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Introduction
With accelerating globalization, rapidly changing retail environments are fueled by increasing global competition and higher consumer expectations. International expansion is a strategy pursued by some companies to offset a maturing domestic retail environment and an aging consumer market in the USA. Economic growth and emerging young consumers who are brand and fashion conscious ([20] Morton, 2002; [8] Bryck, 2003) in Asian markets, such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea have attracted attention from US apparel retailers. Consequently, of the 100 largest international retailers in terms of sales, 36 are US-based companies ([33] Stores , 2005).
Given the rapid growth and optimistic outlook for international retailing, researchers and practitioners are interested in the process of building strong brands in foreign market environments, but it is not an easy process. Consumers, in some instances, have stereotyped products and brands based on their country of origin ([3] Andaleeb, 1995). Many researchers agree that the power of brand perception is in the cognitive and affective responses it elicits from consumers, marketing activities, sources of information, purchasing frequency and volume, and loyalty ([16] Keller, 2001; [36] Yoo et al. , 2000; [19] Morris et al. , 2002).
Consumers' brand perceptions may be driven by their unique needs and brand knowledge derived from personal experience ([16] Keller, 2001). Young consumers, especially, have a need to bolster their self-images through having "cool" looks. Generation Y consumers, born from 1977 to 1994 ([20] Morton, 2002), generally prefer brands with an identity based on values with which they can identify and through which they can express their individuality ([4] Azuma, 2002; [22] Parker et al. , 2004). To be successful in international retailing, therefore, retailers and apparel companies must consider how Generation Y consumers respond to their brands. Nevertheless, no studies have been identified that examine how the consumers' need for uniqueness affects their brand perceptions and purchase intention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between consumers' need for uniqueness, brand perceptions, and purchase intention for a US apparel brand by focusing on Generation Y consumers in Japan.
Literature review
Japanese Generation Y as global consumers
Generation Y consumers tend to be well educated, internet savvy, and eager to shop ([20] Morton, 2002). In fact, they often...