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1. Introduction
Fashion industry is an important contributor to European Union economies (Ananda et al., 2015) and the area of undergarment purchasing is an important focus of interest for researchers and the fashion industry. The global lingerie market is estimated to be around US$30 billion, with a projected growth of perhaps 9 per cent over the next five years, and the intimates segment is growing at a faster pace around the world than the lingerie market itself. According to a report by Fashionbi.com, the largest market for lingerie is North America and the USA, while in Europe the highest growth has occurred in Germany and Italy. Overall, the lingerie market is growing with support from the luxury sector, emerging markets and new trends, such as shapewear and eco-friendly intimate apparel made from natural fabrics.
This market is highly brand competitive and volatile and is characterized by a high number of categories and product types, but little is known as yet about consumers’ motivations to purchase, their brand evaluations or fashion perceptions (Hume and Mills, 2013). Shorter lead times in manufacturing across the diverse range of lingerie garments that make up most suppliers’ offers are becoming increasingly important in such a competitive market.
If a business is not already selling on the internet, it is in trouble. If it is, it needs to address very carefully its order taking and fulfilment processes and their efficiency (Site 1). Those companies that use online channels, regardless of their size and characteristics, have excellent sales opportunities through e-commerce (Tiessen et al., 2001), but this requires building a strong basis for differentiation in the international market (Knight et al., 2004; Luo et al., 2005). The increasing use of e-commerce and social media has affected the fashion industry; there is a remarkable focus on the marketing strategy perspective within this sector (Ananda et al., 2015). In addition, the physical characteristics and functionality of undergarments are very important for the consumer. In the study of Hume and Mills (2013), brand recognition is highly significant for companies whose customers repurchase based on the comfort, functionality and quality of garments. According to Suzianti et al. (2015), client fashion e-commerce has one of its concerns related to product quality...