Consumer Behaviour in the UK Fashion Industry - Dissertation Example

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Understanding the Behaviour of Consumers in the UK Fashion/Clothing Industry: An Analysis of Young Adults Aged Between 16 and 23 – Research Proposal Content Background......................................................................................3 Aim of Research..............................................................................4 Objectives of Research …...............................................................4 Motivation for Research ….............................................................4 Literature Review............................................................................5 Research Design..............................................................................8 Research Methodology....................................................................8 Data Collection, Analyses & Interpretation.....................................8 Risks of the Research ….................................................................11 Limitations of the Research ….......................................................11 Time Scale of the Research …........................................................12 References …..................................................................................13 Background The fashion industry in the UK comes with so many factors and elements that makes it unique and distinct from all other industries. It is very competitive and there is so much change in the industry which occurs on a regular basis (Easey, 2009). Clothing is grouped on several bases: 1. Underwear V Outwear 2. Formal V Informal 3. Bespoke V Ready-made 4. Manmade V Natural (Easey, 2009). Statistics indicate that two-thirds of the products purchased in the fashion industry are women's wear whilst another third is in the form of men's wear (Goworek, 2001). The main purpose for which clothes are purchased in the fashion industry are for work, school, leisure and domestic wear (Easey, 1999). Out of this, persons aged between 16 and 23 dominate four sectors of fashion viz school, leisure and domestic and overall, they are responsible for 32% of total sales in the UK clothing industry (Goworek, 2001). It is therefore commonplace to think and believe that most of the people who buy the various brands of the fashion outlets in the UK are young people aged between 16 and 23. The UK fashion industry is considered to be one of the most dynamic in the world. (Experian, 2011). This therefore implies that the survival of clothing businesses in the UK is directly dependent on how it captures and maintain market share amongst the people between ages 16 and 23. Easey (2009) identifies that for a business to remain competitive and survive in the turbulent environment of the UK's fashion industry, there are four main things the business must be consistently sensitive to. First of all, the major trends in the industry must be monitored at different times. Secondly, the business needs to identify the best prices at which to sell its products. Thirdly, a business needs to identify the most effective way of presenting its message across to the potential customers. Finally, the business must also identify visual and symbolic systems that will ensure that the customers identify with it and build a strong economic relationship with it. In this wise, it is prudent to study the most important and crucial group (persons between 16 and 23) in the fashion industry to get an impression of the best way to capture that market segment and maintain their interest. This will prove useful in the analysis of the various fashion needs of the 16- 23 year olds in the UK. Aim The aim of the research is to identify the most significant motivators of young adults in the UK fashion industry and the development of an effective model to capture the market of young adults. Objectives 1. To examine the key motivators and psychological factors that affect the purchasing decisions of people between 16 and 23 years in the UK. 2. To evaluate the worth of the various symbols and celibrities in the acquisition of young people for fashion brands. 3. Analyse the way peer affiliation, technology and collectivity influence young people in decisions relating to the acquisition of fashion based products. 4. Develop a model for the best systems for developing advertising systems and contents for 16 to 23 year-olds in the UK Motivation for Research This research is being put together for several reasons and this include but are not limited to: 1. To study an important component of the fashion industry which has not been given the attention it deserves in the past. 2. To pioneer research into emergent issues in the field of fashion and clothing which has gone through a lot of metamorphoses over the past decade. 3. In partial fulfilment of my degree. Literature Review Also, Clarke (1992) identifies that in most businesses, there is the loose definition of 'youth markets' which is very vague. Rather, she argues that successful businesses need to do further youth segmentations to ensure that the unique needs of each individual group is met. In this spirit, the research will identify a group known as 'Young Adults' which is a segment of the youth market that is aged between 16 and 23 in the UK. Young adults are people who are making a transition from being children who were dependent on their parents to individuals who are taking steps to attain independence in residential, emotional and financial matters of their lives (Jekielek & Brown, 2005). Therefore implies that young people are in a very volatile state in their spending and financial life. This indicates that there is the need for very specialised methods of analysis of their characteristics and traits to understand their needs before a fashion company can place their products to them in the best possible way. “Young single adults are apt to spend their incomes on rent, basic home furnishings, the purchase and maintenance of automobiles, travel and entertainment, and clothing and accessories” (Schiffman & Kanuk, 1997). This shows that there are competing uses that young people put their resources to. It is therefore important for a researcher on fashion behaviour of this class of people to understand how young people draw the balance between these competing needs. This analysis requires the study of the various apportionment of resources at their disposal and also, how products can be sold in conjunction with the cars, travel, entertainment, furnishing and accessories that young people are so much interested in. Although these situations are cogent motivators for young adults in their purchase of clothing and other related fashion products, there is limited research and studies about the actual motivators and prompters of these actions in the UK. This therefore means that the research will have to proceed by operationalizing various research methodologies and systems to study the status quo, particularly in today's Britain where trends change regularly. Motivation is what drives and sustains interest in a given product on the market (Fink & Samuels, 2008). This therefore means that there are some kind of things that causes people to develop interest in a given product and leads them to take the decision to purchase them. John Nicholson identifies that the main cause of motivation for young people in purchasing goods and services is strongly related to symbolism and the fashion effect (2009). This therefore shows that there are numerous strong factors that are responsible in many situations for the creation of interest in given products. In relating this to the fashion industry, it can be pointed out that some symbolism like the trademark and the connection of products to certain celebrities has a strong influence in shaping individual and collective decisions on what to buy and what not to buy. The study of younger consumers in the fashion industry therefore implies that there is the need to examine these symbols and personalities and their effects on persons between 16 and 23 in their purchases. Marketers promote and enhance their brands “...through the use of imagery, words and symbols that marketers construct and circulate,they deliberately offer only an illusion of a link between consumers and marketers” (Moisander & Valtonen, 2006). This implies that the whole idea of marketing is based on the packaging ideas and concepts in a way that can be accepted easily by a group of people. Young people between 16 and 23 years old have unique and distinct ways of perceiving and decoding messages. The collective effect of the way they receive messages can be studied and understood to gain an advantage in putting together a successful marketing plan. Amongst the most popular system through which symbolism is employed amongst the youth in marketing throughout Britain is the use of celebrities (Burton, 2008). Thus, the study of trends and ways through which celebrities interact and appeal to young adults in the fashion industry and clothing brands is very crucial. This is because it gives a fair view about how marketing takes effect over young adults in Britain. “An important means of promoting ideas in the fashion industry is through fashion affiliation which is often in the form of social identification and affiliation to given brands” (Morton, 2008). This trend is felt strongly in the fashion industry and also amongst young adults. This is because most young people want to identify with other people and belong to a class. Thus, the impact of peer group influence is strongly felt amongst these young adults in a manner that is similar to the fashion effect. “Fashion is an effect of interaction between actors, and the field of fashion lacks a command center with the power to decide what shall be in vogue.” (Aspers, 2010). This shows that although fashion is often determined by unconscious systems and structures that determine what is in vogue at a given point in time and what is not. In the case of young people, it can be seen that the popularity of a given brand or a given trend of fashion makes them seek to belong to that social grouping. It is therefore conclusive that if the components and structures that determine fashion are studied closely, decisions on how to deal with the capture of the markets of young people can be attained. Smith (2010) argues on the other hand that the technology and method of reaching a wide categorisation people with a message they resonate with is responsible for successful marketing in the 21st Century. This therefore means that investigating these components will make it possible to examine the actual motivators and influential factors that affect the decisions and preferences of younger consumers in the UK fashion industry. Research Design The research to be conducted will be done in the form of an inferential research. In other words, the end of the research will be to draw conclusions on the best method or model through which fashion businesses can get young people in the UK to become interested in their products based on the peculiar needs of persons between 16 and 23. Research Methodology The inference or model that will be arrived at in conclusion of the paper will be based on quantitative analysis of various components of the Young Adult group and the fashion industry. The is will be an exploratory research that will seek to find important factors that influence decisions. This will be done through the collection of definitive data from secondary sources like books and existing literature. Primary data will also be collected from various key players of the industry and what they think about people between 16 and 23 in relation to the definitive factors outlined from secondary sources. Data Collection, Analysis & Interpretation For the purpose of simplicity and consistency, the research will be conducted four main stages. Stage 1 Data will be collected from existing literature on the key motivators of young adults in purchasing in general and the purchase of clothing and fashion oriented products in the UK. The literature review will be based on general buying habits but focus on fashion in particular. The main definitive information that will be collated include the competing needs of young adults, drivers or motivators (intrinsic and extrinsic) for the fashion industry, pricing and its effects, placement or convenience of fashion products as well as technology and symbolism (or celebrities). All these components will be studied in-depth in relation to the trends and preferences of young adults in the UK. Statistical as well as secondary sources will be used for this. Secondary sources are chosen here because they often capture the trends and experiences of different people and give definition to some important yardsticks that will be used in the research. The deliverable will be a literature review that defines the various components of young adults' behaviours in the fashion industry. The limit of this exercise will be availability of information from different sources. Stage 2 This stage will seek to identify the worth of the information acquired in the literature review in stage one in today's terms. In other words, the information gathered from the literature review in relation to buying habits of young adults in the UK's fashion industry will be weighed against the realities in today's fashion industry. This will be done by conducting interviews with authoritative figures and individuals who have expert knowledge in the UK's fashion industry. The areas of concern include marketing departments of fashion companies, fashion industry figures and studies and technology service providers. Thus a sample of two marketing departments in the UK's fashion industry will be taken as well as one authority in the fashion industry and one technology inclined marketing authority with knowledge of the UK's fashion industry. Interviews will be conducted based on the components of the literature review and relevant questions will be asked to these people. The responses will be collated from these four authorities and from there, they will be analysed and generalised based on major findings and perceptions that they have encountered over the past seven or so years in the UK. Stage 3 This stage will focus on the actual examination of views and preferences of young adults in the UK today. Since this is the study of a major component of the UK's young adult population, it will be done in the form of an email survey. This will involve the collection of data about various components and trends identified in Stage 2 above. Individuals aged between 16 and 23 in the UK will be asked what they feel about various submissions and observations made by the authorities interviewed above. The findings of the authorities will therefore be summed up in questionnaire formats that will be sent to young adults around the UK. A sample of fifty young adults will be studied in this survey. The research team will draft questionnaires that will be forwarded to these young adults based on the findings made in Step 2 above. The sample of fifty young adults will include at least 33 ladies and 17 men to reflect the fact that women buy twice as much as men in the UK. These questionnaires will be filled online and care will be taken to select young people from various units of within the age brackets. Since most of the shops of the fashion industry are based in London, at least 60% of the respondents will be chosen from London. The rest will be spread throughout the the United Kingdom. If resources are available, a focus group interview will be conducted to make comparative analysis of the various desires and preferences of different young adults in the UK. The questionnaires will be in four sections. This will include motivators, symbolism, peer affiliation and technology. The findings of the various questionnaires will be collated statistically. This will be presented in the forms of diagrams and charts. From there, popular and obvious conclusions of the various questions will be put together and generalisations will be made. Stage 4 This will be the conclusion of the research. It will identify the main motivation and the attitudes of young people in relation to motivation, symbolism, peer affiliation and technology. These findings will be put together and a conclusion on the ideal system of capturing the market share of people between 16 and 23 in the UK's fashion industry will be modelled. This will be done through the creation of an ideal setting. Assumptions and parameters will be drawn based on the conditions of the research. These assumptions will form the basis of an ideal situation and the model will aim at identifying how best a fashion company in the UK can get the best of results in its marketing and advertising to ensure that more young people between 16 and 23 get interested in their products. Risks of the Research The research is aims at identifying an ideal model for people. The main risk in this quest is that there is a possibility that the sample chosen might not be clearly representative of the actual state of events in the UK's fashion industry. This therefore means that young adults in the UK might have a view that is different from the actual. This is known as the sampling risk. Secondly, there is the risk that things might change tremendously to affect the findings of this research significantly. This is because in this era of globalisation and unprecedented technological change, social, economic, political, technological and legal matters seem to change rapidly in the UK. This implies that there is the chance that significant things could happen in course of the research or right after the research that will make the findings of the research inapplicable in real life. Due to this risk, assumptions will be made before the conclusion and/or the model will be defined. Limitations of the Research Obviously, there are constraints in this research. This is because as a student project, there might not be significant resources that can be made available for the completion of the study. This therefore means that the research will need to be based on a carefully modelled sample and various assumptions that might aim at giving the best results. Secondly, the research noticed from the onset that literature and information on the subject is very much limited. This means that the research is more of a pioneering venture into a subject that is clearly not a favourite of other researchers. This therefore means that is the lack of an academic framework to guard the researcher. Again there will be the need to rely on clever assumptions and similar systems to ensure that the proper inferences and conclusions can be drawn in the research. Also, this is a qualitative research. It there means that many subjective views and opinions will be sought in the research. Subjectivity is difficult to quantify in the first place. This therefore means that there might be cases where like cannot be compared with like and the empirical nature of the research will be affected adversely. Time Scale of the Research The research will be conducted in a total of four weeks. The following will be done at the various stages: Week 1: (a)Literature Review (b) Definition of Authoritative information for the Research. Week 2: (a) Interview of Authorities in the field, (b) Collation of the results (c) The design of questionnaires for the survey. Week 3: (a) Conducting of the individual surveys (b) Statistical Analysis and presentation of the findings Week 4: (a) Conclusion on the four components (b) design of the ideal model for the capture of market share for young adults in the UK. References AdviceGuide (2011) Young People, Money & Consumer Rights Available online at: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/young_people_money_and_consumer_rights.htm Accessed 14/11/2011 Aspers, Patrik (2010) Orderly Markets: A Sociology of Markets New York: Milton Berman Press Burton David (2008) Cross Cultural Management: Theory, Practice & Relevance London: Taylor & Francis Group. Clarke, Jackie (1992) “A Marketing Spotlight on the Youth 'Four S's' Consumer” Tourism Management Vol 13 Issue 3 September 1992 pp321 – 327 Elsevier Ltd. Easey Mike (2009) Fashion Marketing Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Experian (2011) Fashion Segments Available online at: http://www.experian.co.uk/business-strategies/fashion-segments.html Accessed: 14/11/2011 Fink, Rosalie & Samuels Jay S (2008) Inspiring Success: Interests & Motivation Netherlands: Guilford Press Goworek Helen (2001) Fashion Buying Blackwell Publishing. Jekielek Samuel & Brown Benjamin (2005) “The Transition to Adulthood: Characteristics of Young Adults Ages 18 to 24 in America” Report on Census 2000. Moisander Johanna & Valtonen Anu (2006) Qualitative Market Research: A Culture Approach London: SAGE Publishing Morton, Daniel (2008) The Fashion Industry & Marketing Mason OH: Cengage Nicholson John (2009) The Purchasing Trend of Young People iUniverse Publishing. Schiffman, Leon & Kannuk, Leslie Lazar (1997) Consumer Behaviour Macmillan. Smith, Samuel (2010) The Role of Technology in Business Marketing Boston: Endicott Publishing Read More