Clothing Evaluative Criteria: A Cross-National Comparison of Taiwanese and United States Consumers

Abstract

Taiwanese and United States college women were compared regarding the importance they placed on the evaluative criteria they used when purchasing a specific clothing item for themselves. One hundred nineteen Taiwanese and 84 United States college women completed self-administered questionnaires. Seven-point scales were used to measure the importance of 12 clothing evaluative criteria: fabric, comfort, size/fit, quality, location of manufacturer, color, how pleasing it was to others, brand name, appropriateness for campus wear, price, style, and coordination with other clothing. The findings indicated that the importance placed on clothing evaluative criteria was very similar between the two groups. In addition, the size/fit criterion was found to be the most important criterion for both groups. Cross-national comparison studies, such as this one, that focus on the consumer decision-making process may provide important information to marketers in their development of international marketing strategies.