Consumer Behavior

Feeling Excluded? Digital Technology Innovation in Fashion Retail

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Abstract

This study aims to understand the psychological mechanisms that impede fashion consumers' shopping attitudes and intentions in technology-oriented physical stores. It primarily focuses on three main predictors in consumers' minds: digital adaptability (DA), digital perceived exclusion (DE), and technology anxiety (AX), extending the Theory of Planned Behavior to capture consumer challenges. The results indicate that digital adaptability plays a significant role in encouraging fashion consumers' attitudes and intentions to use technology for fashion shopping, while perceived digital exclusion and technology anxiety negatively affect consumers' attitudes toward technology-driven fashion shopping and their shopping intentions, respectively. The findings provide fashion companies with an inclusive perspective to serve diverse customers. Retailers can consider implementing inclusive services, such as sales assistant support, providing easy instructions, and a tech help desk to assist customers in accessing necessary resources and alleviating digital exclusion and anxiety when using technology for shopping. 

Keywords: digital exclusion, technology anxiety, technology-driven fashion shopping, digital adaptability

How to Cite:

Hwang, J. & Youn, S., (2024) “Feeling Excluded? Digital Technology Innovation in Fashion Retail”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17490