Advances In Management
9 (6) June (2016)
Case Study:
An Insight into the Buying Behaviour of Urban
Consumers towards Casual Wear-
An Empirical Evaluation
Lall Seema1 and Mukherjee Shankha2*
1. JD Birla Institute (Department of Management), 1, Moira Street, Kolkata- 700017, INDIA
2. YES Bank Limited, Chittaranjan Avenue Branch, Ground floor, 271 Chittaranjan Avenue, Kolkata- 700 006, INDIA
*shankha.mukherjee@yesbank.in; shankhamukherjee@yahoo.co.in
Abstract
This study is an attempt to examine the influence of
reference group and the importance of functional and
perceptual features on the buying behaviour of
consumers of branded casual wear in the city of
Kolkata (India). A total of three reference group
variables were tested along with eight variables each
of functional and perceptual features (attributes) of
casual wear brands. This investigation has been done
to test the differences occurring because of gender
and/or education of the respondents. No difference
was found in the buying behaviour of males and
females for reference group. Similar was the finding
when these variables were tested with the education
level of the respondents.
Among the variables of attributes, it was found that a
difference existed among the men and women and also
the levels of education when it came to giving
importance to fabric quality of the casual wear while
making a purchase of the same. The importance of
stitch/workmanship differed between the two genders.
A sense of belonging and an increase in social status
as gains from the purchase of a brand of casual wear
were attribute variables for which a significant
difference was found depending upon the education
levels of the respondents.
Keywords: Buying behavior, casual wear, reference group,
perceptual/functional features, hedonistic.
Introduction
The apparel industry offers various categories of apparels.
Among them, casual wear has particular importance
because it represents the largest market of apparel.13 The
purchase behaviour of consumers of casual wear is
influenced by many factors. Family, friends and stars (film-
stars, sport-stars etc) as categories of reference group
influence the buying decision of the consumers. Also, any
consumer before buying evaluates the casual wear on the
basis of the various functional features (e.g. fit, size etc.)
and perceptual features (e.g. sense of belonging, boosting
self-esteem etc.) that it has to offer as attributes of the
* Author for Correspondence
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Vol.
casual wear. In this regard this study has been undertaken
to elicit opinions of the consumers of casual wear and
conclude about the influence of referral groups and the
importance of various attributes on the buying behaviour of
the consumers of casual wear.
Review of Literature
Clothing has been cited as one of the principal means open
for achieving prestige or status8. Kim and Han4 found in
their research on black consumers that they had unique
perceptions of branded apparel. O’ Neal7 confirmed that
this set of consumers use dresses as a visual evidence of
their ethnicity.
McKinney et al6 conducted a study to determine the
relation of selected social factors namely reference group,
social participation, fashion involvement, clothing benefits
sought, social environment to the clothing buying
behaviour patterns of black college consumers. Their
sample consisted of black students attending two US
universities. The survey method of data collection with a
five point Likert scale was used. A factor analysis with
varimax rotation was run and they identified six factors of
clothing benefits sought. Analysis of variance tests
(ANOVA) was used to test the relationships and significant
differences between the mean responses. Social
participation and social gathering (which are components
of a sense of belonging) were significantly related with
buying behaviour. No difference in buying behaviour was
found among the black college consumers for the variables
of reference group and clothing benefits sought.13
Zhang et al13 studied the importance Chinese consumers
attach to various attributes in buying casual wear. Data
were gathered from a questionnaire survey and a total of
fifteen attributes were identified. Among these, fit, comfort,
style, colour and workmanship were the most important
attributes for Chinese consumers. Also, it was found that
female consumers placed more importance on most of the
attributes, especially for fit, comfort, style and colour,
indicating that appearance is important to them. Therefore,
they have a stringent standard set for evaluating a casual
wear on the basis of attributes. On the other hand, men are
liberal in their evaluation of a casual wear.
ANOVA or independent t-tests were undertaken to find the
impacts of demographic factors on the importance of
attributes. It was found that gender has no significant
Advances In Management
impact on workmanship, trendiness and price. Education
was found to have a significant impact on six attributes
namely, fit, comfort, style, colour, brand and fiber content.
Level of education was found to be directly proportional to
importance given to these attributes by the consumers.
Wu and Delong12 conducted a study on consumer
perceptions of western branded denim jeans (a casual
wear). This was an attempt to examine the symbolic
meanings of different brands of jeans originating in the
western part of the world. Observation method was
followed to document the Chinese consumers’ uses of
western jeans brands in two shopping malls. This gave data
on the percentage of shoppers entering the malls in a pair of
jeans, popularity of jeans as a casual wear for shopping and
some basic information about the wearers of jeans in terms
of gender, approximate age etc. A consumer survey was
also done with open ended questions; the responses of
which were later analyzed using content analysis technique.
Data analysis also combined statistics like mean and
frequency. A total of nineteen broad attributes were
identified through content analysis of the open ended
questions concerning the feelings of the wearer. Comfort,
fit, design, cut, fashion, quality and durability were the
most frequently mentioned attributes of western branded
jeans.
No significant differences were found in the responses of
different demographic groups. Comfort, fit, design and cut
(in order), were the important attributes (functional) that
were identified. Fashion was singled out as the most
important attribute of the western branded jeans. Some
other attributes (perceptual) that were identified were: feel-
good factor, cool, sporty, self-esteem, high status,
reputation etc. to which the consumers laid importance
while purchasing a casual wear.
In the study conducted to examine the views of the mature
women consumers of UK by Britwistle and Tsim2 on the
current fashion clothing provision and to evaluate their
purchasing behaviour; some useful insights were sought.
This study by Britwistle and Tsim2 makes a distinction
between cognitive and chronological age. Where cognitive
age is the age that an individual feels, chronological age is
the actual age of the individual. Due to this distinction there
is an impact on the buying behaviour of clothing. One does
not buy what would suit her as per her chronological age
but would act as per the cognitive age. Also, accordingly
the buyers differ in the amount of importance that they lay
on different attributes of the clothing being purchased.
A judgmental sample of fifteen female consumers of age
above forty-five years was interviewed face to face to
explore their purchase behaviour. The questions were
aimed at identifying the various functional features of the
garments purchased like quality, design and fit. The
responses of this phase were analyzed using data reduction
methods of categorization, identification of emergent
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themes and clustering. The findings were used to design the
questionnaire for the second phase. The questions were
designed based on the factors identified in the previous
phase relating to fashion and purchase decision, likes and
dislikes towards the clothing etc.
There were open ended questions which were later
analyzed by using content analysis techniques. Closed and
scalar (1 to 5) questions were analyzed to obtain
frequencies, means and standard deviations. ANOVA tests
were carried out and post hoc tests performed on variables
demonstrating significant differences. It was found that
respondents had a preference for natural fibers and a desire
for sizing (both being functional features). Colours were
also given importance by the buyers and they considered
garments to be an expression of personality.
Individuals develop general behaviours and attitudes by
modeling the behaviour of others1. He also states that role
models for consumers can be anyone the individual
consumer comes in contact with, who potentially can
influence the consumers’ consumption decisions. In other
words, this reference group or role models can be anyone
including, parents, siblings, peers, teachers, entertainers,
sport-stars and so on.
The study by Martin and Bush5 on the influence of role
models on the purchase intentions and behaviour of
teenagers (as buyers of clothing) reviews the concept of
role models. A convenience sample from high school was
used to test the impact of reference group on the purchase
behaviour of clothing of teenagers in this study. The data
required were collected using questionnaire survey with a
seven point continuum (adapted from Rich9), on role model
influence. Data were analyzed using regression models.
The findings stated that all types of role models (reference
group) have significant influence on the purchase decisions
made by teenagers.
A summary of the conclusions of various research studies
is given below:
a) Casual wear is an important category of apparel.
b) Buyers have a preference in terms of the type of dress
(as a casual wear) and a particular brand for the same.
c) The choice of brand depends on the various attributes
of casual wear.
d) Attributes of a casual wear can be functional (like fit,
size etc.) or perceptual (like sense of belonging, self-
esteem boost etc.).
e) The decision to buy a particular brand of casual wear
may/may not be individual’s own decision but may
depend on role models or reference groups (role
models and reference groups are used synonymously)
which may include family, friends or stars (if
categorized broadly).
A number of studies have been undertaken in the field of
apparel buying behaviour of different consumers segments.
Advances In Management
These studies give insight into the influence of reference
group and importance of different attributes on the buying
behaviour of apparels. However, no study has investigated
the buying behaviour of consumers of casual wear in the
city of Kolkata in terms of reference group influence and
various perceptual and functional attributes of a brand of
casual wear, taking the gender and education of the
respondents in consideration. It was thus of interest to
conduct this study.
Objectives
It is inferred from the earlier studies that when buyers
purchase casual wear, they are not governed by their own
individual decision but influenced by others. It is
interesting to study the influence of referral group on the
buying decisions of customers. Hence, the first objective of
this research was to examine the influence of referral group
consisting of celebrity, peers, family etc. in the buying
decisions of consumers of casual wear.
In other words, the first objective was:
a) To examine if the purchase decision of casual wear is
consumers’ own or influenced by any referral group
(celebrity, peers, family etc.).
It is also inferred from the earlier studies that a casual wear
has some distinctive features. Consumers seek different
types of benefits from casual wear. These benefits are
sought from the various features of the casual wear. These
features can be perceptual or functional. An individual
chooses to buy only after analyzing the benefits that a
particular brand has on offer. Hence, the second objective
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework for Study
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of this study was to identify those features of casual wear
brands that are of importance to the consumers of casual
wear while making their purchase.
In other words, the second objective was:
b) To identify the dominant attributes/features (perceptual
and functional) considered by the consumers in choosing
casual wear brands.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework developed for this study
analyzed the influence of various reference groups and
attributes on the buying behaviour of consumers of casual
wear. The framework was developed based on the principle
expressed in the consumer decision process model3 i. e. all
buying decisions are influenced by a set of factors-
environmental and individual. Although not expressed in
the same manner as the original framework, factors such as
reference group, functional features and perceptual features
were selected to study the buying behaviour towards casual
wear.
Solomon11 defines a reference group as an ‘actual or
imaginary individual or group conceived of having
significant relevance upon an individual’s evaluations,
aspirations, or beliefs’. This is echoed by Schiffman and
Hansen10.
The functional features derived from a casual wear are the
actual benefits sought from them while the perceptual ones
are the symbolic meanings derived from the same.
Advances In Management
For any type of casual wear, the consumer decision process
originates with need recognition. The process continues
with a search for relevant information and is followed by an
evaluation of several alternatives based on the influence of
reference groups and product attributes.
Once an alternative is selected, purchase occurs. The
fundamental concept is the act of purchasing. Prior to the
actual purchase, the stages of need recognition, information
search and evaluation of alternatives along with the act of
actual purchase are influenced by the reference groups of
the individual and also by the functional and perceptual
features of the particular brand of casual wear.
Methodology
From the literature survey the three reference groups that
were identified are family, peer group and star/ celebrity.
The eight functional features that were identified from the
literature survey are namely fit, size, design, fabric quality,
stitch/workmanship, cut, comfort and colour and the eight
perceptual features identified from the same are self-
esteem, sense of belonging, personality, self-image,
attractive, reputation, stylish and social.
These three reference groups and sixteen attributes (eight
perceptual and eight functional) were believed to be of
concern to casual wear consumers of Kolkata.
The study was conducted in two phases.
First phase
Pre-test: In the first phase a pre-test was undertaken to
determine the garments which people considered to be a
casual wear in general. A questionnaire was specially
designed for the pre-test stage. This consisted of 7 (seven)
different garments (namely jeans, t-shirt, shorts, polo-shirts,
skirts, salwar kameez and saree) and the respondents were
asked to indicate which of the listed garments were
considered as a casual wear by them. Twenty-five pre-test
questionnaires were administered with a 100 percent
completion rate.
Result of the pre-test: Three categories of garments scored
the maximum number of responses namely Jeans, Cargo
Pants and T-Shirts in order and remarkably a pair of jeans
was considered to be a casual wear by all the respondents
i.e. all the twenty-five respondents considered a pair of
jeans to be a casual wear.
Second phase: Now keeping in mind the result of the pre-
test, the second phase of data collection was conducted.
For the second phase, a questionnaire was designed which
sought to obtain data on the most favourite casual wear
among the three identified in the pre-test (Jeans, Cargo
Pants and T-Shirts) and also name a favourite brand of the
same.
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The questionnaire also sought to obtain data on the
importance of sixteen attributes (eight perceptual and eight
functional) and the influence of the three reference groups
in the purchase decision of a casual wear brand. A 5 (five)
point Likert scale was used. The respondents were asked to
rate the statements pertaining to these sixteen attributes and
three reference groups on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 being strongly
disagree and 5 strongly agree.
Demographic information on the gender and education of
the respondents was also sought to profile the respondents,
where gender had categories male and female while
education was broadly categorized as under graduate,
graduate, post graduate and above post- graduation. The
respondents of the pre-test stage were not included in the
second phase of data collection.
Sample: The sample consisted of individuals from the city
of Kolkata (India). A total of 125 individuals were
administered the questionnaires in the city of Kolkata
(India). In all 116 questionnaires were useable with a
completion rate of 92.8 percent. A judgmental sample was
used for the collection of data- the questionnaires were
administered only to those individuals who were above
eighteen years of age, were buyers of casual wear and
visited malls.
Results and Discussion
Demographic variables
Gender: The sample consisted of 78 (67.24 percent) males
and 38 (32.76 percent) females (table 1).
Education Level: The sample consisted of 12 (10.34
percent) under-graduates, 47 (40.52 percent) graduates, 56
(48.28 percent post-graduates and respondent with
education above post graduation was only 1 (0.86 percent).
So under-graduates and respondent above post-graduation
were not tested for variables of reference group and that of
attributes of casual wear because of their very small
proportion in the sample (table 1).
Influence of reference groups on gender and education:
To examine the influence of reference groups on males and
females and on the various levels of education, independent
t-tests were used at 5 percent level of significance. The
three reference groups viz. family, friend and star were
identified from the data. Table 2 shows the F statistic,
means and p values.
It is observed that there is no significant difference on the
casual wear buying behaviour of males and females due to
the influence of referral groups. The relative influence of
each referral group is measured by the average score of the
variables. The average score or mean for each of the
referral group is higher for males than that for females. The
larger is the score, the more important is the variable to the
consumers. The possible reason for this observation could
be that men are unsure about their purchase decisions.
Advances In Management
Hence, they rely on the referral groups for their ultimate
purchase.
It is also observed that there is no significant difference on
the casual wear buying behaviour of consumers having
different levels of education due to the influence of referral
groups. Table 2 shows that the influence of star and family
is more on the graduates than that on the post-graduates.
But when it comes to friends as a referral group, the post-
graduates are more influenced compared to the graduates.
Influence of attributes on gender and education: To
examine the influence of casual wear attributes on males
and females and on the various levels of education,
independent t-tests were used at 5 percent level of
significance. The result is summarized in table 3.
The response of the consumers on the two functional
attributes namely fabric quality and stitch/workmanship
differed significantly with respect to gender of the
consumers. A significant difference was found in the
amount of importance given to fabric quality (of the casual
wear), by male and female consumers, p=0.041 (at 0.05
significance level). But the average of males was higher
than that of females (males=4.42 and females=4.16). This
indicated that males attach more importance to the quality
of the fabric with which the garment is constructed
relatively more than their female counterparts.
The possible reason could be that men are more concerned
with the utility of the casual wear and also look for durable
ones so that they last long and give value for money. On
the other hand, women could be possibly more interested in
looks of the garment and in an attempt to pursue that they
give a little less importance to fabric quality as compared to
men. Another possible reason could be that women are
impulsive while buying compared to men.
Males and females were also significantly different in their
responses when tested on similar lines with stitch or
workmanship, p= 0.003 (at 0.05 significance level). Here
also, the average of males was higher than that of females
(males=4.23 and females=3.76). The inference in this
regard is same as that in the case of fabric quality.
When education was tested with the various attributes, it
was found to have significant impact on one functional
feature namely fabric quality p= 0.037 and two perceptual
features namely sense of belonging p=0.008 and social
status p=0.019.
The average of graduates was found to be less than that of
post-graduates when tested with fabric quality. The
averages of graduates and post-graduates were 4.19 and
4.46 when tested with fabric quality. This indicates that
with higher level of education, more importance is laid to
the fabric quality of a casual wear. The focus is more on the
utility derived from the garment. One possible reason could
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be that with higher education, the consumers are more
aware about fabric quality and hence look for the same.
The average of graduates was found to be less than that of
post-graduates when tested with sense of belonging and
social status. The averages of graduates and post-graduates
were 3.83 and 3.38, when tested with sense of belonging
and were 4.00 and 3.55 when tested with social status. This
indicates that post-graduates i.e., better educated consumers
lay lesser importance to sense of belonging and social
status. The possible reason could be that they are
comparatively well placed in life than the graduates and
hence have their own identity and social status.
Also, because of this their longing for association or
belongingness is comparatively lower than graduates. This
can be said only if we assume that with higher education an
individual has a better profile job.
Other than the above mentioned variables, no significant
difference was found for the other variables.
Table 1
Variables as a percentage of the sample size
Items Percentage (%)
Males 67.24
Females 32.76
Under-graduate 10.34
Graduate 40.52
Post-graduate 48.28
Above post-graduate 0.86
Conclusion
In this study, reference groups and attributes of casual wear
for consumers in Kolkata city were investigated which
provide some insight into consumer behaviour in apparel
consumption. Based on the analysis of data collected from
a survey conducted in the city of Kolkata, there have been
some interesting findings. Three reference groups and
sixteen attributes (eight perceptual and eight functional)
were identified and their relative importance in consumer’s
mind was examined.
Among the functional features fabric quality (when tested
with both gender and education) and stitch or workmanship
(when tested with education), were found to be
significantly different. Among the perceptual features sense
of belonging and social status (when both were tested with
education) were found to be significantly different.
Advances In Management Vol. 9 (6) June (2016)

Table 2
Influence of reference groups on gender and education

Sig. (2- Mean

F Sig. t tailed) Difference
star Male
.743 .391 1.341 .183 .385
Female
1.335 .185 .385
friend Male
.053 .819 -.100 .921 -.023
Female
-.100 .921 -.023
comfort Male
.367 .546 -.512 .610 -.074
Female
-.512 .610 -.074
size Male
1.156 .285 -.952 .343 -.159
Female
-.926 .357 -.159
fabric Male
.235 .629 -2.108 .037 -.273
Female
-2.078 .041 -.273
colour Male
.671 .415 -.655 .514 -.111
Female
-.646 .520 -.111
design Male
2.966 .088 1.138 .258 .199
Female
1.167 .246 .199
cut Male
7.800 .006 1.453 .149 .274
Female
1.506 .135 .274
fit Male
.450 .504 -.488 .627 -.089
Female
-.495 .622 -.089
stitch Male
.069 .793 -.094 .906 -.015
Female
-.064 .926 -.015
reputation Male
2.663 .106 .323 .747 .065
Female
.328 .744 .065
self-esteem Male
5.464 .021 1.630 .106 .340
Female
1.664 .099 .340
social status Male
1.068 .304 2.386 .019 .455

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Female
2.405 .018 .455
belonging Male
5.905 .017 2.676 .009 .446
Female
2.708 .008 .446
stylish image Male
.457 .501 -.992 .323 -.167
Female
-.986 .327 -.167
personality Male
.088 .768 .538 .592 .108
Female
.539 .591 .108
suit image Male
.697 .406 .305 .761 .062
Female
.308 .759 .062
attractive Male
.163 .687 .887 .377 .157
Female
.891 .375 .157
family Male
1.331 .251 .894 .373 .209
Female
.906 .367 .209

Table 3
Influence of attributes on gender and education

Significant results at p<0.05 level

Average Average
Demographic variables Gender Education

Male Female p Graduate Post-Graduate p

Attributes variables value value

Fabric quality 4.42 4.16 0.041 4.19 4.46 0.037

Stitch/Workmanship 4.23 3.76 0.003 --------- -------- -------
Sense of belonging -------- -------- ------- 3.83 3.38 0.008
Social status -------- -------- ------- 4.00 3.55 0.019

These findings have marketing implications. As they
indicate the relative importance of various reference groups
and various attributes of the product (casual wear) to the
consumers, manufacturers and retailers should have a better
idea in product development and promotion to better meet
consumers need and wants in terms of a casual wear.
As demographic factors have an impact on perceived
importance of the reference group and attributes, these
variables (reference group and attributes) should not be
viewed as fixed and homogenous, rather it is important to
segment the market and examine the desired reference
group and desired attributes for each targeted market
segment. This is important for an effective marketing
strategy.
As consumers may not be able to absorb all the information
that they are exposed to, the marketer may also have to be
tactful in providing information to consumers concerning
product attributes. Also, the marketing strategy must be
designed in such a way so as to tap on the reference group
which will in turn influence the target consumers and
generate sales.
Researchers could consider investigating the reasons for the
variables being significantly different. Similar research can

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be conducted with a more number of demographic
variables, which can give a better profile of the consumers.
Similar work could be probably extended for a comparative
study on various brands of casual wear or other categories
of apparels.
Acknowledgement
This study is dedicated to the memories of our fathers, one
being extremely brand conscious and the other completely
opposite, blessing from heaven atop.
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(Received 30th March 2016, accepted 25th April 2016)
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permission.