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Sustainable Fashion Choices: Exploring European Consumer Motivations behind Second-Hand Clothing Purchases

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Halicki

    (Department of International Business, School of Management and Law, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, St.-Georgen-Platz 2, 8401 Winterthur, Switzerland)

  • Piotr Zaborek

    (SGH Warsaw School of Economics, al. Niepodległości 162, 02-554 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Grégoire Meylan

    (School of Engineering, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Klosterzelgstrasse 2, 5210 Windisch, Switzerland)

Abstract

The second-hand clothing (SHC) market has seen dynamic expansion, driven by shifts in consumer attitudes. However, motivations underlying customer engagement in this market remain largely unexplored. Accordingly, this study investigates factors driving consumer sentiment towards buying used clothing. Data were collected in 2023 from a sample of 254 European consumers. The results show that positive attitudes towards SHC are associated with high levels of economic, hedonic (treasure hunting) and ethical motivations, while strong fashion interest and materialism seem to coincide with more negative evaluations of SHC. Interestingly, treasure hunting motivation emerged as the strongest driver of SHC attitudes, surpassing both economic and ethical motivations, which were similar in strength. However, mediation analysis revealed complex interaction patterns among the attitudinal variables, with the potential of reversing the direction of average regression weights for individuals as well as subgroups of customers. This study offers a more nuanced understanding of consumer behavior in the SHC market. It provides practical recommendations for the marketing strategies of SHC vendors, and lays the groundwork for future research in this area.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Halicki & Piotr Zaborek & Grégoire Meylan, 2024. "Sustainable Fashion Choices: Exploring European Consumer Motivations behind Second-Hand Clothing Purchases," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:8:p:174-:d:1454493
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shina Kim & Eunju Ko & Sang Jin Kim, 2018. "Fashion brand green demarketing: Effects on customer attitudes and behavior intentions," Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(4), pages 364-378, October.
    2. Ferraro, Carla & Sands, Sean & Brace-Govan, Jan, 2016. "The role of fashionability in second-hand shopping motivations," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 262-268.
    3. Sudbury-Riley, Lynn & Kohlbacher, Florian, 2016. "Ethically minded consumer behavior: Scale review, development, and validation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2697-2710.
    4. Sherry, John F, Jr, 1990. "A Sociocultural Analysis of a Midwestern American Flea Market," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 17(1), pages 13-30, June.
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