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Product Attributes:

Product attributes play a very important role in marketing from the


perspective of the marketer and consumer and it has long been
recognized as an opportunity to set the marketers brand apart from
competition. Consumers also value attributes since they are used as
the basis for evaluating a product. Attributes also provide the
benefits consumers seek for purchasing a product.

Relevant Literature:
Consumer Decision-Making Approaches
Consumer decision-making styles are designed, mental and
intellectual orientations that reliably rule a shopper's methodology
in settling on buy decisions (Sproles, 1985, Sproles and Kendall,
1986).
The idea of buying behavior is that individuals purchase products
not for what they do but rather for what they remain for. This idea
suggests that, the product plays a significant role, which goes past
their purposes, what really they implied for, and buyers have a
tendency to build up an association with the product and complete
their purchasing choices based on that.
In the buyer decision making procedure, customers invest a great
deal of time, energy, and effort for more costly items which are
called high involvement products. Previous research shoes that,
under high involvement conditions, purchaser choice procedures are
thought to continue through extended decision making, a
progression of consecutive stages including information inquiry and
assessment of criteria (Celebi, 2009; Browne and Kaldenberg,
1997).
Then again, purchasers invest less time, energy, and effort for less
exciting products which are called "low involvement products. They
are also less expensive. (Celebi, 2009; Wells et al., 1995 and Chung
and Zhao, 2003).
Therefore, the literature recommended that, the above mentioned
high involvement and low involvement products are preferred by
various types of people (Zaichkowsky, 1985).
Thus the main criteria of the decision making process involves the
Product Attribute with respect to the need and values of the
consumers.
If the buyers perceive the item as significant, their participation is
higher (Celebi, 2009). The current interest of this study is to analyze
the Apparel product attributes that influences the purchasing
decision.

Apparel Choice Criteria


Researchers have recognized numerous product attributes and
criteria that are essential for apparel buyers, and all these can be
compressed under intrinsic and extrinsic classes.
Intrinsic product attributes are those that can't be changed
without adjusting the physical qualities of the product (Zhang et al,
2002), while extrinsic ones are those that are applied by producers
or retailers and don't form the parts of the product Zhang et al.
(2002).
Distinctive criteria may have varied significance in every customer's
brain. While shoppers would allocate high significance on the criteria
that can truly mirror their basic attributes and encounters. Since the
basic attributes of attire can simply focus its ultimate buying
acknowledgement or dismissal by customers (Sproles, 1979), the
criteria that buyers use in garments purchasing choices have long
been viewed as an essential issue for examination in numerous past
consumer buying behavioral studies.
Henceforth we would characterize them into three expansive
streams of significant literature on Apparel Product Attributes as
a driver of decision.

The first research stream archives buyer preference for specific


product based on intrinsic factors.
The second stream of relevant literature is on categorization of
extrinsic categories.
However, many researchers have recommended a grouping of
both Intrinsic and Extrinsic factors that persuade the consumer
buying behaviour as a whole. Hence, this literature forms the
foundation of our empirical measurement of the research
content.

Relevant Literature based on Intrinsic Attributes

Consider the first stream on consumer preferences for Intrinsic


Product Attributes. Eckman et al. (1990) have summarized the
criteria that influence consumers evaluation of apparel products in
various clothing related studies from 1971 to 1988 into extrinsic and
intrinsic attributes.
A product therefore, represent a complex set of Intrinsic
Attributes that include fit, comfort, style, color, workmanship,
permeability, fabric softness, trendiness, durability, easy care, fiber
content, warmness and fabric thickness.

When consumers form an attitude towards the product, they make


evaluative associations between the product and its attributes.
Some of those attributes may be utilitarian such as durability or
comfort or hedonic such as color, fashion ability, or styling.
(Kim, Damhorst and Lee 2002). Beaudion, Moore, and
Goldsmith (1998) analyzed the attributes towards buying
domestic and imported apparel products using a selection of
attributes such as good fit, durability, ease of care, comfort, quality,
choice of color, attractiveness, fashionableness and choice of styles.
A classic style is a look that is always available in some form that is
appropriate for many occasions, and acceptable to many consumer
groups (Brannon, 2000:7). Some consumers make choices
concerning apparel on the basis of comfort and practicality.
Product quality refers to the features or characteristics of a product
or service that is able to satisfy the stated or implied customer
needs. In other words, product quality can be defined as fitness for
use or conformance to requirement (Russell Bennett, McColl
Kennedy & Coote, 2007). In this study, product attribute
dimension includes fit, quality, style and durability.

Relevant Literature based on Extrinsic Attributes


Another relevant stream of literature are the Extrinsic Product
Attributes such as price, brand, country of origin, store location,
store image, co-ordination with wardrobe salespersons evaluation,
approval of others, warranty, gender appropriateness, packaging
along with social, and psychological benefits. Eckman et al.
(1990)
These Attributes are well defined as the elements or features that
an object may or may not posses (Mowen, 1993).
Store attributes are the store atmospherics and characteristics like
facilities in the store, services provided by the store, store format
etc. which influence the consumer apparel buying behaviour
(Gurunathan,
2013). Attitude toward promoted brands is
characterized by positive store image, smart shopper self
perception, need for affiliation, and money attitude regarding power,
prestige and anxiety. However, attitude of consumers towards store
brands is determined by more positive store image, price
advantage, and range of products to exercise buying options, loyalty
and trust related factors (Liu and Wang, 2008).
Kaushik & Taneja (2007) observed and analyzed the factors that
affect the readymade garments purchasing in multi-brand retail
outlet and found that promotional offers, physical evidence,

responsiveness of the store people, tangible cues and services are


the important factors.
When we are talking about fashion clothing consumption, we should
take some dimensions into consideration such as Fashion
consciousness, individual orientation, status orientation, style
opinion leadership, price orientation and shopping habits (Seo,
Hathcote and Sweaney 2001). Brand image of the clothing store
is particularly critical too.

Literature based on Intrinsic and Extrinsic


Attributes
Now as mentioned above, there are researchers who associate both
Intrinsic and Extrinsic factors that influence the consumer buying
behaviour while making a purchasing decision.
There are a number of studies which examine product attributes
sought, in general, without linking them to the retail format choice.
For example, Cassill and Drake (1987) identify several product
attributes evaluated when selecting apparel products including
brand, quality of construction, fiber content, price, good buy, good
fit,
durability,
fabric
type
and
quality,
ease-ofcare,
beautiful/attractive, fashionable, color, and prestige.
Catherine & Etienne (2009) explored the association between
age & other key variables i.e price, durability, suitability affecting
the buying behavior of clothes. Young participants prefer low price
while older consumers prefer suitability and durability as crucial
while purchasing clothes.
Kervenoael, De et all (2011) observed that the decisions for
buying apparel are affected by functional values (i.e cost, quality,
guarantee & warranty etc) as well as fashion (style, image).
Based on previous research, Eckman, Damhorst and Kadolph
(1990) investigate the importance of product attributes such as
price, brand, and coordination with wardrobe, product composition,
style, color / pattern, fit, fabric, fiber content, care, durability,
quality, construction and fabric. Findings indicate that styling is the
most important criteria to consumers, followed by color/pattern, fit,
fabric, appearance, and price.
Price, fitting, income level of consumers are important factors and
some factors which are found to be insignificant are status,
durability, and celebrity endorsement which can be ignored by the
apparel retailers in their efforts to tap and capture the market
(Rajput et al, 2012).
Shim & Bickle (1994) examine product attributes as a part of
benefit segmentation in relation to choice of retail format. However,

these studies do not link product attributes to choice of retail


format. Although not a recent study, Shim and Kotsiopulos
(1992) examined a broad and comprehensive list of both store and
product attributes in relation to retail format choice. The study
includes four retail formats (discount stores, specialty stores,
department stores, and catalogs) and seven categories of attributes
(sales personnel, customer services, visual image of the store,
price/return
policies,
easy
access,
brand/fashion,
and
quality/variety).

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