The effect of consumer demographic characteristics on the perception of fashion web site attributes in Korea

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify demographic variables affecting consumers' perception of fashion web site attributes. Design/methodology/approach - Descriptive analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Scheffe test for post hoc tests were used for data analysis. The online and offline survey conducted in 2004 resulted in a total of 1,026 usable responses. Findings - The paper finds that there were significant differences in the consumers' demographic variables (gender, marital status, age, education, monthly income, and occupation) on their perception of fashion web site attributes (6C: commerce, customization, contents, community, connection, and communication). Research limitations/implications - The findings implied that the fashion e-retailers should reformulate their current strategies by focusing on personalization to satisfy individual customer. However because the research was conducted in Korea, the findings may not be generalizable to other countries. Originality/value - This research takes into consideration the opinion of both online and offline consumers. This study is in the forefront of examining e-consumer behavior in the fashion industry.