THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE APPAREL SHOPPING INTENTION AND BRAND LOYALTY FOR MULTI-CHANNEL RETAILERS by CHRISTIE LYNN JONES

(Under the Direction of Soyoung Kim) ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that a consumers attitude toward a retail brand and attitude toward the brands website have on their online apparel shopping intention and online brand loyalty. Six influencing factors including brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, and perceptions of the apparel brands website were identified and tested. A total of 200 surveys were completed by female students ages 18 to 25 who attend the University of Georgia. Factor analysis was used to examine the multi-dimensionality of the scales, Pearson correlation analyses were used to test the relationships among the variables, and regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Brand trust and the perceptions of an apparel brands website both had a significant relationship with online apparel shopping intention, which in turn strongly influenced online brand loyalty.

INDEX WORDS:

Brand Satisfaction, Offline Brand Patronage, Brand Trust, Fashion Clothing Involvement, Attitude toward the Internet, Website Perceptions, Online Apparel Shopping Intention, Online Brand Loyalty

THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE APPAREL SHOPPING INTENTION AND BRAND LOYALTY FOR MULTI-CHANNEL RETAILERS

by

CHRISTIE LYNN JONES B.A., The University of Florida, 2004

A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

MASTER OF SCIENCE

ATHENS, GEORGIA 2008

 2008 Christie Lynn Jones All Rights Reserved

THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE APPAREL SHOPPING INTENTION AND BRAND LOYALTY FOR MULTI-CHANNEL RETAILERS

by

CHRISTIE LYNN JONES

Major Professor: Committee:

Soyoung Kim Yoo-Kyoung Seock Brenda Cude

Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2008

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Soyoung Kim for all of her assistance, guidance, and understanding throughout the process of preparing this thesis. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Yoo-Kyoung Seock and Dr. Brenda Cude, for their patience and contributions.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 The Online Environment ...........................................................................................1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................3 Objectives..................................................................................................................6 Retailers as Brands ....................................................................................................6 Conceptual Definitions..............................................................................................7 2 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................9 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................17 Online Websites and Activity..................................................................................17 The E-Business Model ............................................................................................18 Brand Loyalty..........................................................................................................19 Brand Satisfaction ...................................................................................................22 Offline Brand Patronage..........................................................................................24 Brand Trust..............................................................................................................25 Clothing Involvement..............................................................................................27

Attitude toward the Internet ....................................................................................28 Perception of the Apparel Brands Website ............................................................31 Online Apparel Shopping Intention ........................................................................33 4 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................35 Sample .....................................................................................................................35 Description of Survey..............................................................................................35 Statistical Analyses..................................................................................................40 5 RESULTS ....................................................................................................................41 Participant Demographics .......................................................................................41 Factor Analyses .......................................................................................................43 Pearsons Correlation Analyses...............................................................................51 Hypotheses Testing .................................................................................................54 6 DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS .....................................................................60 Further Study...........................................................................................................66 Limitations...............................................................................................................66 Summary .................................................................................................................67 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................69 APPENDICES A B C Human Subjects Approval ...........................................................................................74 Consent Form...............................................................................................................76 Apparel Multi-channel Shopping Survey ....................................................................78

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LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of Respondents .................................................................42 Table 2: Emerged Factors of Attitude toward the Internet ............................................................44 Table 3: Factor Loadings across all Factors of Attitude toward the Internet.................................45 Table 4: Emerged Factors of Perception of the Apparel Brands Website....................................46 Table 5: Factor Loadings across all Factors of Perceptions of the Apparel Brands Website.......47 Table 6: Factor Analyses of Uni-Dimensional Constructs ............................................................48 Table 7: Means and Standard Deviations for the Constructs.........................................................51 Table 8: Relationships among the Variables .................................................................................53 Table 9: Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 1a and Hypothesis 2................................54 Table 10: Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 1b.........................................................................54 Table 11.1: Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 4 and Hypothesis 5 ............................56 Table 11.2: Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 4 and Hypothesis 5 ............................56 Table 11.3: Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 4 and Hypothesis 5 ............................57 Table 12: Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 3 and Hypothesis 6 ...............................58 Table 13: Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 7...........................................................................59

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LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Antecedents to Trust in a Brand Model............................................................................9 Figure 2: Antecedents to Trust in a Brand Revised Model............................................................10 Figure 3: Formation of Brand Trust and Commitment on the Web ..............................................11 Figure 4: Consumer Involvement Determinants of Brand Loyalty ...............................................12 Figure 5: Antecedents of Customer Satisfaction for Cyber Shopping...........................................12 Figure 6: Determinants of Consumer Attitudes toward Internet Shopping ...................................13 Figure 7: Loiaconos WebQual Model ......................................................................................14 Figure 8: Proposed Model..............................................................................................................15

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Chapter 1 Introduction The rise of the Internet has created a new way of communicating and interacting with other people. Since the early 1990s, the Internet has truly revolutionized many aspects of modern life, including the way in which we conduct business. In order to capitalize on the available consumer market, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have expanded their business models to include online retailing. The Online Environment Most traditional brick-and-mortar retailers who have expanded their business online participate in a business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce model (Turban, King, Lee, & Viehland, 2004). This means that the retailers are selling products directly to individual shoppers online. The other major e-commerce model is business-to-business (B2B). This means that businesses make online transactions with other businesses, particularly between retailers or wholesalers and suppliers. There are several sub-categories of e-commerce business models including business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C), consumer-to-business (C2B), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C), among others. The average online consumer participates in the B2C model. Retailers are currently exploring ways to incorporate their B2C e-commerce model into their existing business models. The result is multi-channel retailing. Multi-channel retailing is a combination of brick-and-mortar stores, Internet storefront websites, and catalog or mail-order operations. This mixed business model is designed to reach a broader base of consumers. According to a Shop.org annual survey conducted by

DoubleClick, in 2004 multi-channel shoppers represented 65% of all consumers (Shop.org, 2006). Businesses have found that to be successful, multi-channels cannot function as separate entities, but rather must function as a well-integrated, coherent unit. Developing a multi-channel strategy involves planning and creating an infrastructure to link the channels (Berman & Thelen, 2004). Retailers must facilitate seamless transitions between channels. Some stores, such as Circuit City, allow for orders to be placed online and picked up at the store. Apparel retailers such as J.Crew and Coldwater Creek accept merchandise returns to the stores from online and catalog orders. Convenience for the customer is often a high priority when it comes to integrating channels. Online storefronts are not just generating money via the Internet. Forrester Research estimated that online storefronts influenced more than $125 billion in offline sales (Mulpuru, Mendelsohn, & Johnson, 2007). The Internet is a valuable tool for consumers to research and compare products before making the decision to buy. Forsythe and Shi (2003) recognized that most online consumers actually use the Internet as a means to window shop and gather information prior to an offline purchase. An estimated 60 million U.S. households use the online shopping channel (Mulpuru et al.). The Internet offers consumers the convenience of 24 hour-aday shopping, the ability to easily compare price, a wide selection of an assortment of products, and customization of the shopping experience. In the United States, it is estimated that 650,000 companies of various sizes sell products and services online (Mulpuru et al., 2007). In 2007, Internet retailing accounted for approximately 6.6% of total U.S. retail sales for a value of nearly $164 billion. Within the next five years that percentage is expected to rise to 10% of retailing revenue being generated by Internet sales (Mulpuru et al.).

Apparel has surprisingly been a fast growing segment of e-commerce. Apparel once was considered the least likely product to be sold online, considering consumers cannot physically evaluate the garment online. Online retailers traditionally were more successful selling standardized products such as computer software, books, and airline tickets. Despite the skepticism, apparel sales continue to rise. Apparel sales via the Internet hit $1 billion in 1999, which was double the value of sales in 1998 (Ebenkamp, 2000). According to one report, online apparel sales reached $18.3 billion in 2006 and replaced computer hardware/software as the largest online retail category (eMarketer, 2007). Despite this growth, the online apparel segment will face continual business challenges due to the virtual medium. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of consumer attitudes toward a retail brand and its website on consumers intentions to purchase apparel online. This study also looked at online apparel shopping intention and its relationship to online brand loyalty. In order to measure attitudes toward a brand and a website, six independent variables were identified through the literature review. These six variables were brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, and perception of an apparel brands website. The variables were selected and organized based on their potential relationship to online shopping intention. Through the review of literature each variable was defined and contributing factors were determined. Brand satisfaction and offline brand patronage were hypothesized to directly relate to brand trust. This is because a customers experience and satisfaction in dealing with a brand, along with their offline experience with and patronage of that retailer, was expected to affect the level of trust the consumer has for the brand. The basis of brand trust and

its contributing components for this study was influenced by Lau and Lees (1999) research on consumers trust in a brand. Brand trust was, in turn, expected to affect online shopping intention (Grabner-Kraeuter, 2002; Ha, 2004) because a consumer must have a positive level of trust in the brand before he or she would choose to shop online. This study specifically examined the online apparel retail category; thus clothing involvement was selected as a determinant of a consumers perception of an apparel website. Goldsmith and Flynn (2005) found that shoppers who were more involved with fashion were more likely to purchase it through remote channels. Attitude toward the Internet was also chosen as an influence on a consumers website perception. Liao and Cheung (2001) researched the major determinants of consumer attitudes and Internet shopping. Factors identified in their study were adapted to the current study to create the attitude toward the Internet variable. If a consumer is comfortable using the Internet and feels it is a secure way to shop, he or she may have a more favorable attitude toward a retail brands website. Online shopping intention may thus be positively or negatively influenced by a consumers perception of an apparel brands website. In an attempt to better understand how these factors influence online shopping intention, they were divided into two attitudinal categories: attitude toward the brand (through brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage and brand trust) and attitude toward the website (through clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, and perception of an apparel brands website). This conceptual division was a way to organize the independent variables and provide structure to the theoretical model. The idea that attitude influences behavior and intention is supported by Ajzen and Fishbeins (1980) fundamental Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Previous studies have incorporated this theory into their hypotheses about consumer behavior (Kim, Kim, &

Kumar, 2003; Shen, Dickson, Lennon, Montalto, & Zhang, 2003). While this study is not looking to test, reproduce, or revise the TRA, the basic principles on which the theory is based are applicable to this study as well. There have been countless academic studies conducted on brand loyalty. There is also a great deal of literature available about brand loyalty in the context of Internet retailing. So much has been written in this area is because it is a very current and pertinent topic for both retailers and consumers. Computer communication has opened up a world of electronic commerce that has forever altered the business model. Researchers should continue to do studies in this area as long as they are considered relevant and can offer managerial and academic implications. This particular study is interested in looking specifically at shopping intention and brand loyalty among online apparel consumers. Part of this study will be to determine if the findings from brand loyalty studies conducted in offline settings are applicable to the online environment. Also, this study hopes to add to existing literature by specifically examining apparel in the online context. The majority of previous studies about brand loyalty and Internet shopping have been done with more standardized products. As sales in the apparel category have grown in recent years, retailers are looking to understand the buyer behavior of the multi-channel apparel consumer. The nature of online shopping is of particular interest to apparel merchandisers. They have had to develop business strategies to market and sell a traditionally high touch (Levin, Levin, & Heath, 2003) category of merchandise through a remote, electronic medium. Examining how consumers online shopping intention for apparel relates to brand loyalty could be of great benefit to retailers because loyal customers are less price-sensitive, spend more money with the company, and pass on positive word-of-mouth (Dowling & Uncles, 1997).

Retailers as Brands This particular study focused on an apparel retailer as a brand. A retailer simply sells goods to a consumer. A brand encompasses much more than just the sale of goods. A brand is the consumers idea of a store or product and everything that the idea entails (Blackston, 1992). A brand is able to incorporate a companys image and philosophy with their product. A consumer associates certain attributes with a brand, such as equity, attitude, and affect (Blackston; Chadhuri & Holbrook, 2001). A brand allows for a more personal relationship with a consumer, which in turn has the potential to lead to loyalty toward the brand. This study looked at online and offline consumer behavior and attitudes, so the retailers selected for the study are actually multi-channel brands. By defining the retailers studied as brands, this research was able to focus on the consumer/brand relationship rather than just purchasing behavior. Objectives The overall objective of this research study is to examine what influences shopping intention and brand loyalty in online apparel shoppers for multi-channel retailers. Two attitudinal categories, the attitude toward the brand and the attitude toward the brands website, were used to determine online shopping intention. The first objective of this study was to examine the relationship between a consumers attitude toward the brand and the intention to shop online for apparel. The second objective of this study was to examine the relationship between a consumers attitude toward the brands website and the intention to shop online for apparel. Finally, the third objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between a consumers intention to shop online for apparel and the consumers brand loyalty.

Conceptual Definitions Multi-Channel Retailing refers to a business structure that is a combination of brick-and-mortar stores, Internet storefront websites, and catalog or mail-order operations. Attitude toward the Internet refers to a consumers evaluation of a combination of previous Internet experience, perceived security while shopping on the Internet, level of general computer knowledge, and level of comfort with new technology. Behavioral Loyalty is defined as the repeat buying behavior of the consumer and is categorized as either intentional or spurious loyalty (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Day, 1969; Gommans, Krishnan, & Scheffold, 2001). Brand Consistency refers to a brand-name concept or image being viewed similarly across extensions [or channels] (Park, Milberg, & Lawson, 1991). Brand Experience refers to a consumers past encounters with a brand, particularly in the area of usage (Lau & Lee, 1999). Brand Loyalty is a deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior (Oliver, 1997, p. 392). This behavior is a function of psychological processes including cognitive, affective, and conative (Dick & Basu, 1994; Jacoby, 1971; Jensen & Hansen, 2006; Oliver, 1997). Brand Predictability refers to when a consumer can accurately anticipate a consistent level of product quality or service (Lau & Lee, 1999). Brand Reputation is defined as the commonly held opinion of others that the brand is good or reliable (Lau & Lee, 1999).

Brand Satisfaction is defined as the outcome of the subjective evaluation that the chosen alternative brand meets or exceeds expectations (Bloemer & Kasper, 1995; Lau & Lee, 1999). Brand Trust is the relationship between the confident expectations of the consumer and the resulting responsibility of the brand or retailer (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Lau & Lee, 1999). Customer Satisfaction refers to the consumers fulfillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provided (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment, including levels of under- or overfulfillment (Oliver, 1997, p.13). Fashion Clothing Involvement is defined as the extent to which the consumer views fashion clothing as a central part of their life or a meaningful and engaging activity in their life (OCass, 2004). Intention toward Online Shopping refers to the level of a consumers future intention to make an apparel purchase on the Internet. Website Perception refers to how a consumer perceives a combination of available product information, ease of navigation, interactivity and entertainment, and design aesthetics related to an apparel brands website.

Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumer attitudes toward a retail brand and its website on consumers intentions to purchase apparel online. The study also looks at online apparel shopping intention and its connection to online brand loyalty. Six independent variables were chosen to examine these relationships. These variables were selected and a model was created after studying previously published literature on the subject of brand loyalty, shopping intentions, and Internet retailing. Several models from various researchers contributed to the theoretical model proposed in this study. Research by Lau and Lee (1999) on the antecedents to trust in a brand was one of the most important influences on this study.
Brand Characteristics Brand Reputation Brand Predictability Brand Competence Company Characteristics Trust in Company Company Reputation Company Perceived Motives Company Integrity Consumer-Brand Characteristics Similarity Between Consumer Self-Concept & Brand Personality Brand Liking Brand Experience Brand Satisfaction Peer Support

Trust in a Brand

Brand Loyalty

Figure 1. Antecedents to Trust in a Brand Model. Source: Lau & Lee, 1999
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Lau and Lee proposed that there were three sets of factors that led to brand trust (see Figure 1). Of these factors, two brand characteristics, brand predictability and brand reputation, were used in the proposed model. Also, two consumer-brand characteristics, brand satisfaction and brand experience, were used. All of the constructs in Figure 1 were tested. Lau and Lee (1999) created a revised model (see Figure 2) by using regression analyses to determine which constructs were most significant in explaining trust in a brand.

Brand Predictability Brand Liking Brand Competence Brand Reputation Trust in the Company

Trust in a Brand

Brand Loyalty

Figure 2. Antecedents to Trust in a Brand Revised Model. Source: Lau & Lee, 1999

Of the five most significant determinants of brand trust (see Figure 2), brand predictability and brand reputation were used in the current study. Lau and Lee (1999) focused on these two characteristics as antecedents to brand trust. The current study uses them as factors that compose brand trust rather than precede it. Through the review of literature, brand experience and brand satisfaction (customer satisfaction) were shown to be antecedents to predictability and reputation. Predictability is determined through repeated experiences with a brand or product. A reputation is based on customer satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with a brand or product. Ha (2004) studied factors specifically affecting brand trust and commitment on the Internet (Figure 3). Word-of-mouth, experience, and brand name (reputation) are all considered contributing factors or parts of brand trust in this studys proposed model. Privacy, security, and information fall under the attitude toward the Internet and website perceptions variables. Rather
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than directly affecting brand trust, as Ha hypothesized, the proposed model keeps the webrelated factors grouped together in a branch expressly associated with the Internet.

Privacy Brand Name Word-ofMouth Experience

Security

Brand Trust

Brand Commitment

Information

Figure 3. Formation of Brand Trust and Commitment on the Web. Source: Ha, 2004

Shang, Chen, and Liao (2006) studied the consumers participation in virtual communities on a retailers website and its effect on brand loyalty. According to their model (Figure 4), involvement (both cognitive and affective) was proposed to influence both participation and brand loyalty. The term involvement in Shang et al.s study referred to product involvement while participation referred to taking part in the online community. The degree of involvement in a product was modified to show the degree of involvement with clothing in the current study. Involvement encompassed both the cognitive and affective aspects. Cognitive involvement is caused by a utilitarian motive, or concern with aspects like cost, quality, and service. Affective involvement is a value-expressive motive in which the individual desires to enhance self-esteem or self-conception (Park & Young, 1983). Cognitive involvement is a reasoned approach to a product or brand while affective involvement is feelings toward the product or brand. Few existing studies make the link between fashion clothing involvement and online brand loyalty.

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Trust

Perceived Attitude Participation

Lurking Posting

Involvement
Cognitive Affective

Loyalty

Figure 4. Consumer Involvement Determinants of Brand Loyalty. Source: Shang, Chen, & Liao, 2006

Ho and Wu (1999) performed a study examining the antecedents of customer satisfaction associated with the cyber shopping store (CSS) on the Internet. The current study examined customer satisfaction with the brand rather than with the CSS. However, the variables in Ho and Wus study that pertain to the Internet (Figure 5) correspond to the factors of website perception used in the current study. Information characteristics, homepage presentation (design aesthetics), product characteristics, and technological characteristics (ease of navigation) all contribute to an online shoppers perception of a retailers website.

Technological Characteristics

Logistical Support

Information Characteristics

Customer Satisfaction

Homepage Presentation

Product Characteristics

Figure 5. Antecedents of Customer Satisfaction for Cyber Shopping. Source: Ho & Wu, 1999

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Liao and Cheung (2001) researched the major determinants of consumer attitudes and Internet shopping. Among those, transactions security, shopping experience (prior Internet experience), and IT education and Internet usage (computer knowledge and level of comfort with technology) were adapted for the attitude toward the Internet factor. Because no model was provided in Liao and Cheungs study, the researcher created one to demonstrate the variables studied relationships (Figure 6).
Transactions Security Products

Retail Price Service Quality of Vendors Internet Usage

Consumer Attitudes

Initial Willingness to Shop on the Internet

IT Education

Figure 6. Determinants of Consumer Attitudes toward Internet Shopping. Source: Liao & Cheung, 2001

In 2000, Loiacono developed a scale to measure 12 dimensions of website quality. Portions of the WebQual scale were used in the current study to measure the information quality and fit-to-task, interaction, design, intuitiveness, visual appeal, and innovativeness of a website. Because a model was not provided in Loiaconos study, the researcher developed one (Figure 7).

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Flow-Emotional Appeal

Trust

Interaction

Information Quality & Fit-toTask Response Time Design

Business Process Viable Substitute Integrated Communication

Perceived Website Quality

Visual Appeal

Intuitiveness

Innovativeness

Figure 7. Source: Loiaconos WebQual Model, 2000

In the model developed for this study (Figure 8), variables were categorized into two branches: Attitude toward the Brand and Attitude toward the Brands Website. It was proposed that an attitude toward the brand begins with brand satisfaction. A consumers positive or negative evaluation of a brand will have an effect on brand trust and offline brand patronage. It was hypothesized that a consumers positive evaluation of brand satisfaction will lead both toward building brand trust and offline brand patronage. Offline brand patronage, in turn, was proposed to have a direct effect on brand trust. If a consumer regularly patronizes a retailer in traditional shopping settings, s/he can be expected to develop trust in that brand. Brand trust has been studied extensively and has been shown to affect online shopping intention (GrabnerKraeuter, 2002; Ha, 2004). It was therefore proposed that brand trust has an effect on the online shopping intention of a consumer. The attitude toward the brands website branch of the model was broken down into three variables. The first, clothing involvement, measured a consumers level of involvement with apparel. Shoppers who are more involved and concerned with fashion are more likely to purchase it through remote channels (Goldsmith & Flynn, 2005). It was proposed that people who are highly involved with clothing will have a more positive perception of a brands website.
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The overall attitude toward the Internet was also proposed to have a direct effect on perception of the brands website. If a consumer is comfortable with and knowledgeable about the World Wide Web, he or she is more likely to perceive a brands website favorably. Ones perception of a website, whether positive or negative, will influence ones attitude toward it. Attitude toward the Brand Brand Satisfaction
brand consistency customer satisfaction

Brand Trust
reputation brand predictability

Offline Brand Patronage Online Apparel Shopping Intention Clothing Involvement

level of fashion involvement

Brand Loyalty in Online Apparel Shoppers

Attitude Towards the Internet

computer knowledge level of comfort with technology security prior internet experience

Perceptions of the Brands Website

product information ease of navigation interactivity & entertainment design aesthetics

Attitude toward the Brands Website

Figure 8. Proposed Model

In an attempt to understand how attitudes influence behavior, Ajzen and Fishbeins (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action was consulted. An attitude toward a behavior is either a positive or negative evaluation of that behavior combined with the perceived consequences of performing that behavior (Kim & Park, 2005). Attitude toward a brand is therefore a combination of an individuals positive or negative evaluation of the brand with their perceived consequences for purchasing or using the brand. The positive or negative evaluation of the brand comes from a consumers level of satisfaction and their offline experiences with the brand. A
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consumers perceived consequences of purchasing or using the brand stem from their level of trust for the brand. For example, a high level of brand trust results in a lower perception of negative consequences. The same rationale was employed to develop the attitude toward the brands website branch of the model. A positive or negative evaluation of the apparel brands website is from a combination of the consumers involvement with and knowledge of clothing with their overall attitude toward the Internet. The perceived consequences of using an apparel website are from a consumers positive or negative perception of the website. If the consumer does not like a website, based on any of the contributing factors, s/he will perceive negative consequences of using the website. This observation would result in a negative attitude toward the apparel website. A consumers intention or decision to purchase an apparel brand online has the potential to lead to brand loyalty. If the consumer has a positive attitude toward both the brand and the brands website and a purchase is viewed as successful, s/he is likely to repurchase that brand in the future. This brand loyalty could affect loyalty toward the retailer in all shopping channels.

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Chapter 3 Literature Review Through the analysis of existing literature and research findings, a model was developed to study the factors affecting online apparel shopping intention and its influence on brand loyalty. An overview of Internet retailing and brand loyalty, both in traditional retail settings and online, are provided in the following sections. This will be succeeded by a discussion of the six factors that influence attitude toward a brand and attitude toward an apparel brands website. Online Websites and Activity The Internet is made up of a mix of different types of websites. Some are classified as portals or search engines. Portals are websites that lead to other destinations within the World Wide Web. Some websites are run by organizations such as non-profit groups or by local or federal governments. Other sites are for private use, such as personal web pages, blogs, or chat rooms. Business websites are often considered destination websites. Destination websites can be divided into three main types based upon the method of revenue generation (Turban, King, Lee, & Viehland, 2004). The first are websites that contain content free to the user and derive revenue by selling advertising or sponsored content. The second type is sites that contain password-protected content that is accessed by the user through the payment of fees or subscriptions. Lastly, there are online storefronts that provide products, information, take orders and payment, and arrange for delivery. This study will focus on the online storefronts of apparel retailers (eg., bananarepublic.com, jcrew.com, and anntaylor.com). These particular sites are also considered transactional websites, because they sell a particular product directly to the

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consumer (Turban et al.). In addition to product information and interaction, these sites provide features such as a shopping cart, shipping calculator, and the ability to accept payment in order to complete the business transaction (Turban et al.). There are two types of online activity: task-oriented and experiential (Turban et al., 2004). Task-oriented Internet users have a particular purpose for visiting a website, be it for work, to search for information, or to purchase a product. Experiential users explore or surf the Internet for fun, recreation, or non-goal-directed searches. Consumers who shop online may find they exhibit a combination of the two types of activities. What started out as an experiential activity could turn into a task-oriented purchase, or vice versa. The E-Business Model Although the World Wide Web was started and popularized in the 1990s, most businesses have only been working through this medium for fifteen years or less. For example, the popular e-retailer Amazon.com was launched in 1995 and the Gap, one of the largest apparel brands, opened its online store in 1997 (Schneider, n.d.; Gap Inc., 2007). The business model that was in place for traditional brick-and-mortar stores is not relevant to conduct business in cyberspace. The Internet has become an integrated channel of interaction, merging product flow with information flow (Holland & Baker, 2001, p. 35). The Internet allows for two-way communication between businesses and consumers and cannot be approached solely as another distribution channel. Businesses must capitalize on the new opportunities and capabilities that the Internet offers. The modern e-business model for retailers is a complex structure. Turban et al. (2004) classified Internet retailing business models by the type of distribution channel they participate in. They organized them into five categories: mail-order retailers that go online, direct marketing

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from manufacturers, pure-play e-tailers (retailers that only sell online), click-and-mortar retailers (retailers with a combination of traditional and online stores), and online malls (groups of online stores together). The apparel retailers that this study will encompass are considered click-andmortar organizations. This means their primary business is conducted through physical stores while they also participate in online activities through a transactional website (Turban et al.). These types of retailers have altered their traditional business practices to include their supplementary websites. This is a multi-channel approach to the business model. Brand Loyalty The concept of loyalty can relate to a brand, a vendor, a service, or a store (Dick & Basu, 1994). The ultimate goal of brand loyalty is to gain a greater market share from repeat purchases by loyal customers (Chadhuri & Holbrook, 2001). A greater market share in turn leads to higher profits for the business. By maintaining loyalty among customers, a business can create a sustainable competitive advantage (Dick & Basu, p. 99). Brand Loyalty: The Traditional Views Brand loyalty is a popular topic of study, especially in the consumer behavior and marketing fields. The concept of loyalty is the relationship between a consumers relative attitude toward an entity and his or her patronage behavior (Dick & Basu, 1994). Traditionally it has been divided into two types, behavioral loyalty and attitudinal loyalty (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Day, 1969; Dick & Basu; Gommans, Krishnan, & Scheffold, 2001). Behavioral loyalty is often defined in terms of the repeat buying behavior of the consumer (Chadhuri & Holbrook; Gommans et al.). Attitudinal loyalty is generally the more complex type of loyalty. It is characterized by cognitive, affective, and behavioral intent (Dick & Basu; Gommans et al.).

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Behavioral loyalty was first categorized by Day (1969) as either intentional or spurious loyalty. Day recognized that consumers who exhibited spurious loyalty lacked attachment to brand attributes. These buyers have the potential to be easily swayed to switch brands, especially through the use of marketing strategies such as enhanced visual displays or promotions. Another aspect of spurious loyalty is that it is a function of time. According to Days study, the longer buyers are given to evaluate a brand, the more opportunity they have to switch brands. One of Days solutions to reducing spurious loyalty was to increase brand identifiability. Day qualified intentional brand loyalty as those consumers who exhibited true loyalty. Truly loyal shoppers are less impulsive and patronize fewer stores. Another important characteristic of intentionally loyal shoppers is that they have a great degree of confidence in their ability to evaluate and choose between brands (Day). Attitudinal loyalty is described by Chaudhuri and Holbrook (2001) as the degree of dispositional commitment a consumer has toward a particular brand. This inclination to a brand is often a result of some unique value the customer associates with that brand. Brand Loyalty on the Web While offering a world of new opportunities for businesses, the Internet also poses new problems. Competition, which is also a problem relevant to traditional retailers, is a major concern for online retailers. Whereas before a customer had to physically travel to another store, now the Internet offers a variety of options at the click of a mouse. Consumers have access to a selection of stores far beyond their local shopping area. The Internet makes comparison shopping easier since it can be accomplished by simply navigating to another website. According to a recent study by JupiterResearch, 87% of Internet shoppers visited multiple websites before making a purchase (Corbin, 2008a). Srinivasan, Anderson, and Ponnalovu

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(2002) argued that it has become more difficult for retailers to retain loyal customers online due to increased competition and minimal customer switching costs. In traditional retail settings, switching brands may cost consumers time, effort, and money. In online shopping, the cost to consumers for switching brands is very low. One way retailers try to cultivate positive word-of-mouth advertisement for their websites is by cultivating a social network. In JupiterResearchs study, 51% of shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 reported that online communities and social networks have influenced their purchasing decisions (Corbin, 2008a). This percentage falls as consumers age, but the statistic still shows that word-of-mouth is an influencing factor in purchasing and brand loyalty. Social sites have the ability to encourage satisfaction and consumer confidence based on the opinions of peers. New consumers are discovering Internet shopping every day, just as the number of retail websites are growing daily. According to Holland and Baker (2001), retailers are shifting emphasis from attracting new online customers to retaining existing ones. Obtaining new customers is costly and difficult relative to cultivating consumer relationships to build loyalty. Stickiness is a recent term that is specifically related to websites. Stickiness refers to anything about a website that encourages a visitor to stay longer (Lin, 2007). A sticky website not only gets visitors to stay longer but also encourages them to frequently return to the site. Stickiness for an online retailer is associated with repeat purchase behavior and ultimately with brand loyalty. This notion alludes to Days (1969) idea of spurious loyalty as being a concept of time. The modern concept for Internet retailers is that if a consumer spends more time visiting a particular website, he or she will be less likely to travel to a competitors website. Day evaluated shoppers purchasing behaviors for convenience food products. The results showed that the

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longer a shopper spent searching for and comparing the products on a grocery store shelf, the more likely s/he was to be persuaded to try a different brand. The conflicting ideas of website stickiness and Days research show a major difference between traditional and Internet shopping. In addition, there is a clear difference in consumer behavior among product categories such as a food product versus apparel. Internet retailers, like traditional retailers, need to build value-based relationships and treat loyal shoppers as preferred customers (Pearson, 2006). A mutually beneficial relationship requires a companys commitment to customer satisfaction and the creation of a positive shopping experience as well as receiving customer feedback and insights regarding their experience. By building a brand relationship, retailers cultivate a feeling of attachment for the consumer (Heath, Brandt, & Nairn, 2006). Blackston (1992) describes this feeling as a complex of cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes which constitute a relationship (p. 80), which in this case is between the customer and brand. Brand Satisfaction For this study, brand satisfaction is a combination of factors that relate to a consumers overall view and experience of the brand. Brand satisfaction is composed of customer satisfaction, through past experience and customer service, and brand consistency. Lau and Lee (1999) defined brand experience as a consumers past encounters with the brand. Past experience, whether positive or negative, affects brand patronage and loyalty. A positive experience means that the consumers expectations were met or exceeded by the brand. If a consumer has had a positive previous experience with a brand, it likely will in turn lead to trust in the brand.

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Customer service quality is among many elements that affect a consumers overall brand experience. Service has been known to strongly influence patronage and loyalty based on the consumers overall perception of satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is whether a product or service has met the customers needs and expectations. Satisfied customers are willing to purchase products or services repeatedly and recommend the companys products or services to others. Therefore, satisfaction with the company or brand is a clear antecedent of brand trust, particularly relating to reputation and word-of-mouth. The way in which consumers view the brand is also an important part of brand satisfaction. Not only do customers need to have positive experiences with the brand, they need to have consistent recognition of the brand. One strategy retailers use is offering a consistent customer experience. Everything from logos to company philosophy must come across to customers in a consistent manner in every store. The quality of merchandise, level of customer service, and shopping environment must maintain company standards regardless of the retailers location. These common characteristics also extend to uniformity in advertising and promotions. Retailer brand consistency is a very important factor in attracting and maintaining customers. Brand consistency increases credibility and decreases perceived risk (Erdem, Zhao & Valenzuela, 2004). In turn, brand consistency can lead to brand predictability. Common characteristics build retailer brand recognition among customers, and along with positive shopping experiences, can potentially lead to brand trust and ultimately to brand loyalty. Based on the supporting factors of customer satisfaction and brand consistency, it was proposed that: H1a: Those who have a higher level of brand satisfaction will have a greater level of

trust in the brand.

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In addition to building brand trust through a positive evaluation of brand satisfaction, brand satisfaction was hypothesized to lead to loyal brand patronage in the offline or traditional retail setting. Therefore, it was also proposed that: H1b: Those who have a higher level of brand satisfaction will have a greater level of

offline patronage with a retailer. Offline Brand Patronage Brand loyalty and brand patronage are often mistaken for the same concept in academic literature. Many studies that refer to brand loyalty are actually measuring it based on brand patronage. Behavioral loyalty is the repeat buying behavior of the consumer (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Day, 1969; Gommans et al., 2001). This purchasing behavior is brand patronage. Over time a consumers brand patronage can result in brand loyalty. Behavioral loyalty is easier to achieve in a conventional retail setting. In the traditional retail setting the business concept is generally product driven and marketer controlled (Gommans et al., 2001). Consumers have a limited amount of information available to them while shopping in a store. They have made an investment of time and energy to visit the store. Customer service is offered through personal interaction with sales associates and the shoppers are immersed in an environment created by the retailer. The perceived risk of conventional shopping is often lower than online shopping. Consumers using traditional retail formats have fewer payment security concerns than consumers purchasing products on the Internet (Kwon & Lee, 2003). If customers value the service, quality, and environment of a retailer, they will often return to make more purchases. It is logical to assume that the more a customer patronizes a retailer, the more trust the customer will have in that brand.

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Offline brand patronage is important to building an online consumer base. Customers who patronize a store are easy targets for retailers to promote their other channels. If a customer has had previous positive experiences with a retailer, s/he is more likely to be willing to use a new shopping channel for the first time. Brand satisfaction can lower a customers perceived risk and is an antecedent to offline brand patronage. Offline brand patronage in turn affects a consumers brand trust, which would then influence his or her willingness to use the retailers online channel. Based on these two assumptions, it was hypothesized that: H2: Those who have a higher level of offline patronage with a retailer will have a

greater level of trust for that particular brand. Brand Trust There is a great deal of literature available about the relationship between brand trust and brand loyalty. Brand trust is the relationship between the confident expectations of the consumer and the resulting responsibility of the brand or retailer (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Lau & Lee, 1999). Trust in a brand contributes to behavioral aspect of brand loyalty (Lau & Lee). Brand trust is considered to be a well thought-out, deliberate consumer intention (Chaudhuri & Holbrook). Previous studies have shown that brand trust can be built upon multiple factors. For this study, the focus will be on brand reputation and brand predictability as they relate to brand trust and subsequently relate to online shopping intention and brand loyalty. Lau and Lee (1999) described brand reputation as the commonly held opinion of others that the brand is good or reliable. The researchers determined that, after usage, if a brand meets the consumers expectations, then along with a good reputation it will reinforce the consumers trust in that brand. Brand trust can also lead to favorable word-of-mouth about the brand and an

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increased consumer resistance to competitors strategies (Dick & Basu, 1994; Jensen & Hansen, 2006). A positive personal recommendation has the potential to persuade a customer to switch brands or even establish his/her own loyalty to that brand. Word-of-mouth involves a degree of peer influence. In the online setting, consumers are influenced by their peers via customer reviews and social sites. Corbin (2008a) reported that online word-of-mouth had the greatest impact on younger consumers, with 51% of shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 reporting that social sites have influenced their purchasing decisions. Therefore, word-of-mouth and peer influence have a great effect on brand reputation. Brand predictability is when a consumer can accurately anticipate a consistent level of product quality or service (Lau & Lee, 1999). In the context of apparel, for example, the customer would be able to predict the quality of the garment and the level of customer service based on the brand. This study suggests that customer satisfaction affects brand predictability. Consumer satisfaction from past experiences is directly associated with brand predictability because predictions of future behavior are based on past performance. Ha (2004) conducted a study directed specifically at Web-purchase related factors involved in brand trust. These were security, privacy, brand name, word-of-mouth, experience, and information. Has findings must be considered in this study as they relate to online shopping. All six factors are represented; yet in the current study their arrangement and placement within the overall schematics of this study have been adjusted. Experience and wordof-mouth fall under the brand satisfaction and brand trust variables, respectively. Factors such as privacy, security, and information fit under the apparel brand website perception variable which will be discussed later in the paper.

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Based on the literature, it can be assumed that a strong brand reputation and positive brand predictability can affect brand trust. If a consumer has trust in a brand, he or she is more likely to try shopping a different channel for the same retailer brand. Therefore, it was hypothesized that: H3: Those who have a higher level of brand trust will have a greater intention to shop

online for apparel. Clothing Involvement Jensen and Hansen (2006) differentiated brand loyalty between high-involvement and low-involvement products. Apparel would be considered a high-involvement product. The researchers felt that true brand loyalty comes from repeat purchasing of high-involvement products, whereas repeat purchasing of low-involvement products is simply habitual purchase behavior. The researchers also felt that consumers seek more variety with low-involvement products and are more willing to vary their purchase experiences by switching brands. Tigert, Ring, and King (1976) conducted a popular study on fashion involvement. Fashion involvement describes a spectrum of fashion behavioral activities (Tigert et al., p. 47). These activities were defined as: fashion innovativeness, fashion interpersonal communication, fashion interest, fashion knowledgeability, and fashion awareness in terms of trends. The researchers found that women were generally more fashion involved than men. Additionally, Tigert et al. were able to make observations about the fashion-involved consumer. Although they are a small segment of the population, fashion-involved people tend to be heavy clothing buyers. Therefore, this group is important to the apparel market. The researchers also found that fashion-involved consumers are a driving force in the fashion adoption process. These people influence others with their fashion choices and are a force behind fashion trends.

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Fashion clothing involvement has been defined as the extent to which the consumer views the focal activity as a central part of their life, a meaningful and engaging activity in their life (OCass, 2004, p. 870). OCass explains that fashion clothing is cyclical in nature and draws people into the style of the moment. The intensity and nature of this involvement differs among consumers. Amine (1998) found that consumers commitment to a brand is indirectly influenced by his or her level of product involvement. Therefore, the level of brand loyalty may increase when a customer is highly involved with a product category. The relationship between product involvement and multi-channel behavior was supported by the findings of Goldsmith and Flynns study (2005), which examined the behavior of clothing buyers who purchased in stores, online, and through catalogs. They determined clothing involvement was the consumers level of interest in clothing product related information. The researchers found that consumers who were highly involved in clothing were more likely to make remote purchases of clothing. As such, consumers involvement in fashion will significantly affect their use of and loyalty toward an apparel brands website and therefore, it was hypothesized that: H4: Those who have a higher level of clothing involvement will have a more positive

perception of an apparel brands website. Attitude toward the Internet In order to evaluate an Internet apparel shopper, it is necessary to evaluate their overall attitude toward the Internet. This must be viewed as a different construct than the consumers attitude toward the brand, although there are many similarities. Internet use, for both shoppers and non-shoppers, grew rapidly in the late 1990s. Socioeconomic studies showed that early Internet users were generally male, in their mid-thirties, well-educated, held high-tech or

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professional jobs, and had above average income (Donthu & Garcia, 1999). An earlier study by Crisp, Jarvenpaa, and Todd (1997) showed contradictable evidence that affluent women with higher education were likely to develop a favorable attitude and greater intention to shop on the Internet than their male counterparts. Donthu and Garcias study showed that the average Internet shopper seeks convenience, is innovative, is impulsive, and seeks more variety. The 2007 Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that among Internet users, men and women are now almost equally divided at 49% and 51%, respectively (eMarketer.com, 2008). Their statistics showed the new Internet user is generally aged 30-49, white, has some college and lives in a suburban area. Comparatively, the majority of Internet shoppers have a higher education and higher income than nonusers and report having access to a broadband Internet connection. The attitude of Internet users tends to improve as technology improves. Computer hardware and software prices have dropped as technology advances. Competition among Internet service providers has also pushed down the cost of Internet access. Both of these factors have made Internet access available to a wider range of economic classes. Higher network speeds allow for faster connections and relieve the frustration of waiting for Web pages to download. It is estimated that more than 50% of U.S. households that have access to the Internet now use broadband connections (Mulpuru et al., 2007). Additionally, cellular phone technology now allows consumers access to the Internet even while away from their computers. Liao and Cheungs (2001) research in Singapore showed that computer literacy has increased, not only in the U.S. but also in countries around the world. Computer technology, from basic to sophisticated, is more widely available. Computer literacy is emphasized at all levels of education (Liao & Cheung). The Internet is now a global phenomenon and an

29

international marketplace partially due to the fact that more people have access to and understand how to utilize computers. Advanced technology has also increased transaction security. Shoppers want to be confident that their personal and payment information is secure. Companies have invested a great deal of time and money in improving their websites and protecting their systems from hackers. Contrary to many Americans perceptions, online credit card transactions are more secure than in-store transactions (Corbin, 2008b). Many companies address security concerns by going to a third-party e-mail payment service, such as Google Checkout or PayPal, as an alternative payment option for customers. Encryption technologies, off-line payment arrangements, and anti-fraud initiatives are other various methods being utilized by Internet retailers (Kwon & Lee, 2003). Kwon and Lees study determined that Internet shoppers concerns were about both monetary loss (stolen credit card numbers) and privacy issues (identity theft protection). Transaction security leads to lower perceived risk and higher trust in the retailer by the consumers. Crisp et al. (1997) suggested that there are four factors that influence attitude and intention toward Internet shopping. These factors include: product value, shopping experience, service quality, and risk. All of these factors are often similarly reflected in a consumers attitude toward a brand. From their research, Crisp et al. found that only product value, shopping experience, and perceived risk had significant effects on attitude toward Internet shopping. In the same study the researchers found that product value and service quality were very influential on a consumers intention to shop on the Internet. For apparel shoppers, Park and Stoel (2005) determined that consumers may reduce their perceived risk of an apparel purchase by seeking

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additional information about the product. This is due to the shoppers inability to try on, feel, or otherwise inspect the garment. Another factor that affects a consumers attitude toward the Internet is prior experience. Prior experience is defined as a source of information used to shape beliefs is the persons own direct experience with a similar situation (Crisp et al., 1997, p. 4). A study by Taylor and Todd (1995) showed that people experienced in using the Internet were able to use the knowledge accumulated from previous experiences to form their beliefs and attitude toward the Internet. In other words, both prior experience and level of experience affect attitudes toward using the Internet. In addition to past experience, a consumers knowledge also can influence attitude toward the Internet. As previously mentioned, computer literacy is becoming more widespread throughout the world. However, it is those people who have a predisposition toward computers and are comfortable with high-tech equipment that are more likely to use the Internet, especially for shopping (Crisp et al., 1997). Therefore it was proposed that: H5: Those who have a more positive attitude toward the Internet will have a more

positive perception of an apparel brands website. Perception of the Apparel Brands Website Part of the consumer experience when shopping for clothing is the ability to feel the fabric, see the color, and try on the product to determine fit. Clothing generally falls into the high-touch product category (Levin et al., 2003). That means that the customer requires the ability to touch or experience the product before purchasing. This is in contrast to low-touch products such as airline tickets or computer software, where the product is usually standardized and does not require physical inspection.

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Apparel retailers have found creative ways to substitute for the in-store sensory experiences of consumers when shopping for clothes. One of these substitutions is offering product information (Park & Stoel, 2005) that describes the fabric, dimensions, and other details. Another method being used by online apparel retailers is image-interactivity technology, or IIT (Kim, Fiore, & Lee, 2007). IIT technology varies and program features are becoming more advanced. Older versions offer a two-dimensional view of a picture that can be manipulated to change color or views, while the newer IIT programs can provide a three-dimensional virtual model to showcase clothing (Kim et al.). Consumers are then able to evaluate fit, coordinate separates, view garments from various angles, and zoom in to see details more clearly. Web sites using IIT are simulating the product experience shoppers would normally get in a traditional store. Kim et al. determined that consumers showed higher levels of shopping involvement and enjoyment and had a more positive perception of online store environments when they were exposed to a high level of website interactivity. Finding enjoyment in website visits directly relates to the stickiness of the site. As previously mentioned, stickiness is a factor that encourages the shopper to stay longer. By making Internet stores more entertaining and enjoyable, retailers are encouraging customers to stay longer or come back more often. This encourages repeat purchase behavior and is a primary feature of brand loyalty. In addition to providing interactivity and entertainment, websites need to be a functional place for retailers and consumers to complete business transactions. Sites need to be easy to navigate, secure for monetary and information exchanges, and offer a high level of customer service. The available selection of goods, along with the information provided about those goods, should be useful to the shopper.

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Design aesthetics is another important factor in website perception. Ho and Wu (1999) determined homepage presentation was an important antecedent of customer satisfaction on the Internet. They believed retailers should use striking texts, images, and animation to communicate with the consumers. Not only does a website need to be attractive, creative, and aesthetically pleasing, it also must represent the brand image. The design aesthetics must present the brand and merchandise in a way that it consistent with the retailers other channels. Often the websites reflect the physical stores, both in appearance and ambiance. If a store desires its image to be a calming shopping experience for their customer, the website must also portray that calming feeling. Since shoppers are unable to be physically immersed in that environment, design aesthetics are responsible for communicating that image through a computer screen. It has been hypothesized that both clothing involvement and a consumers attitude toward the Internet have an effect on an apparel retailers website perception. Perception of a website, in turn, consists of product information, ease of navigation, interactivity and entertainment, and design aesthetics. Studies have shown that those who have a more favorable perception of a website are more likely to shop at the site (Kim & Lee, 2006; Loiacono, 2000). Considering these factors, it was proposed that: H6: Those who have a more positive perception of an apparel brands website will

have a greater intention to shop online for apparel. Online Apparel Shopping Intention In many studies, online shopping intention is not distinguished from online patronage or brand loyalty. However, this study makes a clear division between online shopping intention for apparel and brand loyalty. Intention toward shopping online refers to a consumers future behavior. Only after this behavior is repeated or the retailer is repatronized does the behavior

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become loyalty. The intent to shop is the antecedent to brand loyalty. It is reasonable to expect that the more a consumer wishes to shop at a retailers website, the more likely s/he is to develop a loyalty to the website. This study proposed that there is a strong relationship between the two. H7: Those who have a higher intention to shop online for apparel will have a greater

level of brand loyalty.

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Chapter 4 Methodology This study was designed to determine what factors influence a consumers intention to shop for apparel online and the relationship to online brand loyalty. Using quantitative data, this study measured the levels of brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, perceptions of an apparel brands website, the intention to shop online, and online brand loyalty. This chapter focuses on sample descriptions, data collection methods, and the survey instrument that was created to test the variables. Sample The participants used in this study were 200 female college students between the ages of 18 and 25 enrolled at the University of Georgia. Participation in the survey process was voluntary. This study group was selected based not only on the convenience of obtaining the sample but also on the likelihood that young women shop for apparel online. According to Lee and Johnson (2002), Internet shopper demographics show that college students are likely to be potential online shoppers. Description of Survey The instrument that was used in this study was a survey in the form of a questionnaire approved by the University of Georgia Institutional Review Board. The survey focused on the significance of brand loyalty in online apparel shoppers. The researcher developed a questionnaire to collect data for this study. The survey asked questions based on behaviors related to: (1) brand satisfaction, (2) offline brand patronage, (3) brand trust, (4) clothing

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involvement, (5) attitude toward the Internet, (6) perceptions of an apparel brands website, (7) intention to shop online, and (8) online brand loyalty. Demographic information was also included. Each variable was measured using a previously developed scale. Some variables were created from a combination of related factors and there was no one specific scale to measure them. Combinations of scales were used to measure these variables. Brand satisfaction characteristics were measured using nine questions regarding customer satisfaction and brand consistency. A customer satisfaction scale by Taylor and Baker (1994) was adapted for the survey. Questions regarding brand consistency were developed from qualitative research by de Chernatony and Segal-Horn (2003). Responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Offline brand patronage characteristics were measured using a scale developed by Lau and Lee (1999). This scale measured the behavioral intentions of respondents, particularly their intention to keep buying the brand and their willingness to wait if the brand was not available. Four questions were selected to measure offline brand patronage. Responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Brand trust characteristics were broken down into three scales: brand reputation, brand predictability, and overall brand trust. All three scales were adapted from Lau and Lees (1999) study. They developed a new scale to measure perceived brand reputation based on a consumers notion of how a brand is known to be and what others have said about the brand. Brand predictability was based on a Lau and Lee scale originally adapted from a scale developed by Remple, Holmes, and Zanna (1985) which measured trust in close relationships. Their scale included faith, dependability, and predictability as factors which led to trust in a relationship.

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Only the questions referring to predictability from the scales three categories were used and adapted to reflect trust in a brand. The responses were based on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Fashion clothing involvement characteristics were measured using a combination of scales developed by OCass (2000, 2004) and Goldsmith and Flynn (2005). Eight questions were used to measure the respondents involvement with fashion clothing and level of fashion clothing product knowledge. The responses were based on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Characteristics regarding attitude toward the Internet were measured using a combination of scales. Computer knowledge and level of comfort with technology were measured from the Internet Attitude Scale (IAS) developed by Durndell and Haag (2002). The IAS scale was adapted from the Computer Attitude Scale designed and validated by Nickell and Pinto (1986). Security was measured using the four questions in the safety portion of a scale by Lee and Johnson (2002). Experience with the Internet was measured using adaptations of two questions developed specifically for shopping on the Internet by Wallace, Giese, and Johnson (2004). These questions deal with a customers experience at researching and purchasing a product online. The responses were based on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Perceptions of the brands website were measured using a modified version of the WebQual scale (Loiacono, 2000). Of the original 21-question scale, 16 questions were adapted based on factor loadings in Kim and Stoels (2003) study to fit the variable in terms of product information, ease of navigation, interactivity and entertainment, and design aesthetics.

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Questions with a factor loading of less than 0.70 were dropped. Responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Online shopping intention and online brand loyalty characteristics were measured using a combination of two scales. Three scale items to measure shopping intention were adapted from scales used by Chiang and Dholakia (2003) and Baker, Levy, and Grewal (1992) to fit the current study. The other three scale items used in this survey section were developed by the researcher. Responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Four demographic questions were included in the final section of the survey. The questions regarding age and ethnicity/race were used to determine the diversity of the sample group. Although the sample was limited to a specific age group, the age distribution within that group may have some effect on the results or be a factor of interest. The last two questions related to the participants spending habits. Participants were asked approximately how much they spend each month on living expenses and how much they spent on clothing in the last month. These questions were to better understand the economic status of the demographic and to determine if there is any relation between the amount spent on clothing in the last month and the price points of the retailers selected. Also, the spending habits of the respondents could be a relevant factor in clothing involvement and add to the conclusions of the study. A preliminary study was conducted to aid the development of the survey instrument. The preliminary study was used to determine female college students shopping preferences. Twenty-eight students were asked to choose their favorite apparel brand and state whether they had ever visited and/or purchased items from that brands website. The responses from the preliminary study, along with consideration of retailers target markets and price points,

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determined the three retailers that would be used in the final survey instrument. Three retailers were chosen to cover the widest range of styles and prices that would appeal to female college students. The retailers selected were: Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, and Forever 21. The final University of Georgia Institutional Review Board approved survey instrument used in the study was created on the website SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) and was accessible online. For the purposes of this study, an apparel brand was referred to as an apparel retailer throughout the survey. This was to facilitate respondents understanding of the terms and questions. Participants were asked in the beginning of the survey to select one of three predetermined apparel brand retailers that they have either had experience with or were familiar with. Respondents were then asked to keep their selected retailer in mind when completing the questionnaire. Prior to the website perception section of the survey, respondents were asked to briefly visit the retailers website, search the website for a shirt or blouse, select a color and size for the garment, and read the information provided about the garment. This request was to ensure that the participants could evaluate similar experiences with the websites although they may have chosen different retailers. The researcher distributed 616 requests to visit the survey website to female students between the ages of 18 and 25 at the University of Georgia. In addition to the distributed requests, responses were also solicited by participants word-of-mouth. This snowball effect provided an additional, but undeterminable, number of requests for participation in the survey. Only 225 of the students participated in the actual survey, resulting in a 36.5% response rate. Of those 225 surveys, 25 were discarded due to missing data and resulted in 200 usable surveys for analysis. Students were asked to visit the website and complete the survey at their convenience.

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The survey took no longer than 20 minutes to complete. A random drawing for a $50 gift card to Target was offered to the students as an incentive for participation in the research. Statistical Analyses Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to determine demographic information, means, and standard deviations of the factors. Exploratory factor analyses were then performed to determine if any underlying components existed within the variables. Cronbachs alpha was calculated to test the reliability of the scales and Pearsons correlation analyses were then performed to examine the correlation between all variables. Regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses.

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Chapter 5 Results The data were collected through the online survey program SurveyMonkey. The data were then imported into SPSS statistical software for evaluation. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, reliability tests, correlation analyses, and regression analyses were performed on the data. Participant Demographics The final section of the survey was used to evaluate the respondents demographic characteristics. Table 1 summarizes the results. Some respondents chose not to answer questions about age and ethnicity/race but completed the rest of the survey. This accounts for the discrepancies in the data totals for Table 1. All participants in the study were female college students between the ages of 18 and 25. The mean age was 21. A vast majority (85.9%) of the participants classified themselves as Caucasian/White, while 6.6% were African-American, 0.5% were Native American/Aleut, 5.1% were Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.5% were Hispanic/Latino, and 1.5% said they were in an ethnic group not specified. Most of the respondents said their total monthly expenditures were either between $400 and $800 a month or over $1,000 a month. Twenty-eight percent of respondents spent over $1000 and 21% spent between $400 and $599 per month. Twenty-four percent spent between $50 and $99 on clothing in the last month. The majority of respondents (45.3%) selected Forever 21 as the apparel retailer brand with which they had the most experience, while 38.7% selected Banana Republic, and 16.0% selected Urban Outfitters.
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Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents (n=200) Characteristics Age 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Did not respond Ethnicity/Race Caucasian/White African-American Native American/Aleut Hispanic/Latino Asian/Pacific Islander Other Did not respond Monthly Expenditure $0-$199 $200-$399 $400-$599 $600-$799 $800-$999 Over $1000 Do not know 2 15 45 51 30 11 8 14 24 Frequency Percent

170 13 1 1 10 3 2

85.9% 6.6% 0.5% 0.5% 5.1% 1.5%

9 14 42 41 27 55 12

4.5% 7.0% 21.0% 20.5% 13.5% 27.5% 6.0%

Money Spent on Clothing (in the past month) $0-$49 30 $50-$99 48 $100-$149 40 $150-$199 35 Over $200 41 Do not know 6 All percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

15.0% 24.0% 20.0% 17.5% 20.5% 3.0%

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Factor Analyses Factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to explore and examine the multidimensionality of the scales. Two scales, attitude toward the Internet and perception of the apparel brands website, loaded on multiple constructs. Components with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 and items with rotated loadings greater than .50 were kept for analysis. The factor analysis indicated that attitude toward the Internet was composed of three components (as shown in Table 2). The dimensions were named based on the common characteristics among the factors. Factor 1 was named anxiety issues. All three of the items in Factor 1 were reverse coded and referred to the respondents level of comfort and feelings of intimidation while using the Internet. Items AI1,AI2, and AI4 had a relatively high reliability with a Cronbachs alpha value of .93, an eigenvalue of 4.27, and the total variance explained was 47.47%. Items AI7- AI9 composed Factor 2, which was named security. This dimension had a high reliability with a Cronbachs alpha value of .83, an eigenvalue of 1.51, and the total variance explained was 16.72%. The final three items (AI3, AI5, and AI6) were combined to create Factor 3. This factor reflected the respondents perceived efficiency and convenience of the Internet, and was thus named efficiency and convenience. Factor 3 had a Cronbachs alpha value of .77 which reflected high internal reliability. It also had an eigenvalue of 1.22 and explained 13.56% of the total variance. Table 3 shows how the individual items in the attitude toward the Internet variable loaded on each of the three factors. Two items, AI10 and AI11, were dropped from the attitude toward the Internet factor analysis. These items both related to the respondents perceived level of experience with the Internet and were not as closely related to their actual attitude toward the Internet.

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Table 2 Emerged Factors of Attitude toward the Internet Attitude toward the Internet Dimension 1: Anxiety Issues AI2: I feel intimidated by the Internet.* AI1: The Internet makes me uncomfortable because I dont understand it.* AI4: The Internets complexity intimidates me.* Dimension 2: Security AI7: Shopping over the Internet would be a safe way to shop. AI8: I would trust online retailers enough to feel safe shopping over the Internet. AI9: Shopping over the Internet would be very risky.* Eigen value Factor Loading Variance Explained Cronbachs Alpha

.93 4.27 47.47% .93

.91 .84

.87 1.51 .84 16.72% .83

.81

Dimension 3: Efficiency & Convenience AI5: Life will be easier and faster with the internet. AI6: The Internet can eliminate a lot of tedious work. 1.22 AI3: The Internet is a fast and efficient means of gathering information. * Denotes reverse coded items.

.86 .84
.63

13.56%

.77

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Table 3 Factor Loadings across all Factors of Attitude toward the Internet Factors Attitude toward the Internet AI1: The Internet makes me uncomfortable because I dont understand it.* AI2: I feel intimidated by the Internet.* AI3: The Internet is a fast and efficient means of gathering information. AI4: The Internets complexity intimidates me.* AI5: Life will be easier and faster with the Internet. AI6: The Internet can eliminate a lot of tedious work. AI7: Shopping over the Internet would be a safe way to shop. AI8: I would trust online retailers enough to feel safe shopping over the Internet. AI9: Shopping over the Internet would be very risky.* * Denotes reverse coded items.
Anxiety Issues Security Efficiency & Convenience

.91 .93 .39 .84 .13 .16 .17 .16 .16

.20 .15 .17 .19 .18 .07 .87 .84 .81

.21 .19 .63 .22 .86 .84 .22 .25 -.05

Analysis of the responses to items related to perception of the apparel brands website showed that the factor structure was also multi-dimensional (as shown in Table 4). A rotated varimax component matrix showed three separate dimensions for the variable. The first factor of website perception was ease of use and information quality. Items WP1-WP8 had a high internal reliability with a Cronbachs alpha value of .94, an eigenvalue of 8.50, and explained 53.08% of the total variance. Factor 2 of website perception was visual appeal and image. These were items were WP13-WP16. The Cronbachs alpha value was .86, the eigenvalue was 1.84, and 11.48% of the total variance was explained by this factor. The third factor of website perception was interactivity and innovativeness and is denoted by items WP9-WP12. The internal reliability was high with a Cronbachs alpha value of .88, an eigenvalue of 1.16, and a total variance explained of 7.26%. Table 5 shows how the individual items in the perception of the apparel brands website variable loaded on each of the three factors.
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Table 4 Emerged Factors of Perception of the Apparel Brands Website Website Perceptions Eigen value Factor Loading Variance Explained Cronbachs Alpha

Dimension 1: Ease of Use & Information Quality WP6: The website labels are easy to understand WP4: The display pages within the website are easy to read. WP3: The information on the website is effective. WP7: It would be easy for me to 8.50 become skillful at using the website. WP8: I find the website easy to use. WP2: The website adequately meets apparel information my needs. WP5: The text on the website is easy to read. WP1: The information on the website is pretty much what I would need to complete my purchase. Dimension 2: Visual Appeal & Image WP13: The website displays a visually pleasing design. WP14: The website is visually appealing. WP15: The website projects an image consistent with the retailers image. WP16: The website fits with my image of the retailer.

.87 .83 .82 .79 .79 .77 .67 .64 53.08% .94

.81 .81 1.84 .70 .67 11.48% .86

Dimension 3: Interactivity & Innovativeness WP12: I can interact with the website in order to get information customized to my specific needs. WP11: The website allows me to 1.16 interact with it to receive customized information. WP10: The website design is innovative. WP9: The website is innovative.

.82 7.26% .88

.79 .74 .73

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Table 5 Factor Loadings across all Factors of Perceptions of the Apparel Brands Website Factors Perceptions of the Apparel Brands Website WP1: The information on the website is pretty much what I would need to complete my purchase. WP2: The website adequately meets my apparel information needs. WP3: The information on the website is effective. WP4: The display pages within the website are easy to read. WP5: The text on the website is easy to read. WP6: The website labels are easy to understand. WP7: It would be easy for me to become skillful at using the website. WP8: I find the website easy to use. WP9: The website is innovative. WP10: The website design is innovative. WP11: The website allows me to interact with it to receive customized information. WP12: I can interact with the website in order to get information customized to my specific needs. WP13: The website displays a visually pleasing design. WP14: The website is visually appealing. WP15: The website projects an image consistent with the retailers image. WP16: The website fits with my image of the retailer.
Ease of Use & Information Quality Visual Appeal & Image Interactivity & Innovativeness

.64 .77 .82 .83 .67 .87 .79 .79 .21 .21 .27 .12 .24 .23 .39 .36

.26 .25 .29 .21 .07 .17 .37 .37 .32 .38 .12 .14 .81 .81 .70 .67

.16 .17 .18 .23 .42 .22 .13 .08 .73 .74 .79 .82 .31 .33 .18 .14

The six other variables that did not load on multiple constructs were brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, online apparel shopping intention, and online brand loyalty. Factor analysis for each of these uni-dimensional variables is summarized in Table 6. Eigenvalues, factor loadings, variance explained, and Cronbachs alpha values were calculated for each variable. Five out of the six scales showed high internal
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reliability; the Cronbachs alpha values ranged from .86 to .98. Offline brand patronage factor, which consisted of four scale items, required dropping one item (If this garment is not available in the store when I need it, I will buy it at another time) from analysis in order to raise the Cronbachs alpha value to .61. Although this value is considerably lower than the other scales, a value of .60 is considered acceptable for internal reliability (Ha, 2004; Malhotra, 1993). Table 6 Factor Analyses of Uni-Dimensional Constructs Eigenvalue Factor Loading .87 .87 .82 .82 5.30 .81 .71 .66 .66 .63 58.90% .91 Variance Explained Cronbachs Alpha

Brand Satisfaction BS8: I am satisfied with my purchasing experience with this retailer. BS9: I believe buying products from this retailer is usually a satisfying experience. BS3: I have been satisfied with my decisions to buy apparel from this retailer. BS7: Overall, my feelings toward this retailer are good. BS1: I have had positive past experiences with this retailer. BS6: I think that the general quality of this retailers service is good. BS4: I have had satisfactory customer service when dealing with this retailer. BS5: Any problems with this retailer were handled promptly and to my liking. BS2: I have had consistent experiences with this retailer. Offline Brand Patronage OP2: If another apparel retailer is having a sale, I will generally buy the other retailers brand instead of this one.* OP3: If a garment is not available in the store when I need it, I will buy it somewhere else.* OP1: I do not intend to keep buying apparel from this retailer.*

.82 1.70 56.55% .61

.72 .71

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Brand Trust BT1: I trust this retailer. BT14: This retailers apparel is not consistent in its quality.* BT15: This retailers apparel performs consistently. BT5: I feel secure when I buy apparel from this retailer because I know it will never let me down. BT10: This retailer is reputed to perform well. BT11: I have heard negative comments about this retailer.* BT7: This retailer has a reputation for being unreliable.* BT8: Other people have told me that this retailer is not good.* BT6: This retailer has a reputation for being good. BT3: I feel I can trust this retailer completely. BT4: I cannot rely on this retailer.* BT16: This retailers apparel performance tends to be quite variable. I cant always be sure how it will perform the next time I buy it.* BT9: Other people have told me that this retailer is reliable. BT13: I can always anticipate correctly how this retailers apparel will perform. BT12: When I buy apparel from this retailer, I know exactly what to expect. BT2: This retailer cannot be counted on to do its job.*

Eigenvalue

Factor Loading .78 .77 .77 .75 .74 .74 .73 .73

Variance Explained

Cronbachs Alpha

7.82

.70 .69 .68 .67

48.88%

.93

.65 .63 .57 .56

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Clothing Involvement CI5: Fashion clothing is an important part of my life. CI3: For me personally, fashion clothing is an important product. CI4: I am very interested in fashion clothing. CI6: Fashion clothing is important to me. CI7: I am very much involved with fashion clothing. CI2: I think about fashion clothing a lot. CI1: I consider fashion clothing to be a central part of my life. CI8: I am an experienced user of fashion clothing. Online Apparel Shopping Intention SI2: I would be willing to buy apparel from this retailers website. SI1: The likelihood that I would search for apparel on this retailers website is high. SI3: I would be willing to recommend this retailers website to my friends. Online Brand Loyalty SI5: This website will become one of my favorite sites to shop for apparel. SI4: I would probably become loyal to this retailers website. SI6: I would prefer shopping at this website rather than other apparel websites.

Eigenvalue

Factor Loading .96 .93 .93 .93 .93 .92 .90 .90

Variance Explained

Cronbachs Alpha

6.86

85.70

.98

.91 2.36 .89 .87 78.74% .86

.94 2.53 .91 .91 84.26% .91

Means and standard deviations for each of the constructs were computed (shown in Table 7). All reverse coded items were re-coded prior to all statistical testing. The findings were consistent and showed no major errors or discrepancies in the data. The standard deviation values for all factors were under 1.00 which shows that the data collected were relatively clustered around the means. It should be taken into consideration, however, that a limited 5point scale was used, so overall the data had little ability to deviate from the means.
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Table 7 Means and Standard Deviations for the Constructs Variables Brand Satisfaction Offline Brand Patronage Brand Trust Clothing Involvement Attitude toward the Internet Anxiety issues Security Efficiency & convenience Perception of the Apparel Brands Website Ease of use & information quality Visual appeal & image Interactivity & innovativeness Online Apparel Shopping Intention Online Brand Loyalty Mean 3.99 2.97 3.76 3.60 4.55 3.52 4.44 4.22 4.15 3.78 3.97 3.24 Standard Deviation .57 .69 .60 .96 .58 .76 .55 .51 .56 .72 .78 1.00

Pearson Correlation Analyses Relationships among the variables were analyzed using Pearsons correlation and are shown in Table 8. Brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet (including anxiety issues, security, and efficiency and convenience), perceptions of the apparel brands website (including ease of use and information quality, visual appeal and image, and interactivity and innovativeness), online apparel shopping intention, and brand loyalty were represented. The two most significant correlations were brand satisfaction and brand trust (r=.71, p<.001), and two dimensions of the apparel brands website perception (ease of use and understanding and visual appeal and image) (r=.65, p<.001). Offline brand patronage, however, failed to show significant results except for the relationships with brand

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trust (r=.31, p<.001) and with online apparel shopping intention and brand loyalty (r=.54, p<.001 for both factors). As a way to better understand the sample of respondents, a correlation analysis was run between the security factor and the dropped experience factor from the attitude toward the Internet variable. A strong correlation (r=.53, p<.001) was determined between the two factors, showing that overall, the respondents who were more experienced with the Internet had less concern about the security of the Internet.

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Table 8 Relationships among the Variables

V1 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5(1) V5(2) V5(3) V6(1) V6(2) V6(3) V7 V8 1.00 .45*** .71*** .30*** .12 .28*** .22** .46*** .42*** .34*** .54*** .54*** 1.00 .31*** .28*** .03 .11 -.01 .13 .18* .12 .48*** .53*** 1.00 .17* .15* .09 .16* .40*** .41*** .40*** .42*** .39*** 1.00 .11 .13 .24** .26*** .25*** .14* .45*** .47*** 1.00 .40*** .48*** .33*** .25*** .12 .24** .18* 1.00 .35*** .27*** .14* .07 .30*** .23** 1.00 .39*** .33*** .25*** .28*** .22** 1.00 .65*** .53*** .48*** .40*** 1.00 .57*** .45*** .37*** 1.00 .24** .28*** 1.00 .77*** 1.00 V2 V3 V4 V5(1) V5(2) V5(3) V6(1) V6(2) V6(3) V7 V8

*p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001 V1=Brand Satisfaction, V2= Offline Brand Patronage, V3=Brand Trust, V4=Clothing Involvement, V5=Attitude toward the Internet [(1)=Anxiety issues, (2)=Security, (3)=Efficiency and convenience], V6=Perception of the Apparel Brands Website [(1)=Ease of use and information quality, (2)=Visual appeal and image, (3)=Interactivity and innovativeness], V7=Online Apparel Shopping Intention, V8=Brand Loyalty

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Hypotheses Testing All of the hypotheses were tested using regression analyses. Table 9 shows the multiple regression analysis results for the relationship between brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, and brand trust. Based on the results, the analysis shows that 50% of the variance in female college students brand trust was explained by the brand satisfaction and offline brand patronage factors (R2=.50). The regression model was significant in explaining brand trust (F(2, 197)=98.62; p<.001). The test of the relative contributions of independent variables was used to explain their influences on brand trust and showed that only brand satisfaction was a significant predictor of brand trust with a standardized coefficient of .71. The t-value for brand satisfaction was significant at p<.001. There was no significant relationship between offline brand patronage and brand trust. Based on these results, Hypothesis 1a was supported and Hypothesis 2 was not supported. Table 9 Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 1a and Hypothesis 2 Dependent Variable: Brand Trust Analysis of Variance: F(2, 197)=98.62 Standardized B Coefficient .76 .71 -.01 -.01

Independent Variables Brand Satisfaction Offline Brand Patronage R2=.50 ***p<.001

t-value 12.59*** -.16

The relationship between brand satisfaction and offline brand patronage was evaluated using regression analysis and is summarized in Table 10. Neither variable was proposed to directly affect online apparel shopping intention or brand loyalty. The standardized coefficient of .45 and t-value significance at p<.001 indicated there was a significant relationship between brand satisfaction and offline brand patronage. Therefore, Hypothesis 1b was supported.
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Table 10 Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 1b Dependent Variable: Offline Brand Patronage Analysis of Variance: F(1, 198)=50.96 Standardized Independent Variable B Coefficient Brand Satisfaction .55 .45 2 R =.20 ***p<0.001

t-value 7.14***

Multiple regression analysis results for the relationship between clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, and perception of the apparel brands website are summarized in Tables 11.1-11.3. Because the attitude toward the Internet variable was composed of three distinct factors, there were four independent variables in each regression analysis. In addition, a separate regression analysis was conducted using each of the three factors of perception of an apparel brands website, including ease of use and information quality, visual appeal and image, and interactivity and innovativeness as the separate dependent variables. Although clothing involvement was not significant in predicting the interactivity and innovativeness factor of perception of the apparel brands website, it was significant in predicting both ease of use and information quality and visual appeal and image. Thus, Hypothesis 4 was supported. The attitude toward the Internet variable factor of efficiency and convenience was a significant predictor of all three website perception factors (Tables 11.1-11.3) at p<.01. Alternatively, the attitude toward the Internet factor of security was not a significant predictor of any of the website perception factors. The model predicting the ease of use and information quality factor of perception of an apparel brands website (Table 11.1) showed the most significant F-value for the analysis of variance (F(4, 195)=13.55; p<.001) and 22% of the

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variance in the respondents website perception of ease of use and information quality was explained by the independent variables (R2=.22). Overall, Hypothesis 5 was supported. Table 11.1 Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 4 and Hypothesis 5 Dependent Variable: Perception of the Apparel Brands Website: Ease of use & information quality Analysis of Variance: F(4, 195)=13.55 Standardized Independent Variables B Coefficient Clothing Involvement .09 .17 Attitude toward the .14 .16 Internet: Anxiety Issues Attitude toward the .07 .10 Internet: Security Attitude toward the .22 .23 Internet: Efficiency & convenience R2=.22 *p<0.05, **p<0.01

t-value 2.66** 2.16* 1.41 3.11**

Table 11.2 Dependent Variable: Perception of the Apparel Brands Website: Visual appeal & image Analysis of Variance: F(4, 195)=8.48 Standardized Independent Variables B t-value Coefficient Clothing Involvement .10 .18 2.61* Attitude toward the .12 .13 1.59 Internet: Anxiety Issues Attitude toward the -.01 -.12 -.16 Internet: Security Attitude toward the Internet: Efficiency & .23 .23 2.91** convenience R2=.15 *p<0.05, **p<0.01

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Table 11.3 Dependent Variable: Perception of the Apparel Brands Website: Interactivity & innovativeness Analysis of Variance: F(4, 195)=3.68 Standardized Independent Variables B t-value Coefficient Clothing Involvement .07 .09 1.20 Attitude toward the .01 .01 .09 Internet: Anxiety Issues Attitude toward the -.02 -.03 -.33 Internet: Security Attitude toward the Internet: Efficiency & .31 .24 2.87** convenience R2=.07 **p<0.01 Table 12 reports the multiple regression analysis findings for the relationship between trust, perceptions of the apparel brands website, and online apparel shopping intention. As previously noted in other analyses, the perception of an apparel brands website variable was divided into three separate factors: ease of use and information quality, visual appeal and image, and interactivity and innovativeness. Analysis suggested that 32% of the variance in the respondents online apparel shopping intention was explained by the brand trust and perception of the apparel brands website factors. The analysis of variance for the model was F(4, 194)=22.84 with a significance at p<.001. Brand trust and the website perception factors of ease of use and information and quality visual appeal and image all were significant predictors of online apparel shopping intention at p<.001 and p<.01, respectively. Interactivity and innovativeness showed a slightly less significant relationship with online apparel shopping intention at p<,05. Both Hypothesis 3 and Hypothesis 6 were supported by the analysis.

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Table 12 Multiple Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 3 and Hypothesis 6 Dependent Variable: Online Apparel Shopping Intention Analysis of Variance: F(4, 194)=22.84 Standardized Independent Variables B Coefficient Brand Trust .34 .26 Perception of the Apparel Brands .48 .31 Website: Ease of use & information quality Perception of the Apparel Brands .31 .22 Website: Visual appeal & image Perception of the Apparel Brands -.17 -.15 Website: Interactivity & innovativeness R2=.32 *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001

t-value 3.92*** 3.81***

2.66**

-2.02*

The regression analysis results for online apparel shopping intention and online brand loyalty are summarized in Table 13. These results show online apparel shopping intention is a very significant predictor of brand loyalty with a standardized coefficient of .77 and a t-value significant at p<.001. Also, the high variance explained (R2=.60) was another positive indicator of a strong relationship between online apparel shopping intention and brand trust. Thus, Hypothesis 7 was supported.

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Table 13 Regression Analysis for Hypothesis 7 Dependent Variable: Online Brand Loyalty Analysis of Variance: F(1, 197)=291.03 Standardized B Coefficient .99 .77

Independent Variable Online Apparel Shopping Intention R2=.60 ***p<0.001

t-value 17.06***

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Chapter 6 Discussions and Conclusions This chapter discusses the results of the data by determining how the variables (brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, and perception of an apparel brands website) affect a consumers attitude toward a brand and toward a brands website. How these attitudes affect a consumers intention to purchase apparel online is also examined. A significant and positive relationship was identified between brand satisfaction and brand trust. In this study, brand satisfaction was composed of past experience, customer service, and brand consistency. The results indicated that consumers who have a higher level of satisfaction with a brand will have a greater level of trust in that brand. These results further support Lau and Lees (1999) findings that a positive past experience with a brand will lead to trust in that brand. Customer service is one of the elements of a consumers past experience with a brand. High-quality service will create a positive experience with the brand, therefore also affecting brand trust. Erdem, Zhao, and Valenzuela (2004) found that consistent recognition of a brand decreased perceived risk and in turn increased brand trust. Based on the results, apparel retailers can build brand trust by increasing their customers satisfaction with the brand. Brand satisfaction was also shown to have a significant and positive relationship with offline brand patronage. Those consumers who have a higher level of satisfaction with a brand are more likely to patronize the retailers stores. It could also be determined that consumers who are satisfied with a brand in turn have a more favorable attitude toward that brand.

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Offline brand patronage, however, was not shown to have any significant relationship with brand trust. The hypothesized concept in this study was that offline brand patronage would ultimately affect online behavioral brand loyalty. It was proposed in this study that the relationship between offline brand patronage and online brand loyalty would be mediated by brand trust. Over time a consumer who frequently patronizes a retailer could build trust for that brand. The insignificant results of the relationship between offline brand patronage and brand trust may be due to the low internal reliability of the scale used to measure offline brand patronage. Using a different scale to measure offline brand patronage may produce different results. A positive and significant relationship was identified between brand trust and online apparel shopping intention. Lau and Lee (1999) determined that trust in a brand contributed to brand loyalty. This study proposed that online brand loyalty would be influenced by brand trust through shopping intention. For the purposes of this study, brand trust encompassed reputation and predictability. A consumer who perceives that a brand has a good reputation and can predict a favorable experience would likely be willing to shop on that retailers website. Brand trust is particularly important in the apparel category because a customer is often unable to evaluate the quality and fit of a garment prior to purchase. A higher level of trust in a brand will allow a customer to be more comfortable with making remote purchases over the Internet. Higher trust in a brand would also have a positive effect on a consumers overall attitude toward the brand. Clothing involvement was shown to have a significant relationship with the ease of use and information quality and visual appeal and image factors of the perception of an apparel brands website. Previous research suggested that clothing is a high-involvement product category (Jensen & Hansen, 2006) and that brand loyalty may increase when a customer has a

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high level of involvement with a product category (Amine, 1998; Howard & Sheth, 1969). Apparel websites have created ways to allow customers to be more involved with the product while shopping online. Product involvement would reasonably incorporate the interactivity and innovativeness factor of the perception of an apparel brands website; however, the findings of this study showed there was no significant relationship between clothing involvement and the interactivity and innovativeness factor. The quality of information about the clothing and the visual appeal of the apparel presentation were appreciated by clothing involved consumers because of their interest in clothing. Based on these results, online retailers should focus on improving the accuracy of apparel information available and maintaining a cohesive brand image rather than implementing the newest or trendiest website technologies. Providing more accurate virtual color swatches, clearly showing the detailing of a garment, and offering precise measurements to determine fit and cut would all be ways in which apparel websites could improve the quality of their information. Results also show that consumers appreciate a visually pleasing website that is reflective of the atmosphere of the brands traditional stores. The shopping environment is just as important for an online storefront as a brick-and-mortar store. Website details such as color palette and background should mirror the brands store image. The way in which clothing trends are represented on the websites is another aspect of clothing involvement and attitude toward a brands website that might have affected the results. The Banana Republic website offers coordinated outfits, clothing suggestions for different occasions, and a section highlighting clothing and accessories they sell that reflect the current seasonal fashion trends. The Forever 21 website does not offer as much fashion information as the Banana Republic website, but it does offer some outfit suggestions and coordinated looks. In contrast, the Urban Outfitters website only presents the clothing by category and a section

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featuring new garments and accessories. The differences in fashion information available on the websites could have affected the respondents. If a respondent considered herself to be a highly involved clothing consumer, but selected the Urban Outfitters website and was unable to receive detailed information regarding fashion trends, she may have had a negative attitude toward the brands website. Conversely, a highly involved clothing consumer may have had a positive perception of the amount of fashion information and suggestions available on the Banana Republic website, which could lead to a positive attitude toward the brands website. This shows that attitude toward the brands website may not only be affected by a consumers level of involvement with clothing, but also by the amount of fashion-related information available on the website. Offering fashion suggestions on a brands website could affect both low and highinvolvement clothing consumers. Low-involvement consumers, or those who feel fashion is not an important part of their life, may find that coordinated outfits or fashion suggestions make shopping for clothing easier. Low-involvement consumers may find it convenient to shop on a website that can reduce the time and effort spent coordinating clothing. Highly involved clothing consumers may find the fashion suggestions to be a starting point for them to create their own outfits. The coordinated looks may provide these shoppers with a source of inspiration. The demographic information concerning the amount of money spent monthly on living expenses and clothing was difficult to interpret. Most respondents reported that they spend over $1000 a month on living expenses, however almost 40% spend between $400 and $800. The numbers are distributed over such wide range that it is difficult to make generalizations about the economic status of the sample. The same problem is found with the amount of money spent on

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clothing in the past month. While the majority (24%) answered that they only spent between $50 and $100, another 20% reported spending over $200 on clothing last month. The spread of responses again made it difficult to draw conclusions about the spending habits of the sample on clothing. Also, the majority of the respondents (45%) chose Forever 21, the lowest price point retailer selected, as the brand with which they were most familiar. If the majority of the sample reported spending a small amount of money on clothing last month it would correlate with the popularity of the lower priced clothing sold at Forever 21. However, in this study, Banana Republic, the brand selected with the highest price point, was chosen by nearly 39% of respondents. It cannot be determined if those who spend more money purchase a few expensive articles of clothing at Banana Republic or if they purchase several inexpensive items at Forever 21. These percentages do not clearly illustrate how the sample was actually spending their money. Two of the factors that made up attitude toward the Internet (anxiety issues and efficiency and convenience) were shown to have a positive and significant relationship with factors that comprised the perceptions of an apparel brands website variable. Not surprisingly, results showed a high correlation between a consumers general attitude that the Internet offers efficiency and convenience and their perception that an apparel brands website is easy to use and offers quality information. Those people who more strongly felt that the Internet is an efficient and convenient tool, particularly by which to shop, would be more likely to find an apparel brands website to be a useful source of information and easy to use. In other words, those with more favorable attitudes toward the Internet in general, particularly as a shopping and research tool, were better positioned to appreciate the usefulness of information on a retail website. Based on these findings, retailers should continue to offer shoppers detailed

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information about their products on their websites. Shoppers are using the Internet as a tool to gather information prior to making a purchase, and if a retailer can offer quality product information, they are likely to attract and keep customers. Security was one factor of attitude toward the Internet that did not show a significant relationship with any factor of perception of an apparel brands website. This could be explained by the age demographic that was surveyed. Young women between the ages of 18 and 25 who were enrolled in college were selected for this study. This younger demographic grew up with computers as a part of their everyday lives and tends to have more experience using the Internet. Perhaps this long-term computer and Internet usage has provided these women with a higher level of comfort with technology than an older demographic. Although younger people are certainly aware of the risks involved using the Internet, they may trust that their knowledge will keep them from falling prey to Internet scams and identity theft. Basic decisions about shopping with reputable online retailers and securing personal and payment information may be a natural part of using the Internet and provide the users with a sense of security. These results show that although security is not a significant predictor of consumer perception of an apparel brands website, it does not necessarily mean that online security is not important to consumers. Perhaps online consumers believe that reputable brands already have secure websites, therefore security is no longer a major concern for the shopper. Finally, there was a strong positive and significant relationship between online apparel shopping intention and brand loyalty in online apparel shoppers. Both regression analysis and Pearsons correlation analysis reported a strong connection between the two variables. Often brand loyalty is measured by shopping intention, but this study created a distinction between the two concepts. Shopping intention is a behavioral concept that is temporary in nature, whereas

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brand loyalty reflects a long-term behavioral commitment. A consumers loyal behavior toward an online retailer is developed only after a customers repeated intention to shop the website is actually carried out. The strong association between shopping intention and brand loyalty may explain why other researchers have chosen to measure brand loyalty as a function of shopping intention. Further Study Online shopping intention and brand loyalty is a relevant topic to both consumer researchers and retailers. The model developed for this study could be modified to include other variables or relationships. For example, a consumers perceived similarities with self-concept and brand image may have an effect on their attitude toward the brand, and thus affect shopping intention and brand loyalty. A study by Thorbjornsen and Supphellen (2004) suggested that brand loyalty actually impacts attitude toward the website, rather than the attitude affecting the brand loyal behavior. This concept would require a major restructuring of the current studys model but could potentially offer useful results. The results of the current study suggested that offline patronage was not a significant predictor of brand trust. Future studies should attempt to include more relevant variables in order to better understand what determines brand trust. One suggestion is to include a brands marketing efforts (both online and offline). The feelings a consumer has about a particular brands marketing strategies may affect their trust in the brand and their overall attitude toward the brand. Limitations There are several limitations associated with this study. These limitations need to be addressed due to their possible impacts on the results of this research. This study used a convenience sample and was limited to female students between the ages of 18 and 25 at a large

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Southern university. Using a different age group and geographical location could vary the results. Also, adding males to the sample population could also change the findings. The sample in this study was asked to respond to the survey via the Internet. This could limit the number of respondents due to their access to the Internet. Also if this survey is conducted in a controlled environment, the researcher may have the ability to monitor participants and determine whether respondents actually follow the survey instructions. This may also impact the number of surveys that are discarded for incomplete data. Only three apparel retail websites were chosen for this study. Although care was taken in selecting three retailers that were diverse in price and consumer appeal, results may differ if other retailers are selected. Finally, there was no established scale measuring online brand loyalty. More studies are needed to better conceptualize online brand loyalty, distinguishable from online shopping and purchase intention. Summary The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of consumer attitudes toward a brand and a website on their intention to shop for apparel online. The study also evaluated the relationship between online apparel shopping intention and brand loyalty. Chapter 1 provided background on the rise of the online retail business environment and the growing significance of e-commerce. Brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, and website perceptions were all identified as variables and a brief justification was provided for their selection. Two attitudinal categories, attitude toward the brand and attitude toward the website, were introduced as a way

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to organize the variables and demonstrate how attitudes affect behavior. Research objectives and conceptual definitions were also presented. Chapter 2 provided an analysis of the theoretical framework that contributed to this study. Seven contributing models from previous studies were outlined. The research model was proposed and the relationships between the variables were established and explained. Chapter 3 presented an analysis of the current literature on brand loyalty, brand satisfaction, offline brand patronage, brand trust, clothing involvement, attitude toward the Internet, website perceptions, and online shopping intention. Additionally, the hypotheses used to test the studys objectives were introduced. Chapter 4 provided a brief discussion of the population sample used in the study and a description of the survey instrument used to collect data. Scales used to measure each variable were identified. Statistical methods for analyzing the data were also briefly addressed. Chapter 5 detailed the demographics of the respondents that participated in the study. Preliminary statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, internal reliability tests, exploratory factor analyses, and Pearsons correlation analyses were conducted. The hypotheses were tested using regression analyses. Chapter 6 provided a discussion of the results identified in Chapter 5. Suggestions for further study and the limitations of the research were also addressed.

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Appendix A Human Subjects Approval

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Appendix B Consent Form

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April 27, 2008 Dear Participants: I am a graduate student under the direction of Professor Soyoung Kim in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors at The University of Georgia. I invite you to participate in a research study entitled Apparel Multi-channel Shopping. The purpose of this study is to examine young consumers apparel shopping behavior across different channels and what influences their decisions. All participants must be female college students aged 18-25 at the University of Georgia. Your participation will involve completing a short, structured questionnaire and should only take about 20 minutes to complete. Your involvement in the study is voluntary, and you may choose not to participate or to stop at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. Please note that Internet communications are insecure and there is a limit to the confidentiality that can be guaranteed due to the technology itself. However, once we receive the completed surveys, we will store them in a locked cabinet in my office and destroy any contact information that we have by December 2008. If you are not comfortable with the level of confidentiality provided by the Internet, please feel free to print out a copy of the survey, fill it out by hand, and mail it to me at the address 321 Dawson Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, with no return address on the envelope. The results of the research study may be published, but your name will not be used. In fact, the published results will be presented in summary form only. Your identity will not be associated with your responses in any published format. The findings from this project may provide information on consumer behavior for online apparel shopping. It will potentially benefit apparel retailers and consumer behavior researchers by providing insight into shopping behavior and decisions. There are no known risks or discomforts associated with this research. There is an incentive of a drawing for a $50 gift card to Target offered for your participation. This information will not be shared with anyone, will be kept on a secure server, and will be deleted following the drawing. If you should be the winner of the drawing, I will contact you by the email address provided to arrange for payment. If you have any questions about this research project, please feel free to send me an e-mail at jonescl@uga.edu. Questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant should be directed to The Chairperson, University of Georgia Institutional Review Board, 612 Boyd GSRC, Athens, Georgia 30602-7411; telephone (706) 542-3199; email address irb@uga.edu. By completing the survey (or participating in the experiment), you are agreeing to participate in the above described research project. Thank you for your consideration! Please print and keep this screen for your records. Sincerely, Christie Jones
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Appendix C Apparel Multi-channel Shopping Survey

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Apparel Multi-channel Shopping Survey

For this survey, you will be asked questions about an apparel retailer brand. Please select one of the three retailers listed below that you have had some experience with. If you have not had experience with any of the retailers listed below then consider the one you are most familiar with. Please answer the following questions based on your decision and keep the specific retailer in mind when asked about either the apparel brand or the retailer. 1. Banana Republic 2. Urban Outfitters 3. Forever 21

Section 1 For each of the questions listed below please select the one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your experience with and attitude toward the retailer.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. I have had positive past experiences with this retailer. 2. I have had consistent experiences with this retailer. 3. I have been satisfied with my decisions to buy apparel from this retailer. 4. I have had satisfactory customer service when dealing with this apparel brand. 5. Any problems with this retailer were handled promptly and to my liking. 6. I think that the general quality of this retailers service is good. 7. Overall, my feelings towards this retailer are good. 8. I am satisfied with my purchasing experience with this retailer.
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9. I believe buying products from this retailer is usually a satisfying experience.

Section 2 For each of the questions listed below please select the one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your experience with the retailer.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. I do not intend to keep buying apparel from this retailer. 2. If another apparel retailer is having a sale, I will generally buy the other retailers brand instead of this one.

3. If a garment is not available in the store 1 when I need it, I will buy it somewhere else. 4. If a garment is not available in the store when I need it, I will buy it another time. 1

Section 3 For each of the questions listed below please select the one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your feelings about the retailer.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. I trust this retailer. 2. This retailer cant be counted on to do its job. 3. I feel that I can trust this retailer completely. 4. I cant rely on this retailer. 5. I feel secure when I buy apparel from this retailer because I know it will never let me down.

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

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6. This retailer has a reputation for being good. 7. This retailer has a reputation for being unreliable. 8. Other people have told me that this retailer is not good. 9. Other people have told me that this retailer is reliable. 10. This retailer is reputed to perform well. 11. I have heard negative comments about this retailer. 12. When I buy apparel from this retailer, I know exactly what to expect. 13. I can always anticipate correctly how this retailers apparel will perform. 14. This retailers apparel is not consistent in its quality. 15. This retailers apparel performs consistently. 16. This retailers apparel performance tends to be quite variable. I cant always be sure how it will perform the next time I buy it.

Section 4 For each of the questions listed below please select the one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your attitudes toward fashion clothing. (Fashion clothing represents clothing that is the current style of dress.)
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. I consider fashion clothing to be a central part of my life. 2. I think about fashion clothing a lot.
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3. For me personally, fashion clothing is an important product. 4. I am very interested in fashion clothing. 5. Fashion clothing is an important part of my life. 6. Fashion clothing is important to me. 7. I am very much involved with fashion clothing. 8. I am an experienced user of fashion clothing.

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

Section 5 For each of the questions listed below please select the one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your attitude toward the Internet.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. The Internet makes me uncomfortable because I dont understand it. 2. I feel intimidated by the Internet. 3. The Internet is a fast and efficient means of gathering information. 4. The Internets complexity intimidates me. 5. Life will be easier and faster with the Internet. 6. The Internet can eliminate a lot of tedious work. 7. Shopping over the Internet would be a safe way to shop. 8. I would trust online retailers enough to feel safe shopping over the Internet.
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1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

9. Shopping over the Internet would be very risky.

Section 6 For each of the questions listed below please select the one answer from very inexperienced to very experienced that best describes your experience with researching and purchasing apparel on the Internet.
Inexperienced Neutral Experienced

1. Compared to the general population, how would you rate your experience at researching apparel on the Internet? 2. Compared to the general population, how would you rate your experience at purchasing apparel on the Internet?

For the following sections of the survey, please pick the retailer you have chosen earlier. Select "click here" to browse the retailer's website. The website will open in a separate window. Please spend about 5-10 minutes searching for a shirt or blouse. Choose a color and size and read the provided information about the garment. When you are finished please close the window and return to finish the survey. Banana Republic click here Urban Outfitters click here Forever 21 click here

Section 7 Please answer the following questions based on your experience visiting the apparel retailer's website and searching for a shirt or blouse. Select one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your perception of the website.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. The information on the website is pretty much what I would need to complete my purchase.

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2. The website adequately meets my apparel information needs.

3. The information on the website is effective. 1 4. The display pages within the website are easy to read. 5. The text on the website is easy to read. 6. The website labels are easy to understand. 7. It would be easy for me to become skillful at using the website. 8. I find the website easy to use. 9. The website is innovative. 10. The website design is innovative. 11. The website allows me to interact with it to receive customized information. 12. I can interact with the website in order to get information customized to my specific needs. 13. The website displays a visually pleasing design. 14. The website is visually appealing. 15. The website projects an image consistent with the retailers image. 16. The website fits with my image of the retailer. 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

1 1 1

2 2 2

3 3 3

4 4 4

5 5 5

1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

Section 8 For each of the questions listed below select one answer from strongly disagree to strongly agree that best describes your online shopping intention and brand loyalty.

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Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

1. The likelihood that I would search for apparel on this retailers website is high. 2. I would be willing to buy apparel from this retailers website. 3. I would be willing to recommend this retailers website to my friends. 4. I would probably become loyal to this retailers website. 5. This website will become one of my favorite sites to shop for apparel. 6. I would prefer shopping at this website rather than other apparel websites. Demographic Information 1. Age: ________ 2. Ethnicity/Race: ( ) Caucasian/White ( ) African-American ( ) Native American/Aleut

( ) Hispanic/Latino ( ) Asian/Pacific Islander ( ) Other

3. What is your monthly expenditure including living expenses? ( ) $0-$199 ( ) $200-$399 ( ) $400-$599 ( ) $600-$799 ( ) $800-$999 ( ) Over $1000 ( ) Do not know

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4. Approximately how much money did you spend on clothing last month? ( ) $0-$49 ( ) $50-$99 ( ) $100-$149 ( ) $150-$199 ( ) Over $200 ( ) Do not know

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