Are older consumers of interest for the Swedish Apparel market? A study of older consumers? attitudes and interests in apparel.
ApparelOlder consumerLifestyleAttitudesConsumer behaviorManagement of enterprisesFöretagsledningManagementBusiness and Economics
Summary Title Are older consumers of interest for the Swedish Apparel market?A study of older consumers? attitudes and interests in apparel Deadline 12 January, 2007 Course FEK 533 Authors Brusk Kutlay and Linda Nordén Tutors Björn Carlsson and Roland Knutsson Keywords Older consumer, apparel, lifestyle, attitudes, consumer behavior Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate weather the 50+ segment is a strong market for apparel, i.e. if it is an interesting market for the Swedish apparel industry. The aim is to contribute to a better understanding of consumers? attitudes toward apparel shopping on the Swedish market. Method In an attempt to obtain information about older consumers, a qualitative method was required and therefore, interviews with older consumers were performed. By segmenting the respondents by their professional status and social activity, we obtained four different subgroups: (1) Employed and socially active, (2) Employed and socially inactive, (3) Retired and socially active and (4) Retired and socially inactive. Result To conclude the answer to the question, if the older consumers are an interesting market for the fashion industry, the answer is Yes! Especially, the plus-size market is and/or will be a huge unexploited market for apparel. We found that older consumers, in general have a negative attitude towards the apparel industry, due to the fact that the industry is still neglecting their desire for fashionable and practical apparel. The most frequent used source of inspiration varies. Overall informal sourcesare inspiring the older consumers more than formal sources, since there are only few apparel advertisements with older models. The shopping pattern differed among the subgroups; the socially active are the wealthiest segment and if more stores with appealing apparel are provided they will spend more money. The inactive retirees are frequent shoppers, spending most money on apparel among the subgroups. The only thing that might prevent them to shop even more is their economical situation. The inactive employees are of least interest, since they lack interest in apparel and are very price-conscious.