New Seniors' Information Sources, Store Selection Criteria, and Sales Associates' Attributes for Clothing: Based on Their Clothing Involvement

Abstract

This study examines female new seniors’ clothing consumption behaviors, such as their information sources, clothing store selection criteria, and perceived importance of sales associates’ attributes, based on their level of clothing involvement. A face-to-face survey was conducted through a market research firm. The subjects of this study were female adults in their 50s and 60s residing in the Seoul metro area (N=197). Significant differences were found in the clothing consuming behaviors of new seniors depending on their clothing involvement(CI). High-CI new seniors tended to place more importance on both personal and non-personal information sources than low-CI new seniors. High-CI new seniors place importance both "merchandise assortment and store atmosphere" and "sales associates and service" when they select stores for clothing than low-CI new seniors. In terms of sales associates’ attributes, high-CI new seniors tend to place more importance on customer-orientation than mediumand low-CI groups. Mediumand high-CI new seniors tend to place more importance on appearance than low-CI groups. However, there were no significant statistical differences for professional expertise among the three different CI groups.