The purpose of this study was first, to clarify the clothing benefits that Uzbek female college students seek through clothing products; and second, to determine whether there is a difference in clothing involvement and clothing purchasing behavior according to the type of clothing benefits. Data were collected from 290 female university students from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and analyzed using factor analysis, K-means group classification analysis, ANOVA, Duncan test, χ2-test, and frequency analysis. Respondents were classified into four types according to their clothing benefits: individuality/economy-pursuit, comfort-pursuit, fashion/brand-pursuit, and indifference. Significant differences were identified in terms of clothing involvement, information sources, clothing evaluation criteria, clothing store attributes, clothing wearing conditions (including monthly clothing expenses), number of purchases per year, clothing purchase location, clothing preference style, and clothing dissatisfaction. The fashion/brand-pursuit and personality/economy-pursuit types were influenced more by fashion and symbolism of clothing involvement, information sources, clothing evaluation criteria, and clothing store attributes. The individuality/economy-pursuit type purchased more frequently, spent more monthly clothing expenses, and used the internet. Clothing store attributes were considered more important by female students than the other attributes. In these results, clothing benefits were identified as consumer characteristics of female Uzbek college students and market segmentation was determined. In addition, it is meaningful in providing basic data for efficient marketing activities and minimizing trials and errors in establishing local-friendly strategies for target customers in different cultures.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in female college students' sociocultural attitude toward appearance and pursuit of clothing benefits according to their narcissism. Data collection was conducted through survey for female college students, and a total 221 questionnaires were used for data analyses. For analysis of data, frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and one-way ANOVA were applied. The results were summarized as follows. First, the factor analysis on narcissism resulted in two dimensional structures: self-initiated and other-dependent narcissism. The respondents were categorized into four narcissism groups, such as compositive, self-initiated, other-dependent, and withdrawn narcissism groups. Second, the factor analysis on sociocultural attitude toward appearance resulted in two dimensional structures: internalization and awareness. Five dimensions of pursuit of clothing benefits were identified: individuality, self-expression, fashion, comfort, and social recognition pursuit. Third, there were significant differences among the categorized narcissism groups in sociocultural attitude toward appearance and pursuit of clothing benefits. The results confirm that narcissism has an impact on sociocultural attitude toward appearance and pursuit of clothing benefits. It is expected that this study provides insight for apparel makers or retailers to develop their marketing strategies.