M. Tech. (Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / One important motivating force that influences a wide range of consumer behaviour is the desire to gain status or social prestige from the acquisition and consumption of goods. More often than not, individuals purchase expensive and luxury goods to display their social standing. In addition, individuals purchase status products to fulfil their material desires and reinforce their group identity. This is often a case with regards to youth consumers who often purchase expensive, luxury fashionable clothing brands to portray status and impress their peers. This behaviour seems to be trending among township consumers. The township market is a major contributor to the South African economy with an annual spending power of approximately R307-R308 billion. This study sought to investigate the influence of fashion clothing involvement, materialism and group identity on fashion brand status consumption amongst the youth. The research concentrates specifically on township youth consumers aged between 18 to 24 years, located in the Sedibeng district. This study made use of a non-probability convenience sample. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Five fieldworkers were selected and received training from the researcher on the purpose of the research as well as the critical elements of fieldwork. Once the training was completed, the questionnaires were distributed by fieldworkers. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a five-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement or disagreement with items designed to measure their status consumption, fashion clothing involvement, materialism and group identity. In addition, the participants were requested to provide certain demographic data. For this study, a sample of 400 township youth individuals, residing within the Sedibeng district, was drawn. From this sample, only 345 questionnaires were usable leading to a response rate of 83 percent. The captured data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics comprising of correlation and regression analysis. The findings indicate that fashion clothing involvement significantly and positively predicted status consumption of township youth consumers. Therefore, the results show that fashion-involved consumers are more likely to engage in status consumption. There was a direct relationship between materialism and status consumption. Group identity had a significant positive influence on status consumption. Owing to the high demand for status brands or products by township youth consumers, it is recommended that marketers should tap the market potential of this consumer segment while considering the influence of their reference groups. In addition, their advertisements should emphasise the brand or product’s ability to indicate status. Furthermore, marketers should make use of social media to effectively reach youth consumers. Insights gained from this study will help marketers to better understand township youth consumers, their engagement in status consumption, and their involvement in fashion clothing, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an appropriate manner.

Thesis. (M. Tech. (Dept. of Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences)) -- Vaal University of Technology, 2011. / The underlying determinants of how and why people shop has been a topic of study for many years, when typologies of shopping styles were developed. These studies have been successful in demonstrating that some shoppers display consistent shopping orientations that can be diametrically opposed, for example, the functional shopper versus the recreational shopper. This study concentrates on purchasing patterns of consumers by examining the decision-making styles of Generation Y consumers with regard to fashion apparel. The study reports on various stages that consumers undergo when confronted with a decision situation. These stages are outlined as need recognition, information search, pre-purchase evaluation, purchase, consumption and post-consumption. The buying behaviours influencing consumers were categorised into internal and external factors. The internal factor includes perception, motivation, learning, attitudes, personalities, self-concept, lifestyle and demography. The external factors comprised the following variables, namely, cultural background, subculture, family influence, and the social factor. The general characteristics of Generation Y were briefly discussed. Various dimensions used to measure consumer decision-making styles were reviewed in the study related to perfectionism, brand consciousness, novelty-fashion consciousness, recreational consciousness, price-and-value-for-money consciousness, impulsiveness and confusion as a result of overchoice of brands. The study adopted quantitative approach. A structured questionnaire was used to survey 230 students who were selected using non-probability convenience sampling. Seven dimensions measuring consumer decision-making styles were found to be applicable within the Generation Y context. These consumers were profiled as being quality conscious, brand conscious, novelty-seeking, hedonistic, confused by overchoice, habitual, brand loyal and fashion conscious. Differences were found between consumers who are confused by overchoice and younger Generation Y consumers. Younger consumers were found to be more confused by overchoice compared to their older counterparts. It is suggested that apparel retailers should try to use communication channels which will be more understandable by Generation Y consumers, and they should provide information that assists buyers to make a rational decision in the buying process. Differences were also confirmed between habitual, brand-loyal consumers and age. It was found that younger consumers are more likely to be loyal to specific brands as compared to their older counterparts. Differences were noted between brand conscious, confused by overchoice and gender. Brand consciousness was regarded as a reflection of men‟s desire to use shopping as a demonstration of their superiority, as well as being beneficial because they reduce search costs. It was revealed that males were more brand conscious than their female counterparts. It also highlighted that males were more confused by overchoice than females. The study found that the majority of Generation Y does pursue quality, even if it means paying higher prices. It is recommended that retailers should continue to emphasise their well-known brand names and set prices at levels where consumers perceive the quality of the product by its price. Retailers should focus on diverse designs, sizes and colours in their product assortment and range. The introduction of new products through the use of fashion shows, fashion magazines and advertisements may provide added advantages in terms of brand awareness / Central Research Committee of the Vaal University of Technology

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-07-11T12:45:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Vera Lucia da Silva Azeredo Pereira Barretto.pdf: 326063700 bytes, checksum: 735e663ee454115277d7e27f66ae8b79 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-11T12:45:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vera Lucia da Silva Azeredo Pereira Barretto.pdf: 326063700 bytes, checksum: 735e663ee454115277d7e27f66ae8b79 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-28 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / This research project sets out to investigate how brands as addressors in the sports fashion universe organize their discourses so as to exhibit new ways of life in stores. In situ observation is the basis for an endeavor to understand the discursive mechanisms — enunciatory, thematic, figurative and plastic — deployed to foster belief in these enunciations as verdictive, so that credibility leads to their being taken up as life aspirations. Discursive strategies and types of interaction are mapped, and these constructions are then systematized in a typology comprising types of interactions and types of store and consumer. The choice of stores in the sportswear segment is motivated by the action of these addressors, which transcend the role of proposing forms of dress to present contemporary ways of urban life, in a move aligned with the growing importance of everyday physical activity for people who live in São Paulo. Observation leads to a corpus consisting of four stores — Track&Field, Adidas, Nike and Asics — which together form the sports quadrilateral of Rua Oscar Freire, São Paulo’s emblematic upmarket shopping street. The theoretical and methodological foundations range from the semiotics of Greimas, particularly as developed in Landowski’s sociosemiotics, highlighting sensitivity, visibility, public versus private, and the role of interactions in the apprehension and construction of meaning; to Oliveira’s developments regarding enunciations in discursive interactions, meaning apprehended in action, esthesia, and syncretism; and the semiotic contributions to marketing, brand management and consumer behavior studies of Floch, Pezzini, Cervelli, Semprini, Ceriani, and Ciaco. The analysis of store plasticity follows research on window displays by Oliveira and Demetresco. The investigation shows that the discourses of sports brands across all communication channels evidence a certain distancing from the concept of sports linked solely to performance and a tendency to highlight values closer to people’s everyday lives such as well-being, health, fashion, and beauty. Brands in this segment enunciate ways of living that reiterate these values as lifestyles, and when these lifestyles are displayed in the valuable space of a store on an iconic street like Rua Oscar Freire they acquire prescriptive force, leading individuals to believe in the need to adopt and appropriate this axiology as essential to their participation in contemporary urban life. The study also aims to link semiotics to brand management and visual merchandising, offering a rigorous scientific framework for brand communication strategies / Esta pesquisa investiga como os destinadores marcas, no universo de moda esportiva, organizam seus discursos de maneira a expor nas lojas novos modos de viver a vida. A partir da observação in loco, busca-se compreender quais são os mecanismos discursivos empregados — enunciativos, temáticos, figurativos e plásticos — para fazer crer nesses enunciados como veridictórios, de modo que, credíveis, passam a ser seguidos como lema de vida. Mapeadas as estratégias discursivas e os tipos de interação, essas construções são sistematizadas numa tipologia tanto dos tipos de interações, quanto dos tipos de lojas e de consumidores. A escolha por lojas do segmento de sportswear é motivada pela ação desses destinadores, que ultrapassa o papel de propor modos de vestir e passa a apresentar modos de viver a vida urbana na contemporaneidade, movimento alinhado à crescente importância da atividade física no cotidiano, recortado no estudo do paulistano. A observação levou a um corpus constituído pelas lojas: Track&Field, Adidas, Nike e Asics, que juntas formam o quadrilátero esportivo da Oscar Freire, rua emblemática do consumo paulistano. A fundamentação teórica e metodológica é da semiótica de Greimas, particularmente seu desenvolvimento na sociossemiótica de Landowski, com aprofundamentos do sensível, visibilidade, público e privado e ao papel das interações na apreensão e construção do sentido; as elaborações de Oliveira acerca da enunciação nas interações discursivas, do sentido apreendido em ato, da estesia e do sincretismo; as contribuições semióticas ao marketing, à gestão de marcas e ao consumo de Floch; Pezzini; Cervelli; Semprini; Ceriani e Ciaco. A análise da plasticidade das lojas seguirá estudos sobre vitrinas de Oliveira e Demetresco. A investigação apontou que os discursos das marcas de moda esportiva, nas diversas mídias, evidenciam um certo afastamento do conceito do esporte ligado apenas à performance e passam a dar visibilidade a valores de bem-estar, saúde, moda e esteticidade aproximando-se do cotidiano dos indivíduos. As marcas desse segmento enunciam modos de viver de maneira a reiterar esses valores como estilos de vida que, ao serem apresentados no espaço valorizado de uma loja de rua icônica, ganham força de prescrição, levando o indivíduo a acreditar na necessidade de adoção e apropriação dessa axiologia como aspecto essencial para sua inserção na vida da urbe contemporânea. Esse estudo promoveu uma aproximação entre semiótica, gestão de marcas e visual merchandising, oferecendo um arcabouço científico rigoroso às estratégias comunicacionais das marcas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:16:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudia Maria Busato.pdf: 3089702 bytes, checksum: e8318bf2790148279cc70d4d8bc94477 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-03-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This inquiry studies urban communication and its devices of attention. The objects of this investigation are the fashion images printed in banners, billboards, images in buildings and interiors of shopping centers. The current metropolises show off the fact that they have being organized around the production and the seduction for almost two hundred years. In them, it is possible to check that is built a practice of appearances beside the history of the persons and objects. Paradoxically, the metropolises practice ways of removal, at the same time that social movements produce forms of closeness. In that habitat, it was developed the sewing industry and next to it, a demanding and segmented public moved by the novelty. It is also in the same stage, played by beauty and consumption, that the advertisement image explores its appeal to an immediate one. So, contemporary cities so much produce fast-fashion products as much social types here called image-costumer. It is necessary to emphasize that to be delighted before images, depends on the personal capacity of the individual in managing the received data. In this context, different tendencies of reception are shown: some accept in the full text the pretentious images and others seize only the languages proposed by the media. The hypothesis of this inquiry proposes that fashion images fill out individual deficit through the reconfiguration of their symbolic elements. The first symbol of the individual it is the images that he stores in his memory. Since he was born, the individual is enclosed by stimuli, particularly visual stimuli. These symbols that support the individual nowadays they are also explored by advertisement market. In order to understand the dynamic of these events the following objectives are put: 1. to identify in what ways the observer appropriates the fashion images; 2. to investigate the communicative potential of fashion billboard. The connecting thread of this inquiry goes through the reflections of Dietmar Kamper who discusses the technical images; Harry Pross who treats the pragmatic results of the symbolic orders; Baudrillard and Milton Santos, they analyse the mediation of the objects in urban space; Walter Benjamin and George Simmel, they point out the reflexes of urban life on the individuals. There are two the axles of this inquiry, a vertical, which means, a bibliographical lifting and, the other one, horizontal reached through field work. At both, it is valued in which measure they bring near the images of surface of those primary ones filed by the individual in his memory. The images in fashion billboards are objects of specified glances and they contain in its structure an efficient device of attention: the face. In that context, the observer and the image are face to face but the binomial face-clothes, in the billboards, reveals a mechanism of variation. Because in making seeming, simulating, by the use of the garment becomes a way for going out from the boredom, the changing, when the potential is going up in value of transforming stimuli. The communicative strength of the binomial face-clothes rests in the capacity of the individual of turning elements of the memory into realizable objectives. Since, contemporary individual is enclosed of objects and feelings to build a visual identity / Esta pesquisa estuda a comunicação urbana e seus dispositivos de atenção. São o objeto desta investigação as imagens da moda estampadas em banners, outdoors, imagens em edifícios e interiores de shoppings. As metrópoles atuais herdam o fato de se organizarem em torno da produção e da sedução há quase duzentos anos. Nelas é possível verificar que ao lado da história dos corpos e dos objetos constrói-se uma prática das aparências. Paradoxais, elas promovem o distanciamento, mas também movimentações sociais que propiciam formas de vinculação. Nesse habitat se desenvolve a indústria da costura e junto dela um público exigente, segmentado e movido pela novidade. É também nesse palco, encenado pela beleza e o consumo, que a imagem publicitária explora seu caráter de apelo ao imediato. Assim, as cidades contemporâneas tanto geram produtos fast fashion quanto tipos sociais aqui denominados de consumidores-imagem . Deve-se ressaltar que extasiar-se diante de imagens depende da capacidade do indivíduo de administrar as informações recebidas. Neste contexto revelam-se tendências distintas de recepção, onde uns aceitam na integra as imagens exibidas e outros apenas se apropriam das linguagens propostas pela mídia. A hipótese desta pesquisa propõe que as imagens da moda preenchem o déficit do indivíduo por meio da reconfiguração de seus elementos simbólicos. O primeiro símbolo do indivíduo são as imagens que ele provisiona na memória. Esses símbolos que sustentam o homem hoje são potencializados pelo mercado publicitário. Para compreensão desses eventos colocam-se os seguintes objetivos: 1. Identificar de que forma o observador se apropria das imagens da moda; 2. Investigar o potencial comunicativo do outdoor de moda. Esta pesquisa percorre as reflexões de Dietmar Kamper que discute as imagens técnicas; Harry Pross que trata dos resultados pragmáticos das ordens simbólicas, Baudrillard e Milton Santos que analisam a mediação dos objetos no espaço urbano, Walter Benjamin e George Simmel que apontam os reflexos da vida urbana sobre os indivíduos; são dois os eixos desta pesquisa, um vertical mediante levantamento bibliográfico e outro horizontal alcançado por meio de pesquisa de campo. Em ambos avalia-se em que medida se aproximam as imagens de superfície daquelas primárias arquivadas pelo indivíduo na memória. As imagens nos outdoors de moda são objetos de olhares particularizados e contêm na sua estrutura imagética um dispositivo eficaz de atenção: o rosto. Nessa troca observador e imagem ficam frente a frente. O binômio rosto-roupa nos outdoors revelase um mecanismo de variação, pois o fazer parecer, o simular, pela vestimenta se mostra uma forma de sair do tédio, de mudar, valorizando-se o potencial do indivíduo de transformar estímulos. Sua força comunicativa repousa na capacidade do indivíduo de transformar elementos da memória em objetivos realizáveis. Desse modo, esta pesquisa conclui que o indivíduo contemporâneo cerca-se de objetos e sentidos para construir uma identidade visual personalizada

Title: French luxury companies: Challenge to do E-Commerce withoutaffecting their brand image Authors: Clément LEMAIRE and Paul LASSALLE Supervisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, Marketing Key words: Marketing, E-commerce, E-merchandising, E-CRM, Louis Vuitton, Luxury market, French market, Website, Brand and Reputation Purpose: How French luxury companies, in a context of changing demand, use the e-commerce without affecting the image of their brand? Method: In the method we explain that we decide to use a descriptive method of research. We collect secondary data from our University Library and primary data from our observation of Louis Vuitton website. We also explain why we choose this company and what the limits of our study are. Theoretical framework: In a first part, we have written all the definitions and information about definitions that we have used in the empirical part. It means E-Commerce, E-Merchandising, Marketing mix and ECRM. Then, we have given some information about website elements as the first page, the graphic website, buying process, electronic payment and website security. Finally, we have defined all the information about the brand and its different powers on the market: We start by a “brand awareness” explication, then we have defined “how is build a brand” to finish by the topic “band and reputation”. Conclusions: We present the answer of our purpose. French Luxury companies use marketing tools in order to protect the image of their brand when they do e-commerce. We also bring some suggestions to Louis Vuitton and give some critics concerning our study. Finally we open our reflexion to related studies that could be interesting to do.

Sustainability is a topic paying a visit to most industries today and the fashion business is no exception.The development of eco-efficient stores is one of the efforts carried out by Inditex Group with the aim to adopt sustainability into its practices. Such stores distinguish themselves for saving electricity, water and by greatly reducing the amount of CO2 that is yearly produced. The concept was initiated with the Zara brand but it will be introduced to the other six brands that integrate Inditex as well. However, despite the reduction in the carbon footprint it cannot be denied that the fast fashion business model creates a paradox in terms of sustainability.The following is a case study on the Zara Rome eco-efficient store. Being a store benchmark in Europe, it explores how the sustainability concept is communicated through this model and if the identified paradox is addressed. To do so, the study analyzes the external, internal and interactive marketing of the eco-shop based on the service marketing triangle theory and the Mehrabian-Russell stimulus-response model used in visual merchandising. Participant observation on site and a content analysis of relevant documents were carried out as research methods in order to find the messages emitted on each side of the triangle.The analysis shows that the paradox in the Zara eco-shops is not being handled at the customer level, though it is being handled at internal and external levels. As a conclusion, the eco-shops effort is part of a sustainability strategy with long term perspective and it will be addressed at customer level when the company as a whole counts with a more sustainable brand identity. Additionally suggestions are offered to potentialize the communication of sustainability in an eco-shop. / Program: Master in Fashion Management with specialisation in Fashion Marketing and Retailing

<p>Title: French luxury companies: Challenge to do E-Commerce withoutaffecting their brand image</p><p>Authors: Clément LEMAIRE and Paul LASSALLE</p><p>Supervisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire</p><p>Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, Marketing</p><p>Key words: Marketing, E-commerce, E-merchandising, E-CRM, Louis Vuitton, Luxury market, French market, Website, Brand and Reputation</p><p>Purpose: How French luxury companies, in a context of changing demand, use the e-commerce without affecting the image of their brand?</p><p>Method: In the method we explain that we decide to use a descriptive method of research. We collect secondary data from our University Library and primary data from our observation of Louis Vuitton website. We also explain why we choose this company and what the limits of our study are.</p><p>Theoretical framework: In a first part, we have written all the definitions and information about definitions that we have used in the empirical part. It means E-Commerce, E-Merchandising, Marketing mix and ECRM. Then, we have given some information about website elements as the first page, the graphic website, buying process, electronic payment and website security. Finally, we have defined all the information about the brand and its different powers on the market: We start by a “brand awareness” explication, then we have defined “how is build a brand” to finish by the topic “band and reputation”.</p><p>Conclusions: We present the answer of our purpose. French Luxury companies use marketing tools in order to protect the image of their brand when they do e-commerce. We also bring some suggestions to Louis Vuitton and give some critics concerning our study. Finally we open our reflexion to related studies that could be interesting to do.</p>

By the later decades of the twentieth century, retail internationalization was no longer the activity of a few multi-national retailers; revising the traditional view of retailing as a national business and the need to understand the process of internationalization. Academic research enriched the understanding of this activity, moving away from the early use of surveys to delve into the specific processes of the retailers in order to properly analyze foreign expansion activity. Initial research focused on the perspective of the firm, contributing to knowledge of the why, where, and how of the internationalization process. As this research expanded its scope, it became necessary for researchers to explore when internationalization occurs and to document what was the impact of internationalization on the host country. This call for research was made by Dawson (2003), who proposed a framework for the study of foreign impact on the domestic retailers of a host country. This study utilizes the Dawson model to measure, analyze, and explain the when and what of the retail internationalization process. In recognition of the complexity of the retail internationalization process, it was determined that the study would focus on one type of impact: changes in sectoral competitiveness. It was also determined that this study should be undertaken in a market and retail sector where substantial foreign entry had occurred and could potentially be measured, analyzed and explained. Therefore, the study is undertaken in the Canadian apparel sector between 1989 and 2007. The study was conducted as a mixed method research in two stages: an empirical study of market data and an interview study of industry experts. Since retail functions at the local level, the shopping centre was used as a microcosm of the market and provided empirical evidence to measure impacts in a temporal sense and by intensity. The interviews with industry experts were used to collaborate and explain the mall data, providing important first-hand context to explain the retail internationalization process. This study contributes to the validation of the Dawson model as a tool to measure and explain the impacts of foreign entry on a host country’s sectoral competitiveness, and through its methodology will provide the necessary modifications to the model for continued study of the retail internationalization process.

Submitted by Daniele Santos (danielesantos.htl@gmail.com) on 2017-09-27T18:10:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Seju Mike - Revised Thesis Submission 27.09.17.pdf: 1322299 bytes, checksum: 5a95866783e524e5006dc5481fc7a968 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2017-09-27T19:00:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Seju Mike - Revised Thesis Submission 27.09.17.pdf: 1322299 bytes, checksum: 5a95866783e524e5006dc5481fc7a968 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-29T19:49:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Seju Mike - Revised Thesis Submission 27.09.17.pdf: 1322299 bytes, checksum: 5a95866783e524e5006dc5481fc7a968 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-31 / This study explores the U.S. (United States) market for clothing and apparel of African origin and design; primarily focusing on the consumer of these fashion items. It delves into the field of Marketing study with an exploratory research approach to developing a consumer profile. By reviewing current market trends and analyzing results of survey data collected for the purpose of this study, it attempts to create an initial consumer profile using demographic and behavioral characteristics. Attaining an understanding of the target consumer is a crucial factor in determining a market entry strategy for new businesses and can also provide already existing businesses with a road map to achieving their full potential. Knowing who is most likely to buy your product aids the business in crafting the most appealing brand story for their target demographic. It also provides an understanding of where they frequent and what sales channels might be most attractive. As such, the relevance of this study lies in its ability to provide a starting point of reference for African brands, designers and retailers looking to expand their reach in the U.S. market place. Results of the study revealed a predominance of female buyers between the age of 30 to 35 years of age, living within the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. with buying patterns which indicated a preference for in-person shopping experiences versus online, and a tendency to purchase bargain items while seeking authenticity in the designs purchased, with a keenness towards supporting artisans on the continent. Further research into the subject matter is recommended, and should be aimed at achieving a more robust review of quantitative data as well as an expanded scope of qualitative research.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:14:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 1993-03-29T00:00:00Z / Aborda os fatores que influenciam comportamento de consumo da criança da faixa etária de três a sete anos, como suas características, processo de socialização para o consumo e agentes de socialização (família, colegas, escola e empresas). Aprofunda-se na influência dos pais e da televisão em sua educação para o consumo. Analisa a importância do estágio de desenvolvimento em que se encontra a criança e processamento da informação na construção do conhecimento de consumo. Aborda a questão das propagandas e programas infantis no consumo de produtos com marcas de personagens veiculados na televisão. Inclui entrevistas junto a especialistas do setor.