The Effect of Product Photograph and Information on Digital Apparel Marketing
Ahmet Özbek
Marmara University / Faculty of Technology, İstanbul, Turkey
Cansu Tor-Kadıoğlu
Tarsus University / Faculty of Applied Sciences / Mersin, Turkey
Ahasanul Haque
International Islamic University Malaysia/Department of Business Administration /Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract
The aim of this study is to reveal whether consumers are affected by product information and product photographs while purchasing pants from digital channels. The study consists of two stages. In the first stage, an online survey that evaluated the effect of the purchase behavior of pants pants photographs and information, was performed on 651 young consumers in Turkey. According to SPSS analysis, important results were obtained for the difference in the demographic factors of the consumers and the criteria that affect the purchasing of the consumer are determined. In addition, it was concluded that information about the size of the trousers, fabric content, coloring, waist size, slackness, suitability for the use of wide-calfed consumers are also the criteria related to apparel information that affect the purchasing decision of the consumer. In the second stage of the research, three websites were scanned. The photos and information of the pants in the e-market places that consumers prefer most when purchasing apparels were examined according to the criteria determined in the first stage of the research. As a result of the examination, it was concluded that the pants photos and pants information in the relevant e-marketplaces did not meet some criteria that young consumers attach importance to. As a result of this research, which supports quantitative analysis with visual evidence, valuable advice has been given to the digital marketing sector.
Keywords: Digital marketing, consumer behaviour, apparel, marketing, consumer choice.
Introduction
Consumer preferences, which have changed rapidly with globalization, have led to the differentiation of products in the apparel industry as in all other sectors. Apparel is the final stage of production, which is created by bringing all raw and auxiliary materials together and creating any model. In time, apparel and textile industry products have become among the basic consumer goods for people. Factors affecting the purchasing behavior of consumers and their consumption preferences are closely followed by brands. Businesses that want to gain competitive advantage in the apparel industry consider some criteria, such as; image (price, label, brand), aesthetics (attractiveness, appearance, fashion, design, color, model, fabrication) and technical design (quality, durability, body fit, comfort). Consumption habits have rapidly transitioned to digital platforms thanks to new media, smart mobile devices and tablet computers. The most important usage area of the internet in the business world is undoubtedly digital marketing. Digital shopping is easy and time-consuming, allowing consumers to purchase products in a short time, with a few clicks, without having to deal with physical or traditional shops (Khan&Rizvi, 2012).
From business life to social life, from corporate life to individual Internet, which has become an indispensable element of life; it has begun to provide consumers with the opportunity to shop at any time and anywhere. The number of people around the world using the internet has grown to 4.54 billion. When e-commerce activities in Turkey examined; it has been observed that 81% of consumers search for goods or services over the internet. When analyzed according to the most frequently performed e-commerce spending category in Turkey; It is known that the total expenditure in the hobby and toy category is 1.37 billion dollars, in the furniture category is 1.43 billion dollars and in the beauty and fashion category is 1.66 billion dollars (Kemp, 2020). The importance of the beauty, fashion and apparel industry can be understood from these data.
Internet usage rate was 79.0% among individuals aged 16-74 in 2020. This rate was 75.3% in the previous year. When internet usage rate is analyzed by the gender; it was observed that this rate was 84.7% for men and 73.3% for women. The rate of ordering or purchasing goods or services over the Internet by the gender was 40.2% for men and 32.7% for women. This rate was observed as 38.3% and 29.9%, respectively, in the same period of the previous year (Doğan, 2020). According to these data, it is thought that age and gender variables will make a significant difference on digital purchasing. Obtaining information about the purchasing channel is important for the research to provide sectoral recommendations. In the light of this information, it is of great importance to establish demographic hypotheses. Studies have identified numerous factors affecting online consumer behavior. Product information and photo are the focus of this research. In the age of smartphones, photography is now more important than ever. Almost 70% of the e-commerce website purchasers consider photo quality to be ‘very important’ when making their purchase decision (Fleming, 2020).
Digital Purchase Decision:Digital marketing is the marketing of products using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, especially mobile phones and any other digital material. Digital shopping behavior refers to the purchase of products or services online. In a typical online shopping process, the consumer goes online for the products and services they need and searches for information about their needs. Year-over-year increases in the turnover of online shopping, producers and seller businesses, in line with the needs and demands of consumers, web designs, products / services their interest in research on e-marketing in many subjects from diversification and differentiation, delivery options and advantages to consumer motivation. Images and digital marketing go hand in hand. Usually businesses only have little time to interacting with a potential customer, so memorable and quality photo has importance. To take a potential customer’s attention an image should provide an idea about what you are selling. More importantly, growth in digital marketing has been due to the rapid advances in technologies and changing market Dynamics (Mort&Drennan, 2002). The consumer scans a wide range of products and identifies the subset of the most promising alternatives, then evaluates them further. Makes relative comparisons between products and makes a purchasing decision by choosing the one that best suits its own criteria to meet its needs (Li&Zhang, 2002).
The Effect of Product Photo on Purchasing Decision in Digital Environment: Photos are the best way to reply consumer questions about the details and features of a product. Every product must have excellent professional photos that displayed their products accurately and in full detail (Varghese&Zacharias, 2019). Product photos are one of the most important factors effect on consumers' intentions toward digital shopping (Liu, et al., 2018). Furthermore, photos can help to give confidence in e-commerce pages (Steinbrück, et al., 2002). Spite of the narrow use of image-processing techniques, visual stimuli have been actively searched in marketing research. In e-commerce, product photos are one important way for consumers to understand products (Wang, et al., 2020). (Kim&Lennon, 2010) searched the effects of human models, color swapping, and photo size on consumers’ emotional reactions. They showed that customers choose to see both higher-quality photos and more photos. Sun and Lee, revealed that pictures provide advantage to get efficiency and effectiveness (Sun&Lee, 2017). (Park, et. al., 2008) found that the rotation of products in a 3D presentation context affects consumers’ perceived information, mood, attitude, and purchase intention. (Cheung, et. al., 2017) revealed that using animation in online photos make great attribution on visual attentions. They used eyetracking technology to show that. (Naegelein, et. al., 2019) investigated how the combination of visual product presentation technologies through zoom and alternative photography affects sales in online shopping on both mobile and non-mobile devices. It is understood that the use of alternative photography and the combination of alternative photographs and zoom increase the probability of consumers to purchase, while using only zoom decreases the probability of purchasing.
The Effect of Product Information on Purchasing Decision in Digital Environment:Many considerations are taken into account by consumers to make purchasing decisions. In the process of identifying alternatives in her/his decision, a consumer will also identify the source of information on which decisions are based. Consumers really need quality information to support the decisions they make in choosing a product. According to (Markus, et. al., 2004); consumer's actual knowledge of a product is very crucial. In this case, it is important that the information they will obtain from the websites is accurate and of high quality. Information quality is defined as the perception by the customer of the quality of information regarding products or services provided by a website. To meet the information needs of consumers / online shoppers, product and service information needs to be up-to-date, assist online shoppers in making decisions, be consistent and easily understood. According to (Zulyanti, 2020), indicators of information quality according to the accuracy of the information; it is examined in four ways as the punctuality, completeness and presentation of the information.
Literature Review
The issue of digital marketing is a valuable subject that has become very important in the last 20 years. Studies have identified numerous factors affecting digital consumer behavior. Some of these are product / service, financial advantages, convenience and convenience, delivery and non-delivery risks (Chen, 2009; Sinha&Kim, 2012), price options, return possibilities, security, brand diversity, search engines, promotion and strong in adopting online purchasing in factors such as online shopping environments, respectively have significant effects (Akbar&James, 2014). Studies in the literature show that there are many factors that affect the behavior of consumers when shopping digital. Considering the studies conducted, the main and most important factors that cause or prevent consumers from purchasing a product online are; privacy, security and trust, time saving, ease of use and shopping pleasure (Udo, 2001; Harrison-Walker, 2002). Figure 1 includes studies on digital marketing between 2000-2020.
Figure 1:Literature for Digital Marketing
There are many studies emphasizing the importance of product photo for consumers (Sun&Lee, 2017; Kim&Lennon, 2010; Wang, et. al., 2020; Liu, et. al., 2018; Park, et. al., 2008; Cheung, et. al., 2017; Naegelein, et. al., 2019; Varghese&Zacharias, 2019). There are many studies emphasizing the importance of product information for consumers (Markus, et. al., 2004; Özbek, 2021; Zulyanti, 2020).
Material and Method
This research focuses on two purposes. The first aim is to examine the effect of the photograph and apparel information presented in the digital store on the consumer's purchasing decision in digital apparel marketing. The second purpose is to determine the application status of apparel information and apparel photograph elements that affect the consumer's digital purchasing decision in stores selling on e-marketplaces. The universe of the research is composed of young consumers due to the length of their stay in the digital environment and their habit of purchasing apparels in the digital environment. Because of the ease and height of the proportion of young mass transportation in the digital environment in Turkey, the survey sample was selected from university students (Özbek, 2021). Since it is one of the most purchased apparels in the digital environment, pants have been determined as a sample product. This section includes both stages of the research.
Stage 1:In the first stage of the research, the model in Figure 2 was developed and tested in order to determine the effects of pants photograph and pants knowledge on the pants purchasing decisions of young consumers.
Figure 2:Research Model
Within the scope of the research, a group of 30 people consisting of Marmara University Textile Engineering students were interviewed. The questionnaire form was applied because the characteristics to be measured in the study were based on attitude. Survey questions were determined as a result of these interviews. Variable and statements are created by authors based on related research such as (Varghese&Zacharias, 2019; Liu, et. al., 2018; Sun&Lee, 2017; Kim&Lennon, 2010; Wang, et. al., 2020; Naegelein, et. al., 2019; Özbek, 2021). The questionnaire which is prepared online and delivered to consumers, consists of three parts. In the first part, there are 7 questions defining the socio-economic characteristics of the participants. In the second part of the questionnaire, there is a five-point Likert scale consisting of 14 questions measuring the effects of pant photos in the digital environment on the pant purchasing decisions of young consumers. In the third and last part of the questionnaire; there is a 5-point Likert scale consisting of 6 questions measuring the effect of pant information in the digital environment on the pant purchase decision of young consumers. The relevant questionnaire was primarily applied to 53 university students online. The results in Table 1 have been reached.
Table 1: Reliability Statistics
|
Cronbach's Alpha |
Cronbach's Alpha Based on Standardized Items |
N of Items |
|
0,972 |
0,972 |
14 |
|
0,952 |
0,953 |
6 |
|
0,974 |
0,974 |
20 |
According to the results in Table 1, Cronbach's Alpha values in both scales show that the scales are suitable for their purpose and are applicable. Based on these results, the data set was obtained between 25.12.2020 and 07.01.2021. The participants expressed their opinions according to the five-point Likert scales. 651 young consumers participated in the research. There is one control question in the questionnaire (Do you purchase apparel online?). According to the data obtained from the participants, 550 participants (84.49%) purchased at least one garment from digital media, while 101 (15.51%) stated that they did not purchase any apparels. The questionnaire of 101 (15.51%) participants was excluded from the scope of the research, as they had no experience of selling apparels in the digital environment. The research continued on the data of 550 (84.49%) groups who have experience in purchasing apparels in the digital environment. The sample was composed of 331 females (60,2%) and 219 males (39,8%). Most of the participants falling between 18 and 25 years of age. The distribution of the participants by age groups is; 18-year-old 58 (10.55%) consumers, 19-year-old 100 (18.18%), 20-year-old 134 consumers (24.36%), 21-year-old 83 (15.09%), 22-year-old 48 consumers (% 8.73) and 127 consumers (23.09%) aged 23 and over. In this study, the age groups were divided into two groups as Generation Y and Generation Z.
When the answers given to the question measuring the education level of the participants are examined; it was seen that from 50.7% of them (n:279) graduated from a bachelor's degree, 39,6% of them (n:223) graduated from associate degree and 8,9% of them (n:48) graduated from master and doctorate degree. Income is an important parameter for digital shopping. Instead of asking about income directly in this research, ‘What is the average monthly income you can spend’’ question is used. According to data, 51.3% of participate have 500 TL and less income for shopping, 48,7% of participate have 501 TL and more income for shopping.
To give detailed information, the distribution of the participants according to the average monthly income they can spend; 160 (29.09%) person 0-250 TL, 119 consumers (21.64%) 251-500 TL, 91 consumers (16.55%), 501-750 TL, 55 consumer (10.00%) 751-1000 TL, 20 consumers (3.64%) 1001-1250 TL, 25 consumers (4.55%), 1251-1500 TL and 80 consumers (14.55%) 1501 and above. In addition, the participants were asked the question "please choose your size". It was observed that 41.3% of the participants chose the Medium size. The distribution of the participants according to their bodies; 2 consumers (0.36%) size XXS (Very very small), 25 consumers (4.55%) size XS (Very small), 150 consumers (27.27%) size S (Small), 227 consumers (41, 27%) size M (medium), 91 consumers (16.55%) size L (wide), 47 consumers (8.55%) size XL (very wide), 4 consumers (0.73%) size XXL (a lot very large) and 4 consumers (0.73%) size XXXL (very very large). The most important frequency question is about purchasing channel. The channels preferred by the participants in purchasing apparels in the digital environment are given in Table 2.
Table 2: Frequency table according to purchasing channel
|
|
Frequency |
Percent (%) |
|
I prefer the website of the company that produces the pants |
137 |
24,9 |
|
I prefer e-marketplaces (such as n11, trendyol) |
384 |
69,8 |
|
I prefer social media (facebook, instagram etc.) |
27 |
4,9 |
|
I prefer other channels. |
2 |
0,4 |
|
|
550 |
100,0 |
According to descriptive analysis; when they purchase online, 69.8% of consumers prefer e-marketplaces, 24.9% of consumers prefer the website of the company that produces the pants. When consumers purchasing on e-market channel, they face with product photo and information. There are many studies emphasizing the importance of product information for consumers (Markus, et. al., 2004), (Özbek, 2021). In the light of this information and our research model, the following hypotheses have been established;
H1: The effect of product information on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumer’s gender.
H2: The effect of product information on the purchase of pants in the digital environment varies according to consumer’s age.
H3: The effect of product information on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to the preference of the purchasing channel.
There are many studies emphasizing the importance of product photo for consumers (Varghese&Zacharias, 2019; Liu, et. al., 2018; Sun&Lee, 2017; Kim&Lennon, 2010; Wang, et. al., 2020; Naegelein, et. al., 2019). In the light of this information, the following hypotheses have been established.
H4: The effect of the product photo on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumer’s gender
H5: The effect of the product photo on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumer’s age.
H6: The effect of product photo on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to the preference of the purchasing channel.
The expressions used in the study, the average values and standard deviation values of the expressions were given in Table 3. In addition, the reliability scores of the scales used are also shown in the table.
Table 3: Description of the table
|
Code |
Statements |
Mean |
St.d |
Cr. Alpha |
|
PH1 |
I prefer to have a photo of the front of the pants. |
3,30 |
1,567 |
0,970 |
|
PH2 |
I prefer to have a photo of the back of the pants. |
3,37 |
1,540 |
|
|
PH3 |
I prefer to have photos of the side faces of the pants. |
3,27 |
1,475 |
|
|
PH4 |
I prefer to have a detailed photo of the zipper part of the pants. |
3,05 |
1,448 |
|
|
PH5 |
I prefer to have a detailed photo of the buttons part of the pants. |
3,08 |
1,426 |
|
|
PH6 |
I prefer to have a detailed photo of the rivet part of the pants, if any. |
2,95 |
1,338 |
|
|
PH7 |
I prefer to have a detailed photo of the side seams of the pants. |
3,11 |
1,439 |
|
|
PH8 |
I prefer to have detailed photos of the belt parts of the pants. |
3,09 |
1,423 |
|
|
PH9 |
I prefer to have a photo of the pants showing the inside of the pants. |
2,60 |
1,275 |
|
|
PH10 |
I prefer to have a photo of the inside of the pants. |
2,52 |
1,228 |
|
|
PH11 |
I prefer the number of photos of the pants to be more. |
3,25 |
1,543 |
|
|
PH12 |
I prefer the photos of the pants taken on a live mannequin |
3,49 |
1,590 |
|
|
PH13 |
I prefer video shot of pans on a live mannequin |
3,29 |
1,525 |
|
|
PH14 |
I prefer to be able to navigate on the photo taken of the pants with a magnifying glass. |
3,53 |
1,587 |
|
|
INF1 |
I prefer to have information about the content of the fabric of the pants (such as 100% cotton, 90% cotton + 10% elastane). |
3,52 |
1,594 |
0,965 |
|
INF2 |
I prefer to have information about the color of the pants (such as color in the first two washes). |
3,50 |
1,629 |
|
|
INF3 |
I prefer to have information about the loose condition of the pants (as if it can expand by half a size after the first few washes). |
3,48 |
1,604 |
|
|
INF4 |
I prefer to have information about whether the pants are suitable for wide calf consumers. |
3,26 |
1,492 |
|
|
INF5 |
I prefer to have information about how many centimeters the waist size of the pants are |
3,48 |
1,573 |
|
|
INF6 |
I prefer to have information about the height of the pants in centimeters. |
3,60 |
1,615 |
In Table 4, the statistical values obtained in the testing of the hypotheses established based on the research model are included. One-way ANOVA test and Independent sample T-test were used to test these hypotheses. For Hypothesis 6, the difference between groups was determined and LSD test was applied to understand this difference. While 4 of the 6 hypotheses established were accepted, it was observed that 2 hypotheses were rejected. Data, regarding the mean and p values of the tests are presented.
Table 4: Reliability Statistics
|
|
|
n |
mean |
p |
|
|
H1: The effect of product information on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumers gender |
|||||
|
Gender |
Female |
331 |
3,61 |
0,007 |
Supported |
|
Male |
219 |
2,32 |
|||
|
H2: The effect of product information on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumers age. |
|||||
|
Generation |
Generation Z (1) |
331 |
3,35 |
0,028 |
Supported |
|
Generation Y (2) |
219 |
3,62 |
|||
|
H3: The effect of product information on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to the preference of the purchasing channel |
|||||
|
Purchasing channel |
Firm website |
137 |
3,45 |
0,181 |
Not Supported |
|
E-market |
384 |
3,53 |
|||
|
Social media |
27 |
2,95 |
|||
|
Others |
2 |
2,50 |
|||
|
H4: The effect of the product photo on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumer’s gender |
|||||
|
Gender |
Female |
331 |
3,26 |
0,003 |
Supported |
|
Male |
219 |
2,94 |
|||
|
H5: The effect of the product photo on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to consumer’s age |
|||||
|
Generation |
Generation Z (1) |
294 |
3,04 |
0,051 |
Not Supported |
|
Generation Y (2) |
256 |
3,25 |
|||
|
H6: The effect of product photo on the purchase of pants in the digital media varies according to the preference of the purchasing channel. |
|||||
|
Purchasing channel |
consumers |
137 |
3,18 |
0,023 |
Supported |
|
consumers |
384 |
3,17 |
|||
|
consumers |
27 |
2,57 |
|||
|
Others |
2 |
1,50 |
|||
|
LSD Inter-group difference test for H6 |
|||||
|
Purchasing channel |
Ortalamalar Farkı |
p |
|
||
|
Firm website |
Social media |
0,60893* |
0,019 |
|
|
|
E-market |
Social media |
0,59873* |
0,015 |
|
|
In order to examine the effect of product information on pants purchases in digital media according to the gender and generations of the consumer, independent t test was applied to the data. In the analysis, it was understood that the purchase intention of women increased more than men when they get information about pants (p:0,007<0,05). In addition, when we compare the generation Y consumers with the generation Z consumers; generation Y consumers were found to be more willing to purchase pants with product information. (p:0,028<0,05). When the difference of the effect of product information on pants purchase according to the choice of the purchasing channel is examined. According to the applied Anova test, no statistically significant difference was detected. (p:0,181>0,05). According to the independent t test, no statistically significant difference was found between the Y and Z generation (p: 0,051>0,005).
In order to examine the effect of product photo on pants purchases in digital media according to the gender and generations of the consumer, independent t test was applied to the data again. In the analysis, it was understood that the purchase intention of women increased more than men when they see detailed photo of pants (p:0,003<0,05). According to one way ANOVA test, there is significant difference between purchasing channels for consumers (p:0,023<0,05). LSD, one of the difference tests, was applied to reveal the difference between groups. It is understood that consumers prefer the product's own site and e-market sites more than social media, if photographic information is given while purchasing pants in digital media.
At this point, it is important to have information about the information the consumer wants to get from the online site and the product photos s/he wants to see. First of all, it should be known which websites the consumer visits the most. Information on the top 20 most visited websites in Turkey is presented in the Table 5.
Stage 2: At this stage, the factors that seem to have an effect on the consumers' decision to purchase pants in the digital environment, the status of being in e-stores was examined. For this purpose the most visited websites in Turkey are determined as shown in Table 5.
Table 5: The top 20 most visited websites in Turkey in 2020
|
No |
Name of website Pages/Visit |
Time/Visit |
Pages/Visit |
No |
Name of website Pages/Visit |
Time/Visit |
Pages/Visit |
|
1 |
|
12M |
14,6 |
11 |
Ekşisözlük |
7M |
5,7 |
|
2 |
Youtube |
11M |
6,7 |
12 |
Hepsiburada |
8M |
7,4 |
|
3 |
Google.com.tr |
4M |
7,9 |
13 |
Akşam |
2M |
1,9 |
|
4 |
|
17M |
7,8 |
14 |
Trendyol |
10M |
9,3 |
|
5 |
Sahibinden |
15M |
19,1 |
15 |
Yeniakit |
6M |
3,6 |
|
6 |
EnSonHaber |
7M |
4,4 |
16 |
Netflix |
3M |
2,7 |
|
7 |
Live |
4M |
5,0 |
17 |
Türkiye.gov |
4M |
4,6 |
|
8 |
N11 |
10M |
7,2 |
18 |
Sözcü |
6M |
5,4 |
|
9 |
Hurriyet |
5M |
7,7 |
19 |
Milliyet |
6M |
12,1 |
|
10 |
Memurlar |
4M |
3,0 |
20 |
|
7M |
6,8 |
Source: (Kemp, 2020)
It is seen that most visited web sites in Turkey, search engines, video channels, social media channels and companies selling apparel products. As can be seen from Table 5, there are three companies selling apparel products in this list, which includes the top 20 companies. These are; n11.com, hepsiburada.com and trendyol.com. These three web sites are discussed in detail in this research. The product information and product photo provided on the website has been scanned. Within the scope of the investigation, Tables 6 and 7 were created by taking the average of the data obtained from the information and the photos of the pants presented on the web page of each of the stores that sold a total of 300 pants in three e-marketplaces.
Table 6: Availability of Pant Information on E-marketplaces Web Site
|
Criteria |
Trendyol |
hepsiburada |
n11 |
Mean % |
|
Information about how many centimeters are the waist size of the pants. |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100,00 |
|
Information on the content of the fabric of the pants (such as 100% cotton, 90% cotton + 10% elastane). |
63 |
65 |
71 |
66,33 |
|
Information about how many centimeters are the height of the pants. |
24 |
11 |
21 |
18,67 |
|
Information about the color of the pants (such as color in the first two washes). |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1,67 |
|
Information about the slackness of the pants (as if it may expand by half a size after the first few washing). |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0,33 |
|
Information on whether the pants are suitable for consumers with wide calves. |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0,00 |
According to Table 6, when the stores that sell pants in e-marketplaces are examined; it has been determined that all of them have information about waist size, average 66.33% fabric content, average 18.67% height, average 1.67% coloration, average 0.33% broadening. However, no information was found in any of the stores on the suitability for use by large calf consumers.
Tablo 7:Availability of Pant Photo Features in E-marketplaces
|
Criteria |
Trendyol |
hepsiburada |
n11 |
Mean % |
|
Being able to navigate the photo of the pants with a magnifying glass |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100,00 |
|
Photo of the front of the pants |
100 |
97 |
99 |
98,67 |
|
Photos of the pants are on the live mannequin |
92 |
94 |
97 |
94,33 |
|
Detailed photo of the pants belt |
92 |
95 |
91 |
92,67 |
|
Photo of the back of the pants |
82 |
86 |
81 |
83,00 |
|
Detailed photo of the side seams of the pants |
73 |
84 |
78 |
78,33 |
|
Photo of the side faces of the pants |
69 |
74 |
70 |
71,00 |
|
A lot of number of photos of the pants |
3,97 |
3,94 |
4,43 |
4,11 |
|
Detailed photo of the zipper part of the pants, if any |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1,33 |
|
Detailed photo of the buttons part of the pants, if any |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0,67 |
|
Detailed photo of the rivet part of the pants, if any |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0,00 |
|
Photo showing the inside of the pants inside out |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0,00 |
|
Photo showing inside pockets of pants |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0,00 |
|
Having a video of the pants |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0,00 |
According to Table 7, when the stores selling pants in e-marketplaces are examined; 98.67% front face photograph, 94.33% live mannequin photograph, 92.67% detailed photograph of the belt part, 83% rear face photograph, 78.33% detailed photographs of the side seams and 71% of the side faces were found. However, the pants in the e-marketplaces examined according to Table 7; it has been determined that there are very few photos of detachment of the zipper, button and rivet that allow the opening of the pants from the front, back or sides. In addition, the photographs showing the inside of the pants by reversing them and showing the inside of their pockets were not found. Also not detected in the video of the pants.
Results and Discussion
As a result of the research, it has been determined that approximately 85% of young consumers purchase apparels from digital media. This situation is similar to the data obtained by (Doğan, 2020). On the other hand, it was concluded that approximately 70% of young consumers participating in the research prefer e-marketplaces when purchasing apparels from digital media. This is important in terms of suggesting that apparel businesses use their e-marketplaces for marketing purposes.
As a result of the research, a comparison was made between the pant purchasing decisions of young consumers and the applications seen in the digital environment.
Waist and Height; The reason why consumers often return digitally purchased garments and order more than one size from the same garments are because of the waist and height measurements of the garments do not match the measurements of the consumers. It is thought that sharing the pants sizes with the consumers as shown in Figure 3 will solve this problem.
Figure 3:Waist and height (falajean, 2021)
In the quantitative part of the research, the survey data obtained on the importance of product photography in purchasing pants of consumers are supported by this section;
Using the data obtained within the scope of the research, it is shown in Figure 4 which aspects and which details should be emphasized when presenting the photos of pants from the digital environment to the consumer. Figure 4.a shows the front, back and side faces of the pants on the live mannequin. In Figure 4.b and c, consumers are given the opportunity to examine the apparel on a live mannequin with a magnifying glass.
Figure: 4.a Figure: 4.b Figure: 4.c
Figure 4:Basic Images of the Pants (trendyol.com, 2021)
In Figure 5, sample photos are given to the detail images of the pants. These opening-closing operations of the pants that are opened from the front, side and / or back parts are generally; provided with zippers, buttons, hooks and rivets. Figure 5.a shows side opening-closing with only zipper, opening-closing operation with zipper and rivet in the front center in Figure 5.b, and opening and closing with zipper and hook from the front center in Figure 5.c. The detail of the side seams is given in Figure 5.d and the detailed view of both the pocket and belt parts are given in Figure 5.e.
|
Figure: 5.a (hepsiburada.com, 2021) |
Figure: 5.b (hepsiburada.com, 2021) |
Figure: 5.c (urun.n11.com, 2021)
|
|
|
||
|
Figure: 5.d (trendyol.com, 2021) |
|
Figure: 5.e (trendyol.com, 2021) |
|
Figure 5:Detailed Images of the Pants |
||
As a result, each of the pants; It is suggested having 6-7 photographs consisting of front, back side right and left, opening area, if any, detailed side seams, belts and detailed photos of pockets. It is thought that these photos will positively affect the purchasing decision of the consumer.
Conclusion
This research consists of two stages and uses two different research methods together. So, provides several contributions. First, this study shows the importance of product information and photo detail to apparel digital marketing. Thanks to the quantitative analysis, important results were obtained for the difference in the demographic factors of the consumers. Consumer’s characteristic includes their demographic factors such as gender, age, income will guide them to have the desire to shop digital (Monsuwé, et. al. 2004). For example, in this study it was understood that the purchase intention of women increased more than men when they get information about pants. In addition, when we compare the generation Y consumers with the generation Z consumers; generation Y consumers were found to be more willing to purchase pants with product information. But, statistically significant difference wasn’t found between the Y and Z generation according to their choice of the purchasing channel. This result is similar with Sullivan’s study (Sullivan&Hyun, 2016). They revealed that in spite of Gen Y consumers important role as a decision maker in the market, it is progressively more competitions between Gen Y and Z. Retailers are trying to understand the differences between these consumers retail apparel superiority behaviour. According to analysis, purchase intention of women increased more than men when they see detailed photo of pants. And also, it is understood that consumers prefer the product's own site and e-market sites more than social media, if photographic information is given while purchasing pants in digital media.
Second contribution is using the information obtained within the scope of the research, the factors that should be considered while presenting the pant photographs to the consumers were determined. These factors are determined as follows; fabric content, color, relaxation, suitable body structure, waist and height size. According to SPSS analysis, the criteria that affect the purchasing of the consumer are determined as; the front face photo of the product, the photos that can be enlarged, the photo of the live mannequin, the photo of the back face, the photo of the side face, the high number of photos, the video of the live mannequin, the detailed photo of the zipper, the button and the rivet, if any, the detailed photo of the side seams, the detailed photo of the belt parts, reversed photo and photo showing inside pockets. It is an important contribution to provide visual examples on the digital application of pants images affecting the consumer's purchase decision. Besides, it was concluded that there should be 6-7 photographs consisting of the front, back side, right and left, the opening zone if any, detailed side seam, detailed photos of the belt and pockets each of pants. This result is supported by Michalik’s study results (Michalik&Kłeczek, 2019).They revealed that photos provide an increase the sales by consumers’ clickthroughs.
References
Akbar S., James, P. T. J. (2014). “Consumers’ attitude towards online shopping: Factors influencing employees of crazy domains to shop online”. Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 14(1), 1-11.
Chen, L. (2009). “Online consumer behavior: An empirical study based on theory of planned behavior”. Unpublished Doctorate Thesssis, University of Nebraska, Nebreaska.
Cheung, M. Y. M., Hong, W. Y., Thong, J. Y. L. (2017). “Effects of animation on attentional resources of online consumers”. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 18(8), 605–632.
Doğan, A. (2020). “Hanehalkı Bilişim Teknolojileri (BT) Kullanım Araştırması”. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Hanehalki-Bilisim-Teknolojileri-(BT)-Kullanim-Arastirmasi-2020-33679
Falajeans.com, (2021). https://www.falajeans.com/buyuk-beden-keten-chino-pantolon-97150bordo
Fleming, A. (2020). “The Importance of Product Photography in the Drinks Industry”. https://strive-digital.co.uk/the-importance-of-product-photography-in-the-drinks-industry/
Harrison-Walker, L.J. (2002). “If you build it, will they come? Barriers to international e-marketing”. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 10 (2), 12-21
Hepsiburada.com, (2021). https://www.hepsiburada.com/armani-exchange-j69-jeans-kadin-kot-pantolon-3zyj69-y2jcz-1500-p-HBV00000ELQU3
Hepsiburada.com, (2021). https://www.hepsiburada.com/modailgi-kadin-pantolon-1974239-p-HBV00000CNUMQ
Kemp, S. (2020). “Digital 2020: 3.8 Billion People Use Social Media”. https://wearesocial.com/blog/2020/01/digital-2020-3-8-billion-people-use-social-media.
Khan, S., Rizvi, A. H. (2012). “Factors ınfluencing the consumers' ıntention to shop online”. Skyline Business Journal, 7(1), 28-33.
Kim, H., Lennon, S. J. (2010). “E-atmosphere, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses”. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 14(3), 412–428. https://doi.org/10.1108/13612021011061861.
Kompedan, (2018), “Pamuk (Koton) Kumaşın Özellikleri Nelerdir?”. https://www.kompedan.com.tr/pamuk-koton-kumasin-ozellikleri-nelerdir, Date of access: 17.01.2021.
Li, N., Zhang, P. (2002). “Consumer online shopping attitudes and behavior: An assessment of research”. AMCIS 2002 proceedings, 74, 508-517.
Liu, S.F., Liu, H.H., Chang, J.H.; Chou, H.N. (2018). “Analysis of a new visual marketing craze: the effect of LINE sticker features and user characteristics on download willingness and product purchase intention”. Asia Pacific Manag. Rev. 24, 263–277, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2018.10.001.
Markus, L.M., Majchzak, A., Gasser, L. (2004). “The effects of presentation formats and task complexity on online consumers’ product understanding”. MIS Q. 28, 695–704
Michalik, M., Kłeczek, R. (2019). “Social presence of an affiliate marketer in an online product photo, consumer’s clickthroughs and sales”. Research Papers of the Wroclaw University of Economics, 63 (6), 184-195.
Monsuwé, T. P., Dellaert, B. G., De Ruyter, K. (2004). “What drives consumers to shop online? A literatüre review”. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(1), 102-121.
Mort, G. S., Drennan, J. (2002). “Mobile digital technology: Emerging issue for marketing”. Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management, 10(1), 9-23.
N11.com, (2021). https://urun.n11.com/kadin-pantolon/ltb-paula-chino-gabardin-bej-bayan-pantolon-P438385442
Naegelein, P., Spann, M., Molitor, D. (2019). “The value of product presentation technologies on mobile vs. non-mobile devices: A randomized field experiment”. Decision Support Systems, 121, 109-120.
Özbek, A. (2021). “Customers Denim Garment Complaints Review”. Engineering Sciences, 16(1), 1-14.
Özbek, A., (2020). “Online Customised T-shirt Design and Evaluation of Online Websites for Customisation”. Industria Textila, 71, 372-380.
Park, J., Stoel, L., Lennon, S. J. (2008). “Cognitive, affective and conative responses to visual simulation: The effects of rotation in online product presentation”. Journal of Consumer Behaviour: An International Research Review, 7(1), 72-87.
Sinha, J., Kim, J. (2012). “Factors affecting Indian consumers’ online buying behavior”. Innovative Marketing, 8(2), 46-5.
Steinbrück, U., Schaumburg, H., Duda, S., Krüger, T. (2002). “A picture says more than a thousand words: Photographs as trust builders in e-commerce websites”. In CHI'02 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, 748-749.
Sullivan, P., Hyun, S. Y. J. (2016). “Clothing retail channel use and digital behavior: Generation and gender differences”. Journal of Business Theory and Practice, 4(1), 125-138.
Sun, C.-Y., Lee, A. J. T. (2017). “Tour recommendations by mining photo sharing social media”. Decision Support Systems, 101, 28-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2017.05.013
Trendyol.com, (2021). https://www.trendyol.com/adl/beli-lastikli-bol-deri-pantolon-p-50825823
Trendyol.com, (2021). https://www.trendyol.com/emporio-armani/kadin-lacivert-pantolon-3g2j20-2nswz-0920-p-5784852
Trendyol.com, (2021). https://www.trendyol.com/faik-sonmez/kadin-bej-pantolon-38058-u38058-p-5992700
Udo, G. J. (2001). “Privacy and security concerns as major barriers for e-commerce: a survey study”. Information Management and Computer Security, 9(4), 165–174.
Varghese, A. A., Zacharias, S., (2019). “Changing trends and challenges of branding through online visual merchandising”. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 6(1), 162-166.
Wang, M., Li, X., Chau, P. Y. (2020). “Leveraging Image-Processing Techniques for Empirical Research: Feasibility and Reliability in Online Shopping Context”. Information Systems Frontiers, 1-20,https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-020-09981-8.
Zulyanti, N. R., (2020). “Analysis of the ınfluence of group social factors, product ınformation, risk perception and trust on on purchasing decisions (case study of online shopping students of the faculty of economics Lamongan Islamic University”, Jurnal Mantik, 4(1), 327-333.
