UNDERSTANDING ONLINE CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR
AND PREFERENCES IN A FASHION CONTEXT
IN ORDER TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS TO A WEBSHOP
Characters: 175.735
Supervisor: Joan Pape Rasmussen
Master of Arts in Corporate Communication – March 2013
Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences – Aarhus University
By Eva Lund Hansen
Afhandling/Master Thesis
Indlevering af afhandling på Cand.merc., Cand.IT, Cand.ling.merc. og HD-studier / Delivery of
the Master Thesis for the Master programmes
Der afleveres til Studieadministrationen / To be handed in at the Registrar’s Office:
- en kopi af indberetningskvitteringen fra Theses@asb / a copy of the receipt from Theses@asb
- 2 trykte eksemplarer af afhandlingen / 2 printed copies of your thesis
- 2 udfyldte eksemplarer af denne formular / 2 filled in copies of this form
HD-afhandlinger afleveres på samme måde til instituttet / Likewise, Graduate Diploma theses are to be delivered to
the Department.
Titel (brug venligst blokbogstaver) / Thesis Title (capital letters)
HUSK - også titel på fremmedsprog - kun for CLM / REMEMBER – Title in the foreign language – only for CLM
UNDERSTANDING ONLINE CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOURS
AND PREFERENCES IN A FASHION CONTEXT IN ORDER TO
ATTRACT CUSTOMERS TO A WEBSHOP
Evt. undertitel / Subtitle
Emneord / Subjects (min. 3 words)
ONLINE RETAILING
RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
FASHION
CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR
Opgaveløser(e) / Author(s)
NAVN
/ NAME
STUDIENUMMER
/
STUDENT NO
NAVN
EVA LUND HANSEN
E-MAIL
283419
STUDIE
/
STUDIE
E-MAIL
/
STUDIE
STUDENT NO
VEJLEDER
/
COURSE
/ NAME
STUDIENUMMER
MACC
E-MAIL
STUDENT NO
NAVN
/
COURSE
/ NAME
STUDIENUMMER
evalundhansen@yahoo
.dk
/ INSTRUCTOR
BIVEJLEDER
/ CO-INSTRUCTOR
JOAN PAPE RASMUSSEN
VIL DU TILLADE ONLINE ADGANG VIA
BIBLIOTEKETS DATABASE
INSTITUT
/ DEPARTMENT
INSTITUT FOR ERHVERVSKOM.
JA
/ YES
NEJ
/ NO
/ WOULD YOU
PERMIT ONLINE ACCESS FROM THE
LIBRARY DATABASE
/
COURSE
X
X
Udfyldes af instituttet / To be filled in by the department
DATO OG UNDERSKRIFT
SIGNATURE
/ DATE AND
LOKALE
CENSOR
/ PLACE
DATO
/ DATE
KL.
/ HOUR
/ EXAMINER
Business and Social Sciences
Aarhus Universitet
Tåsingegade 3, building
1443, room 021
DK – 8000 Århus C
Tel. 871 64026
E-mail: studieadm@asb.dk
Abstract – Executive Summary
Since the beginning of the 1990’s the technology of the Internet has undergone a rapid growth and
in the past 10 years the online commerce industry has gained popularity as well. Many businesses
have started incorporating e-commerce into their repertoire of services in order to serve their
customers 24/7. These societal changes have changed the consumption behaviour of consumers and
increased the competition in the online environment. Accordingly, contemporary consumers have
become multi-channel customers, who define and construct their desired identities through
consumption, and use social media sites or communities to brand themselves or their “ideal” selves.
In the dynamic environment of the Internet both companies and consumers are active participants in
the creation of brand meaning. The Internet has changed how consumers relate to brands, and
companies now focus on building consumer-brand relations online, in order to engage in dialogue
with customers and learn about their preferences. Hence, the marketing practice has become more
customer centred. Marketers have increased their emphasis on long-time client relationships,
because loyalty and stronger consumer relations are associated with a greater degree of crossbuying, a more significant level of transactions online, and consequently higher profits.
Maria Black Jewellery (MBJ)1 is a Danish jewellery brand that constitutes the
exploratory case study of this thesis. The brand is primarily sold via offline retailers, however, the
company would benefit much financially if it could attract and win over customers to buy directly
from MBJ’s own webshop. Despite the fact that current retailing trends show a shift from
traditional retailing to an increased use of the Internet, many consumers still prefer the “real
experience” of going to a store and trying things on before they decide on a purchase. The fact is,
that consumers have different informational needs when shopping on the Internet. Understanding
consumers’ motivations to shop fashion items online is of major importance for a company offering
e-commerce in order to make adequate strategic marketing decisions. Effective marketing strategies
are especially important in the fashion sector due to a highly competitive marketplace and changing
business environment. This thesis is therefore motivated by investigating which factors that can be
instrumental for a fashion brand like MBJ in gaining more customers for their online webshop.
Fashion items like jewellery are high involvement products. People care about what
kind of jewellery they buy, as they play an important function in the symbolic interaction with
consumers’ emotional experiences in market environments. In the theoretical foundation of the
study, it is found that MBJ must signify the brand and imbue it with a strong symbolic meaning,
beyond its utility of just looking pretty, in order to appeal to postmodern consumers. It was also
1
Referred to in plural.
found that whether consumers buy these items in a store or online is mainly dependent on
convenience and that trust is critical in online transactions. Additionally, the theory suggests that
building relational bonds online via social networking sites and brand communities could be ways
to gain customers for a company like MBJ. Subsequently, the empirical purpose is to investigate
what it is that drive consumers to shop for fashion items online versus offline, and how a company
like MBJ can build consumer-brand relationships online.
The empirical research clarified that MBJ need to focus on several other factors than
just building good consumer-brand relations online, as the participants of the focus group were very
descriptive in their minimum requirements they believed an online webshop should meet, before
whey would even consider making a purchase. In addition, the analysis found that MBJ have
succeeded in establishing a brand identity and image as a cool fashion brand, offering the
postmodern consumers interchangeable pieces that can be mixed and matched, creating an attractive
brand identity that consumers want to engage with. The analysis also identified three potential new
segments that could become online customers in the future, besides the target group of fashion
conscious women between 20-40 years old, if MBJ directed individual marketing communications
toward these consumers.
The thesis reaches suggestive answers and provides recommendations that MBJ could
initiate to gain more online customers. The study suggests that MBJ must build consumer-brand
relations online via Facebook, an online platform named the MBJ Universe, and by strategic use of
bloggers. Furthermore, the company should make use of selective distribution to create brand
awareness offline. MBJ should also leverage on the interactivity potential of the Internet and make
the webshop more relational, and implement features that can provide the online customers with an
“added value”. Finally, loyalty programs in the form of cost-saving initiatives, like offering
discount codes and free shipping would also appeal to a large segment.
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Preface
Maria Black Jewellery (MBJ) constitutes the case study in this thesis, however, the research is by
no means “ordered” by the company. The motivation for choosing the topic of how a fashion
company can gain more customers online, is due to the fact that I in 2012 started my own hobby
business – a webshop where I sell handmade jewellery. Shortly after the webshop opened I
experienced how difficult it is to attract and win over people to buy online from a newly established
webshop. Furthermore, I was surprised to discover how much of the profit the stores claimed before
they would retail the items. It got me thinking about how other design companies overcome these
challenges in their start-up years. Consequently, the topic of online fashion retailing and the issue
presented in the study have intrinsic value to me. Finally, during my five years of study I have
always been characterised as a student who likes to approach issues from a practical stance, and I
still am. The fact that the findings can be applied and made used of in real life is a paramount
motivation for me. Writing the paper has been a very exciting and educational experience. I hope
you enjoy reading it.