Predicting Consumer Response to Fashion Apparel

The objective of this research was to explore the utility of Fishbein's Behavioral Intentions Model for predicting consumer intention to purchase fashion apparel. Relationships were examined between consumer attitudes toward purchasing specific examples of fashion apparel, attitudes toward purchasing from a general category of apparel, intention to purchase an item from the category within a two‐month period of time, and actual purchasing behavior. Behavioral intentions were found to be closely related to a combination of attitudes toward purchasing each of the stimuli presented and motivation to comply with reference groups. When respondents were asked to consider the purchase of a specific item of apparel, the relationships between the components of the theoretical model were stronger than when the respondents were asked to consider their intention to purchase from within the more general category. 1987 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences