainablefashion on Instagram: A content and network analysis of user‐generated posts

AbstractThe social and environmental impacts of the global fashion industry face increasing scrutiny. As such, consumers and brands look towards ‘sustainable fashion’ for low‐impact alternatives. Simultaneously, visual social media platforms such as Instagram have become prevalent places for fashion advertising and discourse. To investigate this under‐researched area, the current study utilises visual content and social network analysis to explore how sustainable fashion is presented on Instagram, specifically: (a) what visual characteristics are present within sustainable fashion content, and (b) in what broader contexts and communities is discussion of sustainable fashion taking place? Posts included under the hashtag #sustainablefashion (N = 650) were inspected for visual characteristics, including type of clothing, presence of person, post setting, presence of nature, and post format. Most posts were photographs located indoors with no person and no nature‐based elements. The hashtags used alongside #sustainablefashion were analysed with Gephi software to establish a social network and community groups of related topics. Network analysis revealed four key community groups: online‐promotional, artisan‐traditional, eco‐ethical, and Malay‐online‐selling. Secondhand fashion also appeared to be the most prominent sustainable fashion alternative on Instagram. This study is one of the first to investigate the characteristics of user‐generated #sustainablefashion content on Instagram. Whilst social media is a burgeoning avenue for research, existing studies primarily investigate how these platforms can be harnessed for advertising, rather than what users themselves are already posting. Implications for brands who use this platform and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Business Model Value Chain: Competitiveness Entrepreneurial Retailing Traditional Second-hand Fashion

The research aims to utilize the business model value chain to analyze the competitiveness of entrepreneurial retailing of traditional second-hand fashion that potential strategies in Jember. Design qualitative research method case studies with single-case to in-depth interviews with owner/managers retail. The results showed formulating a business model retailing traditional second-hand fashion provides a new lens for competency area, and behavior focus on goal orientation that correlates to reducing surplus waste products and apparel through resale rather than being allocated to the waste system. Thus, research findings utilize the business model value chain on based-oriented: a) sorting, refurbishing, and cleaning as operations, b) innovative redistribution as outbound logistics, c) word-of-mouth as advertising, and d) fitting room simple as service. Therefore, revelatory of the competitiveness highlights the core competency of retailing traditional second-hand fashion on rethinking reducing post-consumer textile waste and further contributing to learning existing business practices.

From Secondhand to Invisible Hand: Methods of Manipulating Object Biographies on The Realreal Online Marketplace

This article analyzes the methods employed to ensure the conservation of the value of goods sold on The RealReal online marketplace, a new-generation secondhand fashion reseller associated with the “circular economy.” First, we map challenges that The RealReal needs to overcome in order to enable fashion objects to come back onto the market. Next, based on a mixed methodology research, we detail the methods being used by the reseller to address these issues and analyze their effect. We argue that these methods interfere with the cultural biography of the objects being sold and present The RealReal as an authority in certifying the authenticity of a fashion object, although it has no official or practical ability to do so. By achieving this position, The RealReal forms a connection between the original brand and The RealReal’s own end customer. This connection is used to highlight the branded value of the objects, and at the same time to obscure the traces of previous ownership, to deflect attention from the fact that the inventory is mostly secondhand. We conclude that by doing so, the reseller has come up with a formula that enables fashion objects to take part in the circular economy.

Exploring the Trend

This paper examines the motives behind online second-hand consumption and gets to the bot- tom of the recent second-hand trend. Using a qualitative research approach based on in-depth interviews, four overarching categories are identified into which the consumption motives can be classified: Individualism, saving expenses, sustainability and solidarity. While individualism and saving expenses were most frequently mentioned in the interviews, sustainability and solidarity motives are rather secondary for online second-hand consumption. In addition to the four above-mentioned, a further category was identified that specifically highlights arguments in favor of purchasing second- hand fashion online: Convenience. Consumers aim for the same shopping experience online that they are used to from stationary thrift shops. However, not only is this feeling transported into the digital world, but the value proposition is extended through search functions and learning algorithms. This makes clear how technology is influencing purchasing behavior and thus shaping a new consumer culture. Due to the power of second-hand fashion to represent one's own individuality and thus stand out from the crowd, it becomes visible that when buying online second-hand fashion, elements of conspicuous consumption also play a role.

Investigating Consumer Values of Secondhand Fashion Consumption in the Mass Market vs. Luxury Market: A Text-Mining Approach

The purpose of this research is to investigate consumer values of secondhand fashion (SHF) consumption from online platforms in both the mass market and luxury market. The luxury SHF business is closely related to the business of SHF mass market. A cross-market value analysis would provide better insights to understand consumers’ motivations to purchase secondhand fashion products. Three mass-market SHF companies and three luxury SHF companies were selected as sample companies based on their revenues in the U.S. market. Consumers’ comments and reviews from a third-party business review site, trustpilot.com, were collected using the web-scraping technique. Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) analysis, as part of a machine learning algorithm, was applied to detect the most co-occurring word combinations and underlying values discussed in the reviews. The findings identified major consumer-perceived ‘source of values’, i.e., ‘possession/ownership transfer’, and ‘interaction between consumer to business platform’, which might negatively impact the performance of the business of SHF mass market compared to the luxury SHF business. The ’possession/ownership transfer’ source-related values are the most ignored value in the SHF mass market. By adopting the product-oriented value strategy practiced in the luxury market, SHF mass market might improve the consumer perception of product-related value areas.

Thrift Shopping and Indonesian Urban Youth Fashion Consumption

Indonesia has witnessed the proliferation of thrift culture. While it used to be for the consumption of the urban poor, thrift clothing has been gentrified into the practice of the younger generation, presumably doing such practice for the sake of environmental consciousness. The emergence of thrift fashion is also widespread by online thrift shops on Instagram, Facebook, and other social networking platforms, often selling thrift fashion as 'trendy' fashion. This paper investigates how the Indonesian youth make sense of the thrifting culture and what motivates them. We surveyed 94 participants and organised FDG interviews with 12 participants who are frequent thrift customers. Towards the quantitative and qualitative data, this research found that most participants took part in thrifting culture not solely because of environmental consciousness but predominantly out of economic reasons. However, how the younger generation interprets thrifting is much deeper than just economic considerations. This research found that thrifting practices have many layers of meaning, ranging from thrifting as a way of life and strategy in dealing with economic challenges, identity and individuality issues, community belonging, and social responsibility to the environment. This finding also suggested that the thrifting culture in Indonesia creates many additional problems because most secondhand fashion is imported goods from other Asian countries, far from its initial conception as a way to reduce over-consumption. While not much research has been done regarding thrifting practice in Indonesia, this paper is helpful as preliminary research and can inspire further research in this subject.

Social Gratification and Second-Hand Fashion: An Exploratory Study of Luxury Brand Watches in Thailand

Objective - The sales of luxury brands are escalating worldwide and are predicted to have a steady growth. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic has put a halt on world markets of luxury brand watches, providing the opportunity for the second-hand luxury watches to grow. This study aims at examining the factors impacting consumers’ social gratification of second-hand luxury brand watch. Methodology/Technique - The data were collected from two hundred members of second-hand luxury brand watches Facebook group which is a private and closed group on Facebook in Thailand. Findings – The structural equation model was conducted to analyze the results of the study. The research findings reveal several factors which significantly influence subjects’ social gratification of second-hand luxury brand watch. Novelty - The results also showed that the perceived symbolic value plays an important mediating role between the perceived experiential value and the social gratification. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: M30, M31 Keywords: Second-Hand Luxury Brand Watch, Social Gratification, Thailand Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Hansanti, P. (2022). Social Gratification and Second-Hand Fashion: An Exploratory Study of Luxury Brand Watches in Thailand, J. Mgt. Mkt. Review, 7(2), 66 – 78. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2022.7.2(2)

Antecedents of Blockchain-Enabled E-commerce Platforms (BEEP) adoption by customers – A study of second-hand small and medium apparel retailers

Increasingly, the apparel industry generates enormous waste and pollution causing extreme water scarcity in emerging economies, where circular economy (CE) adoption can help to alleviate these pressing issues of this century. Environmentally conscious consumers gradually switch to purchasing secondhand clothes, prompting apparel companies to reposition their brands on sustainability dimensions. Nevertheless, buying secondhand apparel comes with a risk of counterfeiting and authenticity of the products. Blockchain can be an effective technology for tracking and tracing the products to their origin if effectively implemented in the apparel industry. In this study, we identify and analyze the antecedents to Blockchain-Enabled E-commerce Platform (BEEP) adoption in secondhand apparel retailing. We conducted a survey of Indian female consumers using the theoretical constructs of consumer’s buying motives and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The results show that buying motives (namely economic motives, hedonic motives and critical motives) and UTAUT constructs (viz. performance expectancy, facilitating conditions and attitude) explain BEEP acceptance for secondhand apparel shopping. Risk of contamination increases BEEP adoption intention and also mediates the relationship between fashion motives and intention. Blockchain technology promotes behavioral intention towards online second-hand fashion clothing shopping, and by so doing reduces waste and promotes CE.

Consumer orientations of secondhand fashion shoppers: The role of shopping frequency and store type

As demand for secondhand fashion grows, the objective of this study is to examine consumer orientations of secondhand shoppers to determine whether they differ by shopping frequency, and store type. Hypotheses were developed for orientations of frugality, ecological-consciousness, materialism, nostalgia-proneness, style-consciousness and fashion-consciousness. A quantitative online survey of female-identifying participants (N = 515) was administered. All consumer orientations, except materialism, varied according to secondhand shopping frequency and store type. Orientations generally increased with shopping frequency. Nostalgia-proneness was associated with shopping at thrift stores, ecological-consciousness was associated with consignment stores and markets, and style-consciousness was consistent across shoppers for all store types.

Why buy used clothing during the pandemic? Examining the impact of COVID-19 on consumers’ secondhand fashion consumption motivations

ABSTRACT While many fashion brands and retailers are struggling amidst the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers’ secondhand fashion consumption (SFC) is accelerating as an alternative to new clothing purchases. Despite the growing importance of the resale market and the impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior, a comprehensive picture of SFC amid the pandemic has yet to be researched. The purpose of this study is to examine how the impact of the pandemic influences the relationships among consumers’ motivations, attitudes, and intentions toward SFC. By applying the theory of reasoned action, consumers’ motivations (e.g., sustainability, social, variety-seeking, fun-seeking, cost-saving dimensions) behind SFC intentions between high vs. low pandemic impact groups are studied. Through the online survey with 467 participants from South Korea, our study demonstrates that consumers are motivated to engage in SFC for different reasons depending on the impact of the pandemic on their daily lives. While cost-saving and social motivations were significant drivers for the high-impact group, the attitudes of the low-impact group were mainly influenced by sustainability and variety-seeking motivations. Study findings and implications are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.

The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Sales Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Fashion Industry in Nairobi County, Kenya

Small and medium enterprises in the various sectors of the Kenyan economy have been adopting social media marketing to steer their marketing objectives. The fashion enterprises have not been left behind in adopting and engaging their customers through the social media marketing channels. The traditional channels of marketing that include television, radio and billboard marketing are perceived to be more expensive compared to social media marketing channels, and thus has led to more enterprises switching to social media marketing. However, the local enterprises in the fashion industry still face stiff competition from cheap imported second-hand fashion products from other countries. The local fashion designers also face stiff competition from well-established global fashion brands that have penetrated the Kenyan market. High cost of capital and limited access to financing has also been a major challenge for the fashion enterprises and has led to many of them lacking sufficient resources to implement their marketing objectives. Furthermore, the fashion industry is very dynamic and there exists the challenge posed by the ever-changing consumer preferences in relation to the fashion trends. Lack of market readiness has led to poor performance of the fashion enterprises. The study sought to establish the effect of social media marketing on sales growth of small and medium enterprises in the fashion industry in Nairobi County. The study was anchored on two theories that include Technology Acceptance Model and Social Network Theory that related to the variables under study. The research used descriptive cross-sectional design with the target population comprising of the 210 fashion SMEs in Nairobi County dealing in fashion accessories, bodywear and footwear. The study used a census technique, where all the 210 listed fashion enterprises were studied. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Science Software (S.P.S.S) version 25. Regression analysis was performed to test the hypotheses of the study. The study established that Social media marketing had a positive significant effect on sales growth of small and medium enterprises in the fashion industry in Nairobi County. The study recommends that the fashion enterprises adopt effective social media marketing tools to steer their marketing campaigns and improve sales performance. Furthermore, the marketing strategies adopted should be optimized and enhanced to improve customer service and customer interaction with the fashion enterprises. Through social media adoption, the enterprises ought to share relevant and up-to-date content on their social media platforms to target their customers so as to accrue its benefits that include low costs of adoption and improved interaction between the customers and the fashion enterprises.