Do Fashion Blogs Influence Vintage Fashion Consumption? An Analysis from the Perspective of the Chinese Market

Abstract

Vintage consumption has gained popularity in the last number of years and is especially relevant to the fashion sector. The feeling of nostalgia, need for status and uniqueness have been identified as the main reasons behind vintage fashion purchase. Previously information about vintage items has been mainly available in fashion magazines or movies but has now spread to new digital channels, which chained with the development of Web 2.0 and social media. Social media has contributed to disseminate vintage-related information especially through blogs—two-way communication platforms that allow to share/create information collectively through users’ interaction (eWOM). Previous research has demonstrated the influence of blogs on consumers’ decision-making process. Moreover, blogs, along with more formal sources, provide insight not only on what is available, but also on the movements that exist within the vintage fashion collective and how to “wear it”. These, as in mainstream, may help shape and inform the decisions that consumers make and reassure them in the decision-making process. This chapter explores the influence of fashion blogs on consumers’ awareness and purchase intention of vintage fashion, from the perspective of Chinese consumers. Following a quantitative approach, the research has applied a questionnaire built on validated scales including nostalgia proneness, need of status, need of uniqueness, consumers’ awareness and consumer purchase intention. The questionnaire was distributed through WeChat and Weblog—179 valid responses were obtained. The research demonstrates that fashion blogs influence nostalgia proneness, need of status and need of uniqueness associated with vintage fashion with consequences to consumers’ awareness. However, the direct influence on purchase intention cannot be demonstrated.