Sri Lankan fast fashion brands a study to determine the consumer buying behavior

Abstract

" The research project Sri Lankan Fast Fashion Brands, was carried out in order to understand and identify out of the available fast fashion retail brands in the country both of local origin and international, which are mostly favored by the Sri Lankan fashion consumer. Using a mixed method, the study examined the buying behavior of regular fashion consumers and their preference on different fast fashion brands local and international. Three hundred consumers, both male and female from Colombo and suburbs participated for the study. 6 fast fashion brands (3 each of local and international) were selected for the participants to base their preferences on. The research design contained of a questionnaire survey followed by individual semi structured interviews with industry experts from fashion retail. Survey responses were analyzed through SPSS and the outcomes were taken into consideration along with the interview answers and interpreted for further validation. Statistical analysis of the data narrated that fashion consumers display similar buying behaviors when it comes to shopping for new clothes. Contextualizing of the gathered data helped with identifying how branding supports a consumer‘s purchase decision within the four independent variables of brand personality, brand identity, brand loyalty and brand image. The results of this study highlight that fashion consumers are indeed conscious of their clothing store choices and value quality over quantity when purchasing clothes. Consequently it showed how the themes derived from literature contribute towards the consumer mindset. Nonetheless it was found that Sri Lankan fashion consumer‘s first preference is local fashion brands as they were found to be more affordable. The research concludes with implications, limitations and areas for further research. "