An Analysis of Consumer Decision-Making Processes When Purchasing Clothing Accessories in Finland: a Case Study for Suomi Accessory Oy
Qi, Yuechan; Ke, Xue (2017)
Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201705127990
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201705127990
Tiivistelmä
The study analyzes how gender, age and income level, as three independent variables, affect the consumer decision-making process when buying the clothing accessories in Finland. The purpose of the research is to get insight into the consumer characteristics and behaviors when buying clothing accessories, helping the case company Suomi Accessory Oy. to improve their marketing strategies and to build the consumer relationships.
The research is planned based on the theories of consumer decision-making process and consumer behavior, and the study of clothing accessories. The quantitative method is utilized as the main methodology. Correspondingly, a questionnaire is designed to gather the primary data. The samples are potential consumers of clothing accessories in Finland. Among 200 answers that the authors receive, the number of valid answers is 170. The data is gathered by three ways: the online survey through emails, the street intercept survey, and the paper survey distributed in the store of the case company. Gender, age and income level are selected as three variables to make the analysis. To process the data, the authors make descriptive analyses on each question, and deeply analyze the statistics by means of correlation and Chi-square analysis methods, supported by software SPSS 24.
Through the three-month investigation, the findings on how variables influence ‘purchase frequency’, ‘importance for self-image’, ‘purchase motivations’, ‘information sources’, ‘reference groups’, ‘evaluation criteria’, ‘planned or impulsive purchase’ and ‘post-purchase shop selection’ are examined, according to the order of the five stages of the decision-making process.
In the future research, qualitative research, such as group interviews, can be conducted for the deeper understanding on the target groups. Additionally, specific aspects can be explored, i.e, how emotion affects consumer behavior, or how different categories of clothing accessories influence consumer behavior.
The research is planned based on the theories of consumer decision-making process and consumer behavior, and the study of clothing accessories. The quantitative method is utilized as the main methodology. Correspondingly, a questionnaire is designed to gather the primary data. The samples are potential consumers of clothing accessories in Finland. Among 200 answers that the authors receive, the number of valid answers is 170. The data is gathered by three ways: the online survey through emails, the street intercept survey, and the paper survey distributed in the store of the case company. Gender, age and income level are selected as three variables to make the analysis. To process the data, the authors make descriptive analyses on each question, and deeply analyze the statistics by means of correlation and Chi-square analysis methods, supported by software SPSS 24.
Through the three-month investigation, the findings on how variables influence ‘purchase frequency’, ‘importance for self-image’, ‘purchase motivations’, ‘information sources’, ‘reference groups’, ‘evaluation criteria’, ‘planned or impulsive purchase’ and ‘post-purchase shop selection’ are examined, according to the order of the five stages of the decision-making process.
In the future research, qualitative research, such as group interviews, can be conducted for the deeper understanding on the target groups. Additionally, specific aspects can be explored, i.e, how emotion affects consumer behavior, or how different categories of clothing accessories influence consumer behavior.