Exploring factors influencing consumer preference for secondhand clothing over traditionally produced textiles goods in the Tamale metropolis in Ghana

Abstract

The study examines factors that influence consumers’ preference for secondhand clothes over traditionally produced textiles and garments or otherwise within the Tamale metropolis in the Northern region of Ghana. A qualitative descriptive design was employed to determine reasons that might account for patronage of secondhand goods over traditionally produced items or vice versa by considering Lyon’s “Models of customer choice” framework. An inductive thematic analysis was employed through in-depth interviews to collect and analyze data from 28 Participants using purposive and accidental sampling techniques. The findings identified higher patronage of secondhand goods over the traditionally produced ones within the metropolis. Factors identified include low-income level of consumers, high taste for foreign goods, high cost of locally produced textiles, lack of patriotism, among others, as main reasons for the high patronage of secondhand goods compared to items produced traditionally within the metropolis. Interventions suggested were lowering the importation of secondhand goods or placing total ban on them, others suggested that stakeholders must make efforts to improve on indigenous technologies to enhance and speed up production processes in the weaving, dyeing and printing sectors, developed means of producing raw materials locally for the industry thereby reducing the overall cost of end products.