Society’s emphasis on a thin body ideal may intensify an individual’s negative perceptions of fatness. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between sociocultural attitudes toward appearance (awareness and internalization of the female ideal) and anti-fat attitudes among middle-aged Korean women. In addition, the aim was to examine whether the body internalization of female ideals was a mediator in the proposed model. Participants included a sample of 264 middle-aged Korean women who completed a series of measures online. The following information was collected through online questionnaires: awareness and internalization of the female ideal, attitudes toward fat, body weight perception, and demographics. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The measurement model and the structural model testing provided an acceptable fit to the data, and all proposed pathways in the research model were statistically significant. Awareness of the female ideal was significantly and positively associated with internalization, and it significantly and positively predicted both constructs of anti-fat attitudes. Additionally, awareness of the female ideal was significantly and positively indirectly associated with attitudes toward fat peopledislike and willpower mediated by internalization. Overall, these findings suggest that society’s emphasis on female appearance and a thin body can ultimately result in significant stigmatization of overweight/obese individuals. This study emphasizes the importance of establishing a healthy appearance standard to reduce anti-fat prejudice.

Fashion companies and brands’ marketing activities focus on resolving environmental problems; however, these companies’ efforts, there are some examples of so-called “greenwashing”. This paper aims to analyze different perceptions of brand authenticity, green marketing, and purchase intention toward the brand before and after exposure to case information about greenwashing. A total of 211 data were gathered and analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Respondents were asked to respond to same questionnaires related to green marketing and the brand authenticity before and after their exposure to greenwashing information. The study participants’ perceptions of green marketing from the brand were statistically significantly negatively changed after exposure compared to before exposure. Similar patterns in results were found in the context of consumers’ perception of brand authenticity (genuineness, originality, and consistency), and purchase intention. The originality of this study is in evaluating consumers’ perception of greenwashing focused on brand authenticity. The findings of the study suggest that if a fashion brand’s green marketing activity is perceived as greenwashing by consumers, the perceptions of green marketing, brand authenticity, and purchase intention can all decline. It is suggested that fashion brands need to develop a sincere and truthful green marketing campaigns to keep and enhance their brand authenticity.

The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify differences in consumer attitudes and intentions to recycle fashion products using three types of recycling (including resale, reform, and donation), and (2) to examine the moderating effects of consumer prosocialness on the relationships between attitude and intention for each type of fashion product recycling. Men and women aged 20 years and over were recruited from a marketing research firm panel. Participants completed an online questionnaire incorporating measures for attitudes and intentions to resale, reform, and donate fashion products, prosocialness, frequency of purchasing fashion products, monthly amount of spending on fashion products, and demographic information. Data from 224 participants were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS macro. The results demonstrated that consumers had significantly different attitudes and intentions depending on type of fashion product recycling. Consumers had more positive attitudes toward donation compared to resale and reform types of recycling. Consumer intentions toward resale and donation were significantly higher than their intention to reform. Furthermore, this study confirmed that the attitude-intention gap in fashion product recycling can be explained by individual prosocialness. The moderating effects of prosocialness on the associations between attitude and intention to recycle were significant. The implications of increasing consumers’ behavior intention to recycle fashion products was discussed and future research suggestions are provided.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained enormous popularity in various fields of industry. An IoT shopping environment is considered an effective tool for convenient use by consumers. Perceived values (including convenience and privacy risks) of IoT shopping can be the main factors that influence consumers’ shopping intentions. The current study proposed a research model based on a value-based adoption model, which integrated perceived benefit and sacrifice, shopping attitude, and shopping intention in an IoT shopping environment. As potential customers, participants in their 20s and 30s were recruited through a marketing research firm. Responses collected via an online questionnaire validated the proposed research model and hypothesis. The results confirmed significant, positive relationships between perceived benefit, including both remote control and access convenience, and consumers’ positive attitudes toward IoT shopping. The association between perceived privacy risk and consumers’ shopping attitudes was not significant. The indirect effects of two benefits of IoT shopping on shopping intention were also significant and positive. From a practical perspective, this study can help marketers and service providers manage their IoT shopping platforms or applications more effectively to attract consumers. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed. Directions for future research and development of IoT shopping environment are suggested.

Consumers want to express their original unique personality, and even are willing to endure high expenses in order to do this. One noticeable strategy in the market, used by companies to suit for this consumer sentiment, is that of employing limited edition marketing and limited free gifts. This study investigated the effects of limited free gifts on consumer response. Specifically, the present study examined how the need for uniqueness moderated the effects of limited free gifts on brand commitment and attitudes. The online survey method was used to gather the data and a total of 224 data were used to analyze data. The results of the research were as follows. The findings revealed four dimensions of limited free gifts: scarcity/specialty, not for sale, complementarity, and risk. Complementarity positively affected brand commitment, while all four dimensions of limited free gifts positively influenced brand attitude. In addition, the need for uniqueness was proven to be the strongest variable which positively influenced brand commitment and attitudes. Also, when the need for uniqueness was applied as a moderating variable, depending on the levels of the need for uniqueness, the effects of riskiness on the consumer’s response were shown to be different. The findings of this study infer various academic and practical applications.

The present study investigated fashion Instagram marketing, applying the concept of gamification. It set out to examine the following specific issues: 1) perceptions of flow, pleasures, dimensions of game dynamics (challenge, competition, achievement, reward, relationships among participants, and relationships between brands and consumers), and consumer responses based on frequency and involvement in exercise; 2) the effects of game dynamics dimensions on flow and pleasure; and 3) the effects of flow and pleasure on consumer responses. An online survey was used to gather data and the study analyzed a total of 200 responses. The results of the study were as follows. Perception differences were found only in relation to exercise involvement. Competition, relationships among participants, and relationships between brands and customers positively predicted flow. Among the dimensions of game dynamics, challenge, competition, reward, relationships among participants, and relationships between brands and consumers positively influenced pleasure. In addition, the study also found that pleasure and flow had positive effects on intention to participate and brand loyalty. Meanwhile, only pleasure predicted word-of-mouth. These findings suggest that fashion brands implementing Instagram as a marketing channel should seek to stimulate pleasure and fun to provoke positive consumer responses. Furthermore, the findings of the study provide practical and useful insights for fashion brands implementing Instagram marketing.

This study investigated how the image congruity of social commerce and fashion brand types affects purchase intention and how trust and price sensitivity moderate this relationship. National brands, private brands, and non-brands were used as brand types in the present study. The online survey method was used to gather the data, and 232 data samples were analyzed. The results of the research were as follows. Consumers perceived greater image congruity between social commerce and nonbrands, followed by private brands and national brands. The significant perception differences were examined by comparing the mean values. There was a significant positive effect of image congruity of social commerce and non-brands on purchase intention. However, insignificant effects were found for image congruity between social commerce and private brands and national brands. In addition, trust and price sensitivity positively predicted social commerce purchase intention. A significant moderating effect of trust was found on the relationship between purchase intention and image congruity of social commerce and non-brands. A moderating effect of price sensitivity was found on the relationship between purchase intention and image congruity of social commerce and private brands. The findings of the present study offer valuable insights into social commerce concerning implementing diverse fashion brands as well as academic and practical implications.

Digital signage in a smart store would engage and invoke responses from consumers because good in-store experiences are more important than ever. Thus, the present study investigates consumer perceptions of interactive digital signage integrating technology acceptance model. Specifically, the current study examined 1) the effects of personal and fashion innovativeness on interactivity; 2) the effect of interactivity on perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment; and 3) the effects of perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment on intentions to use the products and the store, visit the store, and engage in word-of-mouth. As a pre-study, two researchers visited the smart stores of six brands in Seoul, all of which integrate various technologies in the fashion field. A video clip was developed as a stimulus to the study. A total of 214 responses were gathered and analyzed. The results were as follows. Personal innovativeness has a significantly positive effect on interactivity, whereas fashion innovativeness has no significant effect. Interactivity had positive effects on the perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment. Consumer responses (i.e., intentions to use, visit, and engage in word-of-mouth) were predicted by usefulness and enjoyment, but not by ease of use. The findings of this study could provide the fashion industry and retailers practical and valuable insights into enhancing consumers’ in-store experiences through the use of interactive digital signage.

The study aims to investigate the effects of media and self-image congruity of ideal body image on the dieting and exercising behaviors of Korean and U.S. female college students. This study focuses on the concept of self-image congruity in order to examine how respondents perceive actual and desired self-images compared to an ideal female body image selected by respondents. A self-administered survey was conducted, resulting in 331 total responses (194 from Korean students and 137 from U.S. students). The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, t-test, exploratory factor analysis, and regression analysis using SPSS 23.0. The findings revealed significant differences between Korean and U.S. female college students. U.S. students were more exposed to body image ideals in the media than Korean students; however, Korean female students valued the information regarding ideal body image conveyed by the media more than U.S. respondents. Among Korean female students, exposure to media messages regarding ideal body image and media importance had significant effects on desired self-image congruity, while these factors were not significant among U.S. students. However, there was a negative effect of media exposure on actual self-image congruity among U.S. respondents only. Additionally, the study uncovered that Korean students manage their body image through dieting behaviors while U.S. respondents manage body image through exercise behaviors (weight training as well as cardiovascular exercise). The study provides further support for self-image congruity, which extends its applications to the body image field.

Recently, some fashion retailers have initiated sustainable actions in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to address consumers’ social concerns. This study intends to combine the concept of CSR motivation attributions with brand extension literature in order to examine how consumers’ trust of a parent brand affects their CSR motivation attributions and ultimately their attitudes towards parent-brand CSR activities and sustainable extension lines. A self-administered online survey was conducted using scenarios describing a fast fashion retailer introducing a sustainable line. Data from 303 female U.S. consumers, aged between 18 and 34 years, were used for the statistical analysis. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS 21.0 for descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and regression analysis. The results revealed that all hypotheses were supported. The findings show that consumers’ trust of a parent brand has an indirect impact on positive attitudes towards the parent brand’s CSR activities as well as the sustainable extension product line, mediating positive evaluations of the brand’s social CSR motivations. In addition, this study suggests consumers’ prior trust of the parent brand is a variable that affects consumers’ evaluation of CSR motivation sincerity. Marketing suggestions and thoughts based on the findings of this study were provided.

The callus from the hypocotyl region of immature embryo of Citrus junos Sieb. was efficiently induced in the ½ MS medium containing 45uM BA after 8 weeks culture. The callus was developed into the two callus type, embryogenic callus and nonembryogenic callus, which can be distinguished by visual examination depending on color and appearence. In vitro regeneration of callus established efficiently in the hormone-free MS medium from the embryogenic callus. In order to investigate the physiological changes depending on the developmental stage of embryo, the embryo was formed in the MS medium. The embryogenic and nonembryogenic callus, and the various stages of the somatic embryo were examimed the changes of esterase activity, and their isozyme patterns as well. The protein content and esterase activities was gradually increased on the developmental stages of embryo. Total protein pattern were different by the SDS-PAGE and were appeared strong band of 23 KD in the torpedo stage. The pattern of the esterase isozyme was exhibited a difference between embryogenic callus and nonembryogenic callus. It was appered pI 6.0, 8.0, 8.2 in the embryogenic callus. Also the new band of pI 4.75 was appeared in the cotyledon. These results suggest that the changes of esterase activities and isozyme patterns are importent factor in the differentiation and development of citrus.