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The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Fashion Retail
The fashion industry is driven by the consumer. The introduction of Generation Z to the retail marketplace brings a unique set of consumer preferences and expectations that must be met to ensure a brand’s success. Retail is undergoing a major evolution and research is essential to determine the “how”; how retail is changing and how retailers can adapt for the future. Learning the customer is an essential part of this process. Very few studies have directly asked Generation Z shoppers what they want from the retail environment. Moreover, none were identified that specifically asked fashion students—our future industry professionals—what they want to see from fashion retailers. To address this gap, these representatives of the cohort were specifically chosen for this study because of their curricular focus and first-hand experience in the retail and fashion industry. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive view of what these educated consumers value most in the customer experience, the advantages and drawbacks of brick-and-mortar retail shopping today and what they wish to see change in the future. Findings of this research will inform initiatives related to technology, products and services that fashion retailers must consider to meet evolving customer needs. Overall, the results supported the literature and added to the understanding that Generation Z is not a homogeneous group when it comes to shopping behavior and preferences. The entire fate of retail is based on how well brands can adapt to the changing face of its customer.
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Augmented and Virtual Reality as Experiential Retail Strategy: Social Responsibility Knowledge, Concern, and Purchase Intention Among Gen Z
The purpose of this research is to understand how knowledge of Fair Trade creates a sense of social responsibility concern which would lead to purchase intention; while being moderated with the use and perception of Virtual (VR) and/ or Augmented Reality (AR). An online survey of 214 Gen Z respondents was conducted through an online survey in order to understand participants thoughts and familiarity with AR/VR. After the data was collected a hierarchical regression using SPSS 24.0 was run to understand the relationship between each variable of the study leading to purchase intention. A majority of respondents were female and 18 years old with 78.0% indicating that they would use AR/VR to enhance their shopping experience. It was found that knowledge on Fair Trade is not significant on purchase intention and neither the perception of AR/VR. However, it was found that social responsibility concern and use of AR/VR is significant on purchase intention. Overall, it was found that AR and VR are tools this generation is willing to use within their shopping experience. Particularly, when it comes to fair trade and social responsibility, this group is looking forward to being educated on the topics. Utilizing AR/VR in the shopping experience in store or online should be of high consideration of retailers wanting to create empathy in how clothes were made. Academics should focus more on how this type of experience could be created and marketed as a form of experiential retailing.
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