An Explorative Study on the Purchase Decision-Making Process of Sustainable Shoes Consumers

Abstract

Sustainable fashion products have different characteristics from typical fashion products. Therefore, this study focuses on shoes while exploring the expansion and development of sustainable fashion consumption as well as consumers' perceptions of the sustainability approaches practiced by shoe companies. In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 consumers, who had purchased sustainable shoes, in order to understand their purchase decision-making process and consumption characteristics, using the seven stages of the EBM model. In the “need recognition” stage, the survey participants' social background and family influences were categorized as macro factors, while their personal background influences were categorized as micro factors. In the “evaluation of alternatives” stage, participants reconfirmed whether or not to make a purchase based on the product's properties, such as price, brand value, and offered services. In the “purchase” stage, participants' purchase channels were determined according to their preferences as well as the selection pattern they followed until the final purchase within the chosen channel. In the “consumption” stage, the start of product ownership coincides with the start of using the products after making a purchase. In the “post-purchase assessment” stage, higher positive experiences led to a higher repurchase intention of sustainable shoes, while negative experiences caused participants to defer consumption and made them experience a sense of guilt for failing to consume sustainably. During the “post-purchase behavior” stage, which focused on the categories that the customers prioritized, many participants spread information about sustainable fashion to specific individuals through active online WOM behavior.