An investigation into the current differences in fashion consumer behaviour between men and women
Authors
Perez, Adelaida Iglesias
Issue Date
2006
Degree
MA of Business Administration (international)
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
Today, the roles are changing and the differences among genders in the new generations are gentler. It is said that nowadays, young men are much more fashion aware than before, but to what extent are they really fashion conscious? The purpose of this study was to establish a comparison between men and women aged 20 to 25 years old in terms of fashion consumer behaviour to reveal if both genders are really developing a similar trend or if, on the contrary, genders are still quite different in this field. A primary research was conducted, using qualitative and quantitative techniques to allow the triangulation. Two focus groups and a self-administered questionnaire were the methods utilized to assess the differences/similarities in fashion consumer behaviour among a sample of 52 postgraduate students in Dublin Business School during October and November 2006. The results revealed that young men and women are indeed becoming closer in term of fashion consumer behaviour, but there are still remarkable differences among them. For women fashion is very important and they are completely involved with it. However, the results revealed a lack of interest among men in terms of fashion, what points out the need of introducing changes in the system of approaching them and on the way of presenting the shopping experience to young male customers. The study also showed that marketers still have to learn lots about these new fashion consumers, stating for how marketing communications can improve their connection with young men.