The purpose of this study is to examine the compensatory role of instrumental (e.g., product information) and aesthetic (e.g., website background) online cues presented within apparel websites where touch is unavailable. The moderating role of two need for touch (NFT) dimensions (i.e., autotelic and instrumental NFT) between online cues and consumer responses was also investigated. Results demonstrate that personal differences in autotelic and instrumental NFT moderate the relationship between online cues and affective responses. It was found that consumers high in autotelic NFT (i.e., who need to touch for fun) seek more instrumental cues to compensate for lack of touch when shopping apparel products online. Surprisingly, consumers high in instrumental NFT (i.e., who need to touch for product evaluation) use aesthetic as well as instrumental cues to supplement the absence of touch. In contrast, for the low NFT groups, only aesthetic online cues showed significant effects on consumer arousal. Further analysis shows that instrumental NFT is negatively related to purchase intention while autotelic NFT has a positive effect on purchase intention. This implies that need for hedonic-oriented touch is no longer a barrier for online apparel shopping. However, the instrumental NFT seems a significant obstacle for the adoption of online apparel purchasing.

This paper aims to examine the effect of live streaming, recently adopted by online clothing sellers to help sell clothes on the Facebook. Drawing on the literature in retailing, adoption behavior, and e-commerce, this paper proposes the framework to test the effect on customers’ perceived values, trust, and engagement intention. When shopping online, consumers are generally concerned with legitimacy of the vendor and authenticity of products or services (Chen and Dhillon 2002). Live streaming allows shoppers to view the seller’s face and expressions, background (e.g. clothes, furniture), as well as offered products that are not pre-recorded or edited prior to being presented in the online store. Due to the spontaneous, interactive nature of live streaming, viewers ask questions and receive answers from the page in almost real time (Wang et al. 2000), and the seller can use the feedback to respond to the need of customers better. Live streaming is expected to positively affect on customer’s perceived utilitarian value (authenticity, responsiveness). By merely viewing the seller showing, wearing, or putting different clothes on a mannequin can be fun and enjoyable like viewing the fashion show. Live streaming is expected to positively affect on customer’s perceived hedonic value (enjoyment). The act of shopping can also provide a symbolic benefit, as customers express their personal values, identity, self through the shopping experience (Chandon et al., 2000). Given that live streaming is not prevalent and used by general users, customers who participate in the live streaming may be perceived that they are innovative. Live streaming by possibly affecting customer hedonic, utilitarian, and symbolic value would be likely to positively affect trust and engagement intention. Trust can refer to the extent to which customers believe the web site is legal, ethical and credible and can protect their privacy(Wan, 2000). Trust can lead to positive feelings towards the online seller, and in turn can increase intention to revisit and purchase from the site (Chiu et al. 2009). Engaged people are generally those visiting the site frequently, spend substantial time on the site, and have many page views (Calder, Malthouse, and Schaedel 2009). The relationship of live streaming, and perceived values (customer hedonic, utilitarian, and symbolic value), trust, and engagement intention will be tested by conducting the survey with about 400 online shoppers. The data will be analyzed using the structural equation modeling. Results are expected to provide implications for the use of live streaming for online shopping. The study aims to examine the process underlying the effects of livestreaming on consumer trust and engagement. Livestreaming has potentials to bridge the gap between traditional and online shopping, allowing sellers and shoppers distant in space to interact and smoothening the online shopping experiences.

As more consumers shop online and prefer private label apparel products, the importance of private label apparel brand of Internet shopping malls are increasing. This study investigated consumer attitudes toward private label apparel brand of Internet shopping malls. Attitudes were conceptualized into two sub-factors: utilitarian and hedonic. Based on findings of prior studies, subjective norm and familiarity were included as antecedents to attitude variables. Purchase intention and word of mouth intention were also included as consequence variables of attitudes. Types of Online shopping malls were considered as moderating variable. For the empirical research, the Online survey was conducted. Young male and female consumers who have experience in Internet shopping of clothing products participated in the study. 429 questionnaire were used for the final statistical analysis. Results indicated that subjective norm had significant influence on consumer attitudes toward private label apparel brand. Familiarity however did not have significant influence on attitude variables for general internet shopping malls. For specialized Internet shopping malls, familiarity had significant influence only on hedonic attitude. Attitude variables had significant influence on purchase intention and word of mouth intention. Subjective norm and familiarity had significant influence on purchase intention and word of mouth intention.

개인별 신체 특성을 나타내는 가상피팅모델을 이용하여 제공되는 가상 착용 서비스는 웹을 기반으로 한 인터넷 의류 쇼핑의 흥미를 더해준다. 본 연구의 연구자들은 2000년과 2002년에 개발된 미국의 가상피팅모델과 국내에서 개발되었던 가상피팅모델의 개발 기술의 특성과 변화를 분석하였다. 연구결과는 가상피팅모델의 구축을 위해서는 인체의 치수, 형태, 얼굴의 특징들에 관한 정보 입력이 필요하며, 이때 요구되는 정보는 미국과 한국의 사이트에서 차이가 있음을 밝혔다. 미국의 사이트는 정면이나 측면의 실루엣에 대한 정보의 입력이 요구되는 반면 한국의 사이트는 더 많은 인체 치수 관련 정보를 요구하였다. 2000년에 개발되었던 한국의 가상피팅모델은 길고 좁은 프로포션으로 표현되어 사실적인 표현이 부족하였던 반면 2002년 미국에서 개발한 가상피팅모델은 다양한 인종의 특성을 반영하며, 그래픽 기술의 발전으로 사실적으로 표현된 가상피팅모델을 제공하는 것으로 나타났다.