Consumer Behaviour in Fashion

The fashion industry is one of the largest and most influential sectors globally. Consumer psychology plays a pivotal role in not just shaping strategies to drive success in the industry, but also providing insight into consumers’ motivations and behaviours, which can further empower fashion brands to establish stronger connections with consumers, build brand loyalty, and thrive in a competitive market. This chapter focuses on consumer behaviour in a fashion context. It starts with a discussion of fashion consumption and key factors influencing it, focusing specifically on the consumer decision-making literature relevant to fashion consumption, neural activity, as well as personality and individual differences. In discussing the emerging field of consumer neuroscience, the authors point out that measures of neural activity can complement standard measures of consumer behaviour. In the second portion of the chapter, they discuss applications of psychology to fashion marketing. They first review psychological research relevant to marketing, branding, and advertising in fashion. They conclude by reviewing “dark practices” used by fashion brands to hijack consumers’ normal decision making and drive sales through the use of nudges and interface designs.