Fashion clothing interest and purchase intention of young women consumers of India

Interesse em roupas de moda e intenção de compra de jo= vens consumidoras da Índia

Neetu Singh =

&= nbsp;

= Phd in Marketing. Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID) R= 11; Pune, India. neetu.singh@sid.edu.in

Niketa Chakrabarti

http= s://orcid.org/0000-0003-2898-5609

Masters in Marketing. Pearl Academy – Delhi, India. niketa.chakrabarti@pearlacademy.com.

Rajesh Tripathi

http= s://orcid.org/0000-0003-1709-5993

Phd in Marketing. UPES School of Business,(UPES) – Uttarakhand,India. rajesh.tripathi@ddn.upes.ac.in

ABSTRACT

The study of consumer purchase behavior is important to unders= tand the consumer purchase pattern, quantity and motivations of purchase. This research therefore tries to understand the ro= le of socio-psychological factors and gender schema in determining the fashion clothing interest, and purchase motivation of emerging adult women consumer= s of India. Responses tabulated through a self-administered questionnaire from 2= 00 women consumers aged 18-24 across India, was analyzed using structural equa= tion modeling and Hayes’s (2017) process macro to establish clothing uniqueness, self-concept, brand image, word of mouth and perceived quality = as antecedents of women’s fashion clothing interest resulting in positive purchase motivation with price consciousness acting as a moderator between both. The resulting model depicts a significant positive relationship betwe= en clothing uniqueness, self-concept and brand imag= e on emerging women consumers clothing interest, while the interaction of word of mouth and perceived quality was not significant on clothing interest. Hayes’s analysis depicted a significant moderating role played by pri= ce consciousness on young women clothing interest and purchase intention with price consciousness dampening consumers purchase intention despite having a clothing interest. The output= of the study highlights the predictor of clothing interest for young women consumers in an area not well defined till now an will enable brands to establish business strategies to gain patronage and brand loyalty of young emerging generation= Z consumers in emerging economies accordingly.

Keywords: Consumer behavior. Gender. Price consciousness. Fashion clothing. Generation Z.<= /span>

RESUMO

O estudo do comportament= o de compra do consumidor é importante para compreender o padrão, a quantidade e as motivações de compra. Esta pesquisa busca compreender o papel dos fatores s&= oacute;cio-psicológicos e do esquema de gênero na determinação do interesse em roupas de moda e na motivação de compra das consumidoras adul= tas emergentes da Índia. As respostas tabuladas por meio de um questionário autoaplicável de 200 mulheres consumidoras com idades entre 18 e 24 anos em toda a Índia foram analisadas usando mo= delagem de equações estruturais e o macro de processo de Hayes (2017) para estabelecer a exclusividade das roupas, o autoconceito, a imagem da ma= rca, o boca a boca e a qualidade percebida. Esses fat= ores se constituem como antecedentes do interesse por roupas de moda feminina, resultando em motivação de compra positiva, com a consciência de preço atuando como moderadora entre ambos. O mo= delo resultante retrata uma relação positiva significativa entre a singularidade do vestuário, o autoconceito e a imagem da marca no interesse emergente por roupas das consumidoras femininas, enquanto a interação do boca a boca e a quali= dade percebida não foi significativa no interesse por roupas. A análise de Hayes descreveu um papel moderador significativo desempen= hado pela consciência do preço no interesse e na intenç&atil= de;o de compra de roupas das mulheres jovens, com a consciência do preço diminuindo a intenção de compra dos consumidores, apesar de terem interesse em roupas. O resultado do estudo destaca o predit= or de interesse por roupas para jovens consumidoras em uma área n&atild= e;o bem definida até agora e permitirá que as marcas estabeleçam estratégias de negócios para ganhar patrocínio e fidelidade dos jovens consumidores emergentes da geração Z nas economias emergentes.<= /p>

Palavras-chave: Comportamento do consumidor. Gênero. Consciência de preço. Vestuário da moda. Geração Z.

Recebido em 07/11/2023. Aprovado em 07/12/2023. Avaliado p= elo sistema double blind peer review. Publicado conforme normas da APA.

https://doi.org/10.22279/navus= .v14.1814

1 I<= /span>NTRODUCTION

India is the most populated country across the globe, with a population of 1.42 <= span class=3DGramE>Billion, overtaking China in 2023 (Nations, 2023). With increasing globalization, changing consumer consumption patterns, rising generation Z consumers, and an increasing number of working women in the workforce, India is slated to become one of the largest consumer economies across the globe. With growth slated at 5-7%, India’s consumer class totals 473 million, with the average consumer aged below 30 years totaling = 357 million, making India the youngest consumer market across the globe (Caball= ero Juan and Marco, 2023). India, due to its changing FDI reform, is a global fashion market home to multiple Indian and international fashion brands siz= ed at US$59.3 Billion (Amed Imran et al., 2019; Finneman et al., 2020), ranked sixth in the global fashion market projected to be a sizable $2 trillion industry by the year 2026 (Smith, 2022). Nearly one out of three Indians fa= lls into the growing middle class category, with inc= omes between US$ 6000-US$ 36000 slated to double in the next 25 years (Gupta Surojit, 2022; Gupta Surojit and Sidhartha, 2022). The Indian emerging-adult consumers, popularly known as generation Z, born 1996 - 2010, aged 18-24, propelled by the growing Indian middle class, prefer to spend more than six hours online, spending 55% of their non-grocery budget on fashion purchases (Intelligence Bloomberg, 2022; Tibergien and Dellarocca, 2016). The revenues of the Indian Apparel will amount to US$96.= 47 in 2023 growing at an annual rate of 3.34%. This women’s apparel mark= et volume contribution will be US$43.65 Bln in 2023 (Statista, 2022a).

Fashion apparel forms a big part of young consumer's self-esteem, self-concept and social status (Rajput et al., 2012; Smith Colvin Arved, 2021) which is = why fashion brands address the psychological needs of the young consumers throu= gh their branding and marketing strategies (Chakraborty and Sadachar, 2021; Liu and Rodriguez, 2021). Apparel is considered a high-engagement category by researchers because it influences the customer's self-concept through the degree of symbolism attached to it, which is why young consumers seek to adopt all the latest fashion and technological trends by financing themselves through side jobs, credit cards, and installment payment offers<= span class=3DGramE>   (= S Vidya, 2022; Sawa Abhineet, 2023). Customers with high involvement automatically become strategic customers, as not only are they early fashion adopters, but they eventually become brand ambassadors (Micha= ela and Orna, 2015; Sproles, 1979). Gender schema plays an important part in fashion consciousness (Gould and Stern, 1989), with knowledge and identification with a gender profoundly affecting behaviors, peer relations= hips and attitudes (Martin and Dinella, 2001; Martinez et al., 2020; Talaat, 202= 2; Zosuls et al., 2008). When assessing differences with= in sex, differences such as public self-consciousness for females as opposed to private gender consciousness for males become a new marketing variable of interest (Workman, 2010). Thus, high public self-consciousness for females results in high interest in their appearance. Thus, within gender categorie= s, female consumers are more fashion conscious than men, indicating a higher l= evel of involvement as far as fashion apparel is concerned (Kim et al., 2018). T= he Indian women are increasingly becoming financially independent and conscious about their self-identity, due to which psychological factors play a huge r= ole in determining the fashion involvement of women consumers in India (Handa a= nd Khare, 2013). High fashion-conscious women consumers consider fashion cloth= ing an expression of identity, and show high clothing interest, purchase motivation, becoming brand advocates and spreading positive word of mouth a= bout their chosen brand. (Kaur and Anand, 2018; Kim et al., 2018). Current resea= rch, however, is pointing towards clothing interest not always culminating in purchase, with price consciousness moderating purchase motivation for consu= mers who are price conscious (Cham et al., 2018). Current research on fashion clothing involvement is limited to undertaking fashion consciousness using demographic variables (Büttner and Strehlau, 2022; Hasnah Hassan and Harun, 2016; Nam et al., 2007; O’Connor, 1997; V= iranga Rathnayake, 2011; Weiran, 2021) ignoring the role of gender schema and socio-psychological needs of the consumer towards fashion adoption. This research therefore develops a model understanding the gender role and sociocultural factors influencing, the fashion clothing interest and subseq= uent purchase motivation of young generation Z women consumers in India. The research also addresses the role of price consciousness in moderating young women's clothing interest and purchase intention accordingly (Khan and Khan, 2017). The theoretical contribution provided by this research would provide managerial understanding to fashion brands, enabling them to get better consumer insights and build the same through their business practices.

2 GENERATION Z WOMEN CONSUMERS

Researchers have attributed fashion adoption theory as an antecedent to fashion apparel purchase behavior (Sproles, 1979). Fashion Clothing is considered a high involvement product, with consumers' purchases motivated by its symbolic meaning, reinforcement of self-concept, psychological satisfaction, and soc= ial affiliations (Hourigan and Bougoure, 2012; Solo= mon, 1983). The young generation z consumers of India have grown up in an era of urbanization, increased disposable incomes and high digital proliferation, giving them high access to news and information online (Black et al., 2017). This consumer has access to International news, = global culture and trends that fuel their interest in fashion clothing and love for western apparel brands, which have been widely present in India since liberalization and changes in retail policies in 2014 (Khare, 2014; Vashish= th and Tripathi, 2016). The young consumer's clothing interest is determined by their various aspects of self-concept, such as identity, self-esteem, value attitude and mood (Kodžoman, 2019; McNeill, 2018). Women as compared to men affiliate more with fashion, depicting high involvement predominantly because women are found to be highly conscious of their physical appearance and self-identity as compared to men (O’Cass, 2004; Tiggemann and Lacey, 2009). Also,= as compared to western culture, where the interdependent view of self is emphasized (Markus and Kitayama, 1991), Asian women define their sense of s= elf through relationships with others or social interaction (Handa and Khare, 2= 013) and their purchase decisions are motivated by social interaction and social self-belief. (Lam and Yee, 2014; Workman and Cho, 2012a). Women also consid= er themselves fashion-innovative Vis a Vis men which extends into high involve= ment. This can also be a result of more fashion brands, magazines and media targe= ting women as fashion consumers as compared to men (Belleau et al., 2008; Goldsm= ith et al., 1996).

Research states that women purchase fashion more due to desire than utility as compa= red to men, with their fashion consciousness influenced by their social interactions and peer reviews (Workman and Studak, 2006). The young fashion conscious women consumers are therefore depicting significant change= s in their fashion clothing choices, using them to enhance their self-image and social identity (Dhiman et al., 2018a; Handa and Khare, 2013). Thus, women = use fashion clothing as a means of enhancing physical appearance, while for men, the need for social expression is reflected through educational qualification, financial status, and material possessions(Sarkar and Sarkar, 2017, 2022). Clothing interest for women consumers can therefore be defined as “attitude and beliefs about clothing, the knowledge of and attention = paid to their clothing, and the concern and curiosity a person has about his/her clothing and that of others” (Gurel .M Lois, 1974, p. 12). With increasing globalization, Indian women consumers are affiliating more and m= ore with western media, magazines, culture and cloth= ing, with their fashion clothing interests depicting strong affinity towards wes= tern fashion brands (Reddy, 2017). Striving for positive social evaluation, Indi= an women are using fashion clothing as appearance management products (Sarkar = and Sarkar, 2022) with clothing uniqueness, self-concept, brand image and word = of mouth influencing their clothing interest and expression of appearance to society.

2.1 Clothing Uniqueness influencing Clothing Interest of young women consumers

Previous research suggests that women conform to social acceptance norms more as compared to their male counterparts, who need to be assertive, controlling = and depict mastery over others (Doherty and Eagly, = 1989; Eagly and Chrvala, 1986).= While the Indian women are required to dress as per traditional and social values, there has been a major change in the postmodern Indian women’s clothi= ng orientation in the last few decades as they have become financially and psychologically independent. The term “postmodern” fashion consumption refers to an innovative “style of aesthetic expression= 221; in contrast to “traditional modes of clothing” (Morgado, 1996, = p. 41). Hence, postmodern women consumers are experimental and seek self-diffe= rentiating clothing, which is a form of symbolic self-expression breaking away from the traditional dressing format (Guy et al., 2001; Mehta and Dixit, 2016). Young consumers, especially women, seek to differentiate themselves from their pe= ers and augur their personal identities by engaging in counter conformity throu= gh their fashion clothing and consumption (Armstrong et al., 2015; Hasnah Hass= an and Harun, 2016), enabling them to make a strong statement on the role of uniqueness in clothing interest as follows: H1 Clothing uniqueness influences the clothing interests of generat= ion Z women consumers positively

2.2 Self -Concept influencing Clothing Interest of young women= consumers

Young adults perceptions of themselves are a huge determinant of their clothing consumption (Grace and Seemiller, 2019). Self-concept is a determinant of a consumer's self-presentation and the specific aspects of their personality that they wish to control and portray (McNeill, 2018). Fashion clothing for women holds great materialistic significance as it enables them to project their idealistic selves, or “possession of identity-relevant characteristics” (Leary and Kowalski, 1990, p. 37), socially. Women&#= 8217;s self-concept and their need for uniqueness align with each other. Thus, the notion of “self” or the need to be different through clothing i= s an active need of women consumers, especially when they feel that they are too= similar to others and need to take action to regain th= eir individuality. Thus, individuals with high self-concept do n= ot seek to be dissimilar to others as compared to women with low self-concept = who seek uniqueness to express themselves in order to achieve positive evaluati= ons from peers and society(Kumar et al., 2009; Workman and Cho, 2012b). Fashion clothing therefore acts as a symbolic tool for women consumers to express t= heir self-identity through consumption and gain precedence in social and peer settings (Gil et al., 2012; Hwang and Kandampully, 2012). According to the planned behavior theory approach, clothing for the young woman consumer is therefore a socially acceptable way of expressing identity through both differentiation and acceptance at a social level, whi= ch is why the following hypothesis is proposed (Handa and Khare, 2013; Khare et al., 2012). H2 Self-concept influe= nces the clothing interest of generation Z women consumers positively.

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2.3 Brand Image influencing clothing interest of young women consumers

Brand image is a consumer's belief, ideas, and impressions of a person as a brand (Aaker, 1991; Kotler and Keller, 2013). Brand image consists of brand associations stored in customer memory, enabling consumers to differentiate their brand from others (Anggraeni and Rachmanita, 2015). Consumers create brand image using cognitive, sensory, and affective associations, as brands have a symbolic a= nd emotional connect with consumers (Cho et al., 2015). The uniqueness of brand image enables brand recognition, recall, reduction of purchase risks, posit= ive evaluation of quality, and increased purchase motivation and brand satisfac= tion in return (Khan et al., 2014). The brand image of a fashion brand is especi= ally important to female consumers, who use its rich symbolic meaning to convey self-identity(Cho and Fiore, 2015). Women consum= ers therefore engage in fashion brands that enable them to create an idealistic image in society (Khare and Rakesh, 2010; Pouromid and Iranzadeh, 2012). The positive brand image = of fashion clothing results in brand loyalty, positive word of mouth, positive clothing interest and increased purchase intentions among young women consumers.

H3 Brand image inf= luences the clothing interest of generation Z women consumers.

2.4 Word of Mouth as a predictor of clothing interest of young= women consumers

Word of Mouth is a result of positive brand-consumer interaction, resulting in positive referral of the brand by the consumer to others, influencing other consumers purchase intentions (Ngo et al., 2016; de Oliveira Santini et al., 2018). Evolving technology and young consumers digital affinity lead to high brand awareness among consumers, which they share through word of mouth with their peers and reference groups (Cruz et al., 2017). According to the theo= ry of motivation, high involvement and commitment towards fashion clothing motivate women consumers to talk about it with peers and reference groups (Wolny and Mueller, 2013). Brand personality enables brands to create a personality akin to the consumer's and project a positive brand image in the consumer's mind. The new-age fashion brands targeting young consumers proje= ct a young, vibrant, and outgoing personality, which enables the young women consumers to connect with them emotionally, creating a positive brand image= and subsequently resulting in brand love. Consumer brand love results in spread= ing positive word of mouth about their fashion clothing in a social setting amo= ng peers and a reference group (Anggraeni and Rachmanita, 2015; Ismail and Spinelli, n.d.). Word of= Mouth plays an important role in young women's purchase decisions, as their self-concept is determined through peer evaluation in a social setting (Wiedmann et al., 2010). The young women's brand love in turn results in spreading positive word of mouth about their fashion clothing in a social setting among peers and reference groups (Doğrul<= /span> and Tekeli, 2022; Ismail and Spinelli, n.d.). Existing research depicts a strong correlation between young consumers fashion clothing interest and pe= er group referrals, social media influencers, the media, and the internet, lea= ding us to project the following hypothesis:

H4 Word of Mouth influences the clothing interest of generation Z women consumers positively= .

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2.5 Perceived Qual= ity of Fashion Clothing

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Perceived quality enables consumers to judge a brand's strength using extrinsic cues (price, brands, and advertising) along with product-related information and= the establishment of a cognitive relationship between the product and consumer through image congruence (Kwak and Kang, 2009). In the context of apparel quality, women have higher expectations from clothing as compared to men, as women are more invested in enhancing their appearance as compared to men (<= span class=3DSpellE>Goworek et al., 2012; Yip et al., 2011). “Objec= tive quality” therefore indicates measurable parameters of quality vs. “Perceived Quality” which is the consumer's subjective judgment= of a product, very similar to an attitude (Brucks et al., 2000). Assessment of quality by the consumer is done using intrinsic and extrinsic cues. The pro= cess of evaluating product characteristics like style, fit, quality, technical details, performance, etc. before consumption using the senses is intrinsic. Extrinsic cues refer to external aspects of the product such as brand name, brand image, advertising, country of origin, price and marketing that create perceptions of the perceived quality of a product in the consumer's mind (Armstrong et al., 2015; Janace, 2015; Salerno-Kochan and Turek, 2021; Zeithaml, 1988). The perceived quality of clothing for women consumers is h= ence a result of the country of origin, the level of involvement, and the brand equity of the products (Parkvithee and Miranda, 2012). The young women consumers of India consider the perceived quality of= branded clothing better than the unbranded ones, as the brand name bestows a sense = of trust, enables identification of products, and provides a psychological assurance to the consumers (Rajput et al., 2012). As compared to men, women value the perceived quality of clothing more, especially so in emerging economies like India, where it bestows prestige and symbolic status upon th= em (Rajput et al., 2012; Sarto Freire Castelo and de Oliveira Cabral, 2018). Hence, the following hypothesis is proposed.

H5 Perceived quali= ty influences the Clothing Interest of generation Z women consumers positively= .

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2.6 Clothing inter= est and purchase intention

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The purpose of this research, therefore, is to understand the determinants of fashion clothing involvement among young female consumers in India. Current research depicts the high involvement of young Indian consumers in branded fashion clothing (Khare and Rakesh, 2010). The revenues of the Indian women= 's apparel segment will amount to US$ 43.65 billion in 2023, growing annually = by 3.48% (CAGR 2023–2027). The average volume per person in the women’s apparel segment was 7.97 pieces in 2023 and is expected to to= tal 13.15 billion pieces by 2027 (Statista, 2022b). Based on current research, young fashion-buying women consumers identify uniqueness, self-concept, bra= nd image, word of mouth (WOM) and perceived quality as antecedents of clothing interest (Talaat, 2022). The identified factors are also very central from = an Indian perspective, where the women consumers are newly finding economic and cultural freedom and expressing their identities through clothing (Kumar et al., 2009). The young Indian women consumers are therefore in quest of developing their self-concept and are identifying with brands that would enhance their self-esteem, social status and pre= stige in a social setting (Handa and Khare, 2013). However, current literature do= es not give us gender-based insights on determinants of clothing interest and whether the same result in purchase motivation, resulting in the following hypothesis (Handa and Khare, 2013; Kumar et al., 2009)

H6 Clothing intere= st influences the purchase motivation of generation Z women consumers positive= ly.

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2.7 Moderating eff= ect of Price Consciousness between Clothing Interest and Purchase Intention

The Generation Z consumers of India are part of the growing Indian middle class= (66 Mln people) with household incomes between $670= 0 and $40,000, supporting their expenditure through second jobs, loans and credits (Keelery Sandhya, 2021; S Vidya, 20= 22; Upasani Siddharth, 2023). The young generation Z Indian consumers are digit= ally conscious, hence developing high brand awareness in comparison to other products and brands. They often compare prices of products and discounts for bargains online, sharing this information with peers and friends (Cham et a= l., 2018; Jayasingh and Eze, 2012; Sasmita and Mohd= Suki, 2015). Thus, while fashion sensitivity, shopping frequency, and quality consciousness have been positively related to women shoppers, price consciousness has been found to have a negative effect on their clothing pu= rchase intention (Lang et al., 2013). Female consumers are more influenced by pric= e, bargains and promotional techniques as compared to men when purchasing their apparel (Islam and Chandrasekaran, 2020; Sarto Freire Castelo and de Olivei= ra Cabral, 2018). Price consciousness emerges as a key decision-maker in young consumers fashion clothing purchase behavior despite a good brand image, st= yle and comfort and acts as a moderator between young women's clothing interest= and purchase intention (Dhiman et al., 2018a; Silva et al., 2020).

H7 Price conscious= ness acts as a moderator between the clothing interest and purchase intention yo= ung women consumers.

3 DATA AND METHODS=

Data collected for this research is via a non-probabilistic, convenience-sampling methodology from emerging generation Z women consumers aged 18–24 acr= oss India. Women's dates of birth falling between 1996 and 2010 and any fashion clothing purchase made in the last 3 months made them eligible to fill out = the questionnaire for this research. A total of 200 completed questionnaires we= re considered suitable for data analysis, with the sample size meeting the adequacy criterion for structural equation modeling (Hair et al., 2019; Saunders, M.N.K., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, 2012). The questionnaire determined the women's consumer’s antecedents of clothing interest and consumer response collected through an itemized scale created after an extensive literature review for each factor. Women consumers need for uniqueness was depicted as a uniqueness scale was created using five items = from (Tian et al., 2001). Women's self-concept (5 items) has been adopted from (Alfonso et al., 1996), Brand image (3 items) is construed from (Hsieh and = Li, 2008), WOM (5 Items) has been taken from (Grace and O’Cass, 2004), perceived quality (5 items) taken from (Dodds et al., 1991) and Clot= hing Interest (3 items) has been adopted from (Lumpkin, 2016). Finally Price consciousness (6 items) has been adopted from (P= alazón and Delgado, 2009) and purchase intention (3 items) has been quantified (3 items) from (Kumar et al., 2009). The conceptual model of the proposed hypothesis is as following.

Figure 1

Conceptual model of propos= ed hypothesis-clothing interest, purchase intention and price consciousness

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4 RESULTS

We first conducted Confirmatory factor analysis on 8 factors and 35 items to establish the reliability of the fact= ors and the convergent and divergent validity of the data. All items loaded suitably, except for three, which had ladings below 0.3, and we discarded t= hem.

Table 1 <= /p>
Confirmatory Factor analysis and individual Factor loadings

Discriminant validity has been assessed using (Fornell and Larcker, 1981) with satisfact= ory alpha values (>0.70) as shown in Table 1 and satisfactory Ave values hig= her (>0.50) (Cheung et al., 2023; Xia and Yang, 2019). Since the Ave values = of the constructs are greater than the squared correlations between the constr= ucts of all pairs, we can safely establish the discriminant validity of the constructs. To understand the proposed relationship between the eight predicting factors and clothing interest, and between clothing interest and= the purchase intention of young women consumers across Hypotheses H1-H5 we ran structural equation modeling using SPSS AMOS 22. The structural model descr= ibes the relationship between the latent variables and explains the amount of unexplained variance (Figure 2). The resulting data depicted satisfactory f= it indices, especially for a small sample size, and a high correlation between factors (CMIN/DF < 3. χ2/ df (1046.8/46= 0) ,RMSEA =3D0.07 and is < 0.1 ,CFI =3D0.8 ,TLI 0.8 = ,PNFI =3D0.6>0.5 )(Cheung et al., 2023; Hair et al., 2019; Hu and Bentler, 199= 9). Figure 2 gives us the resultant model and result of path analysis for hypotheses H1-H6

Table 2

Discriminant Validity of Factors influencing Clothing Interest and Purchase Intention

The resulting model validates H1, H2 and H3 showing a significant relationship between uniqueness, the consumer’s self-concept and brand image in young women's clothing interests. However, H4 Word of mo= uth and H5 perceived quality did not yield a significant positive relationship = with clothing interest and were rejected. The relationship between H6 Clothing's interest and the consumer’s purchase motivation is also significant. = To test the mediation effect of price consciousness on clothing interest and p= urchase intention of generation Z women consumers in India, we used (Hayes et al., 2017) PROCESS macro running Hayes’s template on SPSS statistics 22. T= he resulting model was significant (p<0.05). Results show that Price consciousness significantly negatively moderates the relationship between Clothing interest and Purchase intention (coeff= =3D -.118, t=3D-3.05, LLCI=3D -.195, ULCI=3D -.042, (p.002 <0.05)). The test= of highest-order unconditional interaction was also significant (R-square chan= ge =3D 0.249; F =3D 22.88; p < 0.01). Thus, higher price consciousness results = in lower purchase intention, and lower price consciousness results in a higher fashion clothing purchase intention among young women consumers. The result= of Johnson–Neyman analysis, graphically tabulated as follows, represents= the effect of Clothing interest on Purchase Intention as shown in Figure 3 ther= eby validating H7 Price consciousness as a moderator between clothing interest = and purchase intention among young women consumers.

Figure 2

Structural Equation Model results on Hypothesis 1-6        =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            SE Standardized Estimate, CR Critical Ratio. ***p b <0.001, at 99= % confidence interval **p b <0.05 at 95% confidence interval

Figure 3

Johnson–Neyman analy= sis for the moderating effect of Price Consciousness on the effect of Clothing Inte= rest on Purchase Intention

5 DISCUSSION

This study throws unique insights into the socio - cultural aspects influencing = fashion-clothing interest and purchase motivation of young women consumers in India, especia= lly in an emerging country context where the consumers are responding towards increased globalization of fashion, fortified with increased economic and social freedom (Sharma, 2020). This is increasingly true for young women consumers, who depict high involvement in their clothing as compared to men= or older consumers and inherently seek exclusivity, dissim= ilarity and symbolic benefits from their clothing (Khare and Rakesh, 2010; Kodžoman, 2019; Rajput et al., 2012). Thus, fashion-clothing brands need to create new exclusive styles, designs and limited edition collections to entice the young women consumers seeking uniqueness in a market fraught with several brands and un= able to secure brand loyalty from an increasingly fickle consumer (Stachowiak-Krzyżan, 2021). Building a young, vibrant and global brand image is also important for brands as consumers seek symbo= lic benefits from their clothing, in turn influencing their self-esteem, ideal self-concept and social interactions accordingly (Kaut= ish et al., 2021; McNeill et al., 2020). Thus, fashion brands targeting young w= omen consumers need to integrate marketing strategies aligning brand image with = the young consumer's idealistic self-concept in order to gain their patronage and result in brand loyalty in return (Khan and Khan, 2017). Both word of mouth and Perceived quality did not influence women's clothing interests positively. This can be due to the f= act that, being digitally perceptive, the young consumers are already cu= ed in to brand-related information online, which takes precedence over word of mouth (Dhiman et al., 2018b). Perceived quality did not influence women's clothing interests significantly. This can be due to several reasons. First= ly, the brand image for branded apparel brands is really st= rong in consumers' minds, resulting in brand love and subsequent clothing intere= st, preceding perceived quality (Hamzaoui Essoussi = and Merunka, 2007). Secondly, women consumers are price conscious and correlate perceived quality with high pricing, lowering their clothing interest and purchase intention (Kumar et al., 2009).

Existing research strongly validates a difference in gender price consciousness, with women being strongly influenced by product pricing, bar= gains and price related promotions (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2006). Corroborating t= he same, our research finds a negative moderating effect of price consciousnes= s on women's clothing interest and purchase intention. Hence, high price consciousness dampens the women’s purchase intentions despite their clothing interest (Rajput et al., 2012). This is especially true for the yo= ung consumers, who support their purchases through multiple jobs, loans and credits (Keelery Sandhya, 2021; Sawa Abhineet, 2023). Hence, fas= hion clothing brands looking to establish themselves in India need to use price = as a promotional and marketing technique in order to = gain the affinity of young women consumers. An example of this can be found in t= he international fast fashion brand Zara, which slashed its prices by 10% to secure a position in the young Indian market (PTI, 2020). Club memberships,= loyalty bonuses, payment through installments, and member credits are some promotio= nal offers that can increase purchase intention and consumer loyalty.

6 CONCLUSION

This research provides a rare insight = into the sociopsychological factors contributing to the clothing interest and purchase intention of fashion clothing consumers in an emerging economy context, more so in a business where consumer insights are rare and difficu= lt to interpret. It becomes all the more relevant in the current era of globalization, where the young consumers have proximity to multiple = brands but develop loyalty towards none, as brands are still trying to move beyond= the demographic factors and understand the psychographic factors influencing yo= ung consumers purchase motivation= . This research becomes all the more relevant as it add= resses gender roles in determining clothing interest and subsequent purchase motivation, which is an area not much explored, especially in a fashion clothing context. Thus, an understanding of gender base= d factors influencing clothing interest can enable both Indian and Internatio= nal brands to build the same into their business practices to attain purchase motivation and brand loyalty in return. The research is useful in the conte= xt of similar studies across genders, cohorts, different ethical setups and consumers across countries.

7 RETAIL IMPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS

It is important for marketers to ident= ify the frequent purchase pattern of a product or service. The youth market seg= ment is important in India not only because of its significant size but also bec= ause of the purchasing power of the consumers (Roy and Goswami, 2007). The conclusion of the present research will notably assist fashion retailers and marketers of fashion apparel in understanding the importance of sociopsychological factors contributing to clothing interest and purchase intention. It provides valuable insights for marketers to develop gender-wi= se marketing strategies that result in positive behavioral intentions. Especia= lly for clothing brands, it has emerged that women seek uniqueness, a positive brand image, and an auguring of self-concept from their brands while being strongly influenced by price, promotions and bar= gains. The marketers should therefore frame their clothing marketing strategies accordingly to increase consumer purchase and consumer loyalty (Kautish and Khare, 2022; Khare and Rakesh, 2010). The generational and gender focus of this study from an emerging marketing perspective provides suggestions for competitive marketing strategies for fashion clothing companies operating in emerging markets like India.=

The study is limited in its approach a= s it deals with a limited cohort/gender, segment and consumers of an emerging. It is also limiting as it deals with the consumer= 's clothing interests alone. How= ever, the proposed framework of this research provides future direction towards researching behavioral intentions, purchase behavior across different generational cohorts, genders, consumer segments and economies using psychosocial analysis, enabling better segmentation and targeting of markets by getting insights about consumer purchase behavi= or in not only apparel but other industries too.

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