Predicting purchase intention
for private sale sites
Briana Martinez and Soyoung Kim
Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, University of Georgia,
Athens, Georgia, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of several consumer characteristics
(fashion leadership, impulse buying, bargain shopping), web site attitude, and visit frequency on
intention to purchase from a private sale site.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 164 female respondents who were
members of at least one private sale site. The sample was selected mainly by using a snowball
sampling technique which relied on chain referrals to recruit eligible participants. Factor analysis
results suggested that fashion leadership consisted of two dimensions: fashion opinion leadership and
fashion innovativeness. Regression analysis was conducted to determine how strongly purchase
intention for private sale sites was predicted by fashion opinion leadership, fashion innovativeness,
impulse buying, bargain shopping, web site attitude, and visit frequency.
Findings – Regression results showed that ease of use was the only dimension of web site
attitude that significantly predicted purchase intention. Impulse buying and bargain shopping also
significantly influenced purchase intention. Implications for future research and limitations were
also discussed.
Originality/value – As private sale sites continue to grow in popularity, insight into the psychology
and behaviors of shoppers at these sites has become more important. There has been, however, no
published research that examines what motivates consumers to purchase from private sale sites.
Keywords Consumer behaviour, Women, Fashion, Web sites, Internet, Internet marketing,
Fashion retailing
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Bargain shopping is an old concept but its meaning has changed over time. There used
to be a stigma associated with bargain shopping as it referred to buying low-priced
items or below-average quality products; now, however, the term has evolved to mean
simply getting the best value for your money. Many consumers today, regardless of age
or class, engage in bargain shopping whether it be in discount stores, off-price retailers
or online. The growing popularity of bargain shopping has prompted the luxury
fashion market, once highly resistant to discounting, due to the potential for tarnishing
its brand reputation and losing exclusivity, to also join this trend (Atwal and Williams,
2009; Danziger, 2005).
Luxury fashion, comprised of apparel, accessories, handbags, shoes, jewelries, and
perfume (Amatulli and Guido, 2011), not only assumes excellence in quality,
distinctiveness, exclusivity, and craftsmanship but may well also become a part of the
consumer’s identity (Fionda and Moore, 2009). These characteristics normally
associated with luxury brands make it a challenge for companies to market these
brands effectively on the internet. Showcasing the often-tactile sense of quality and
craftsmanship on a computer screen and maintaining a sense of exclusivity even
while making them available to everybody who has internet access requires a delicate
balance (Okonkwo, 2009). Recent trends in luxury consumption, however, have changed
this market and present new opportunities, particularly for fashion companies. As noted
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1361-2026.htm
Received 6 May 2011
Revised 4 September 2011
8 January 2012
Accepted 18 January 2012
Journal of Fashion Marketing and
Management
Vol. 16 No. 3, 2012
pp. 342-365
r Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1361-2026
DOI 10.1108/13612021211246080
342
JFMM
16,3