• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.537-550
• /
• 2023

This study investigates the impact of Hallyu human brands on consumer behavior, given the increasing influence of Hallyu human brands due to their global spread and the limited academic discussions surrounding this topic. The research examines the role of self-congruity, human brand attachment, and brand equity factors. An online survey was conducted, targeting Chinese consumers who are highly engaged with the Korean Wave. Data from 403 respondents were analyzed. The results reveal that both ideal and actual self-congruity with the Hallyu human brand significantly affected attachment to the brand, while social self-congruity was found to be insignificant. Furthermore, attachment to Hallyu human brands positively influenced brand recognition, perceived quality, brand image, and brand loyalty.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.32 no.10
• /
• pp.1497-1508
• /
• 2008

The objective of this study is to identify the types of relationship quality of department store fashion consumers. This study also aims to look at if consumers form different type of relationship quality with various relation partners. In this study, qualitative research was conducted on 25 female consumers to come to a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of fashion consumers' diverse loyal relationships. Fashion consumer's relationship quality consisted of 'self attachment', 'symbolic', 'trust', 'intimacy', 'compensational bind', and 'habitual alternative'. 6 relationship quality dimensions were distinguished according to each dimension's emotional involvement level and conscious activeness level of consumers. While self attachment was classified as emotional and active relationship quality, compensational bind and habitual alternative were typical relationship quality types of fashion store loyalty such as department store loyalty, thus classified as inertial and cognitive relationship quality type. This study might provide a useful direction to apparel brands and retailers in finding out which relationship quality type is more effective for differentiated marketing strategies.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.101-115
• /
• 2020

It is very important for companies to form a strong brand resonance to maximize profits, attract new customers, and prevent them from leaving existing customers. In this study, we examined the relationship between brand awareness factors and brand attachment leading to brand identity cognition, brand performance, and brand emotion, and verified how brand attachment plays a role in shaping brand resonance. As a result, it was confirmed that brand emotion among brand awareness factors is a key factor affecting brand attachment and forming brand resonance. In addition, if the perception of brand identity is established until the true brand resonance of consumers is established, they will experience the true value of the brand through differential performance on the brand, and further increase the emotional response of consumers. This led to deep solidarity with the brand and consumers through attachment to the brand, interacting with the brand and showing high brand empathy behavior.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.10 no.11
• /
• pp.141-147
• /
• 2020

This study examined the effects of brand attachment on internal modification behavior and usability expanding behavior of product. It has been found that the attribute alignable difference of product plays a moderating effect in internal modification behavior and usability expanding behavior. As a result of the study, the more brand attachment is high, the more behavior of product internal modification behavior and usability expanding behavior of product are high. In addition, consumers with high brand attachment showed greater internal modification behavior of the product when the difference of attribute alignability was high. Also, consumers with high brand attachment showed greater usability expanding behavior of the product when the difference of attribute non-alignability was high. Companies can improve brand attachment and retain loyal customers by increasing the difference of attribute alignability in consumer's product internal modification behavior. In terms of consumer's behavior of expanding product usage, we can strengthen brand attachment and can be used as a differentiated competitive advantage of products through the attribute nonalignable difference.

• Journal of Fashion Business
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.43-58
• /
• 2015

Compulsive hoarding becomes a problem when the spaces hoarded items are stored in become unusable due to clutter, health, or safety issues. Our research purpose was to document relationships between two non-normative consumer behaviors (compulsive hoarding, compulsive buying tendency) and two shopping-related variables: hedonic shopping motives and emotional attachment to possessions with everyday consumers. As hedonic shopping motives have been related to compulsive buying, we predicted these motives (e.g., adventure, gratification, role, value, social, and idea) are related to compulsive buying. We also examined the relationship between compulsive buying and compulsive hoarding tendency and whether emotional attachment to possessions moderated this relationship. Participants were 280 undergraduate and graduate students attending a Midwestern university in the U.S. Regression analysis revealed the enhancing emotion motive (a combined motive of adventure and gratification) positively influenced compulsive buying whereas the value motive negatively influenced compulsive buying. All other hedonic shopping motives were non-significant. Participants who tended to buy compulsively were likely to hoard compulsively. This relationship, however, was moderated by participants' emotional attachment to possessions. Participants with high emotional attachment to possessions showed a higher level of hoarding behavior than those with low emotional attachment to possessions. However, the increase in hoarding tendency among participants with low emotional attachment to possessions was larger between those who were low in compulsive buying and those who were high in compulsive buying than the increase between these two groups among participants with high emotional attachment to possessions.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.27-41
• /
• 2019

This study aimed to investigate the influence of fashion lifestyles and consumption values on the difficulty of discarding unused fashion products. To achieve this purpose, this study surveyed female consumers aged 20s-50s to gain empirical analysis in July 2018. Data were analyzed for 236 subjects who were selected through online and offline sampling. The results were as follows. First, consumers tend to have difficulties discarding unused fashion goods. Consumers that have a higher income tend to have greater difficulty when choosing to discard items. Factors influencing the difficulty in discarding items were emotional attachment, usefulness in the future, economic value, and the lack of organizing skills. Usefulness in the future and the lack of organizing skills are the most significant factors influencing the discarding difficulty. Second, discarding difficulty had a significant relationship with fashion lifestyle, indicating that consumers seeking a fashion lifestyle that purchase more expensive brands tend to have more difficulty when discarding items. Third, each factor had a meaningful relationship with fashion goods consumption values. Those pursuing conspicuous value showed a greater difficulty discarding items due to emotional attachment, economic value, and lack of organizing skills. Pursuance of situational value showed a higher discarding difficulty than economic value factors. Pursuance of practical value showed a higher difficulty than both usefulness in future situations and economic value factors. Pursuance of differentiation value showed a higher discarding difficulty than emotional attachment and usefulness in the future factor. This study will help understanding consumers psychological mechanisms that experience difficulty in terms of the discarding of unused fashion goods.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.54 no.6
• /
• pp.599-610
• /
• 2016

The purposes of this study are to identify the characteristics of limited edition fashion consumers, to analyze their purchase decision-making processes, and to examine negative factors of consumers' recognition toward limited edition fashion products. A qualitative investigation was conducted by doing in-depth interviews with 11 selected consumers in their twenties and thirties who have actively purchased and consumed limited edition fashion products. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, there are four sub-categories of appearance management activity, acceptance of fashion trend, information-seeking behavior, and hedonic shopping orientation for the limited edition fashion consumers' characteristics. Second, the purchase decision-making process of limited edition fashion consumers are identified as seven steps: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, planning and courtship, purchase, post-purchase evaluation, and post-purchase behavior. Courtship/attachment formation and post-purchase behavior are unique steps when compared to general purchase decision-making process. Third, this study identified negative factors of consumers' recognition toward limited edition this study in order to suggest several improvement plans for enterprises using limited marketing. Four sub-categories are examined: outrageous price, tricks of company, fatigue due to purchasing competition, and re-sellers. In conclusion, this study indicates that the purchase decision-making process of limited edition consumers, which involves two distinctive steps including courtship/attachment formation and post-purchase behavior, can be differentiated from general consumers. The results of this study provides preliminary data for further research for in-depth analysis of limited edition consumers.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.103-111
• /
• 2016

Purpose - Many variables are needed for brand loyalty such as brand attitude, brand attachment, brand love and brand commitment. Thus, we should manage these all variables successfully for strong and differentiated brand equity. This study aims to identify the process of how the brand value propositions affect the brand attitude and brand attachment. This study specially conceptualizes that not only utilitarian value and hedonic value influence the brand attitude but also hedonic value influences the brand attachment. This study focuses on the moderating role of consumer involvement such as cognitive involvement and affective involvement in the causal relationships among brand value propositions, brand attitude, and brand attachment. Research design, data, and methodology - The five hypotheses were proposed and tested in this study. Three hypotheses were about the relationship among the brand value propositions(utilitarian value and hedonic value), brand attitude, and brand attachment. The other two hypotheses were about the moderating effect on consumer involvement in the causal relationships among brand value propositions, brand attitude, and brand attachment. Research data were collected from the students of universities located in Daejeon-Si and Chungchungnam-Do. For the purpose of test the hypotheses empirically, the 208 responses were used. We utilized SPSS18.0 for statistical analysis such as reliability test, factor analysis, and regression analysis. Results - The results show that the utilitarian value and hedonic value have influence on the brand attitude positively. The results also show that the hedonic value has influence on the brand attachment positively. We found that there is a moderating effect on the cognitive involvement in the relationship between the utilitarian value and the brand attitude. However, there is no moderating effect on the affective involvement in the relationship between the hedonic value and brand attachment. In Summary, 4 of 5 hypotheses in this study were supported and 1 hypothesis was not supported. We should identify the reason why the hypothesis 5, the moderating effect of the affective involvement in the relationship between the hedonic value and brand attachment, was rejected in this empirical analysis. Conclusions - Both the utilitarian value and the hedonic value that propose a brand are important for brand attitude. Specially, the hedonic value is important for brand attachment. Companies should provide the consumers with both the utilitarian value and the hedonic value in a balanced way for their favorable brand attitude and strong brand attachment. In the retail industry, the balance between the utilitarian value and the hedonic value is important in that there are many product brands and store brands providing consumers with various benefit and values. Also, there are possibilities that the causal relationships among brand value propositions, brand attitude and brand attachment are moderated by consumer involvement such as cognitive involvement and affective involvement. Companies should understand and consider consumer involvement for their efficient and effective brand management decision making.

• The Journal of Information Systems
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.75-100
• /
• 2022

Purpose Recently, hyper-realistic virtual influencers have received much attention in the field of corporate marketing. However, there is a lack of research that suggests specific processes affecting behavioral intentions through trust and attachment between virtual influencers and consumers. In addition, previous studies have failed to consider the characteristics of hyper-realistic virtual influencers. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of trust and attachment to hyper-realistic virtual influencers on consumers' behavioral intentions based on the trust-building model. Design/methodology/approach Based on the previous research, seven antecedent factors for trust-building were derived: Reality, Attractiveness, Awareness, Interactivity, Professionalism, Social Presence, and Predictability. Next, the survey was conducted on Chinese people who had experienced interacting with hyper-realistic virtual influencers on social network services within the last 3 months at the time of data collection. A total of 326 respondents were used for the final analysis and hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model technique. Findings The results of this study are as follows. First, this study confirmed that reality, attractiveness, awareness, social presence, and predictability as antecedent factors for trust-building of hyper-realistic virtual influencers have a positive effect on trust. Second, this study confirmed that trust in hyper-realistic virtual influencers has a significant positive effect on attachment. Lastly, this study confirmed that trust and attachment to the hyper-realistic virtual influencer significantly and positively affect relationship retention and purchase intentions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.56-72
• /
• 2021

This study examines the effect of influencer characteristics (attractiveness, reliability, expertise, and intimacy) and consumer need satisfaction (autonomy, relatedness, and competence) on attachment to influencer, content flow, and purchase intention. The moderating effect of gender was also investigated. Survey data collected from 515 male and female Instagram users were submitted for analysis. The research findings are as follows. First, the reliability and intimacy of influencers had a positive effect on attachment to influencers whereas attractiveness and intimacy had positive effects on content flow. Second, the relatedness and competence that consumers felt during the use of influencer content had a positive effect on attachment to influencers whereas the autonomy had a positive effect on content flow. Third, the attachment to influencers increased the intention to purchase products introduced by influencers via content flow. Fourth, there were some gender differences in the relationships of attachment to influencer, content flow, and purchase intention. Implications were suggested based on the results.