Stage 1 project

How has digital connectivity driven the shift from e-commerce to social commerce, within the fashion industry?

Amy Livesey N0682277

Stage 1

Ethics clause I confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that I have faithfully observed the terms of approval in the conduct of the project.

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Word Count - 7,894

Contents page

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Introduction 1-6 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Rationale 3 1.3 Aims and objectives 4

Literature review 7-12 2.1 Introduction to literature review 8 2.2 Social commerce: The new retail marketing tool 8 2.3 The shift of power: From sellers to buyers 9 2.4 Who to trust: Valuing the opinions of others 10 2.5 Shopping motivations: online convenience 11 2.6 The sharing economy: Collaborative consumption 12

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Methodology 13-21 3.1 Research methodology 14 3.2 Secondary research 15 3.3 Primary research 15 3.4 Research limitations 21

Key findings 23-34 4.1 Chapter 1 24 4.2 Chapter 2 27 4.3 Chapter 3 31

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Key insights 35-36

Conclusion 37-38

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Future recommendations 40

References 41-42

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Bibliography 43-44

Illustrations 45-46

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Appendix 47-65

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Introduction In Introduction Introduction Int duction Introd Introduction In troduction Introd Introduction uction Introdutio 1

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1. Introduction 1.1 Report introduction This report will explore the research question ‘how has digital connectivity driven the shift from e-commerce to social commerce, within the fashion industry?’ by using a wide range of primary and secondary research in order to help uncover new and stimulating insights about this particular topic. The future thinking report gave a detailed understanding and analysis of the ‘digital connectivity’ trend, looking closely at both social media and the experience economy and the ways in which these have been enhanced by technological advancements. The future thinking report also looked at how this trend impacted industry, especially focusing on fashion, retail and beauty. This stage 1 report will use this initial exploration of ‘digital connectivity’ to go on to build a clear understanding of social commerce in particular, how and why it is used, what it means to consumers and how it has impacted their shopping experiences.

This report includes any relevant theories within the literature review to give an overview of research, already carried out. The report will go on to analyse all the research undertaken, as well as highlight significant and essential case studies to help bring the ideas being talked about to life. The research shown throughout the report is predominantly focused on the fashion industry and consumers online shopping experiences. The report will lastly analyse all the research and possible gaps in the market and put forward recommendations for future business opportunities, these will go on to be looked at more closely in stage 2.

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1.2 Rationale Social commerce (SC) is the future of online shopping. Shoppers today are using social media more than ever as a way to inspire purchasing decisions. Social media has reacted to this by adding in direct response, such as ‘shop now’ buttons encouraging purchases. In todays consumer culture and how convenient it is to online shop and have it arrive at your house the next day, has created a rather lazy society. People are no longer wanting to leave the comfort of their bed to go shopping, when it can simply be done on their laptop, tablet or mobile device in the luxury of their own home.

So what has driven the shift from e-commerce to social commerce? This has occurred because of social media forever increasing in popularity and shoppers increasingly demanding expectations. “Over the past decade, social media as a whole has transformed from something isolated to web browsers to a hundred billion dollar industry that more than half the world’s population is accessing in some form every single day (Ford, 2018).

Social media has always played a big role in how people interact and stay in touch with each other, but it now does so much more. It’s come to be used as not only a means of marketing but a tool to assist online buying and selling. The impact social media has on today’s society has become impossible to ignore.

This report will look closely at social media and how it has caused a shift in the e-commerce industry. Gen Z will be looked at alongside Gen X to get a clearer understanding of why people are/aren’t taking part in social commerce. Gen Z are especially key to look at as they have grown up with technology and are the target consumer for many brands. This report will look at uncovering the impact social media platforms have on consumers purchasing habits, both consciously and sub consciously.

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1.3 Aims and Objectives Research question How has digital connectivity driven the shift from e-commerce to social commerce, within the fashion industry?

Aim The aim of this research project is to investigate how leading social media platforms are shaping consumer’s purchasing habits within the fashion industry and leading to a shift from e-commerce to social commerce.

Objectives The following objectives have been established to guarantee that research carried out is focused on answering the research question in order to uncover key insights.

1) To investigate different generations online purchasing habits and how these may differ 2) To explore peoples attitudes towards social media and determine how this may impact their motivations to buy, both consciously and sub consciously 3) To determine the effects social commerce has had on consumers trust and loyalty and consider how this may impact their purchasing behaviours 4) To consider the future of social commerce and to analyse whether there are new consumer requirements that brands will need to satisfy 4

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“During the last few years, the growing popularity of social networking sites (SNS) has generated several changes, both socially and electronically, originating a new type of e-commerce, which has been changing the way online shopping has been done, called social commerce�

(Zhou et al., 2013) 6

Literature review review Literature view Literature review Literat ure review review Literature review tera ture erature review Liter 7

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2. Literature review 2.1 Introduction to literature review The first section of this research project will define the term social commerce, supporting this with authors explaining why consumers participate in it, as well as discussing the future of social commerce. This will then be followed by the shift in power, from sellers to buyers and how this has caused consumers to become less brand loyal because of the increased power they have gained. This will also address how social commerce has impacted consumers trust. Consumers shopping motivations will next be explored, featuring in this will be how experiences have become increasingly important for consumers. This will allow for the critical analysation of what different authors are saying about what is motivating consumers to online shop and use SC. Following on from this a key theme, ‘The Sharing Economy’ will be looked at and how social media has driven this.

2.2 Social commerce: The new retail marketing tool Liang and Turban (2011, p. 6) define social commerce as “the delivery of e-commerce activities and transactions via the social media environments, mostly in social networks, and by using Web 2.0 software”. This definition is backed up by Shin (2013) who describes social commerce as a form of electronic commerce that involves using social media to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services. A more up to date literature by Houghton and Hawkins (2018) elaborates on this, explaining how social networking sites have actually been starting to mature into shopping platforms since 2016. The appeal of social commerce is convenience, as it allows people to shop from discovery to purchase, without having to leave their social media feeds. However, Bhasin (2018) argues against Houghton and Hawkins, stating that online shoppers have still been slow in putting down their retail apps in favour for social ones. Bhasin adds that even now, “54 percent of online buyers never make purchases that begin on social media, according to a 2017 report from visual search company ViSenze” (Bhasin, 2018). Further primary research would look at addressing why people might not be participating in social commerce and what could possibly be holding them back?

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2.3 The shift of power: From sellers to buyers

As established by Hajli and Sims (2015, p. 350), “the emergence of social media has demonstrated the empowerment of end-users with a transfer of power from sellers to buyers. Consumers have become able to generate content and share this in their networks with peers.” The rise of social commerce has allowed consumers to become more powerful in taking control of what they are looking for online. Chen and Shen (2015) agree with the empowerment of consumers when searching for and sharing content online, as well as a clear shift in the way consumers think. Amed (2017) adds to this, talking about how the power consumers have gained from social media has caused consumers to become less brand loyal, people are living in a generation where consumers have “higher expectations on what a brand should deliver: convenience, quality, values, orientation, newness and price” (Amed et al., 2017, p. 16). This article is a more up to date, relevant piece of literature showing more clearly the recent changes in consumer expectations. Curty and Zhang however argue that this new way of commerce mediated by social media has benefited firms and business greatly too stating that “firms can make more profits by attracting and alluring potential buyers via positive recommendations by existing consumers” (Curty and Zhang, 2011, p. 1). This is a contrasting opinion to the likes of Hajli and Liang who maintain the idea that there has been a clear shift in power from sellers to buyers.

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2.4 Who to trust: Valuing the opinions of others

Social commerce has caused a shift to occur in who consumers are most likely to trust when online shopping. “Social commerce promotes transactions with the support of a large network of online peers (formed by friends, colleagues, acquaintances or unknown people) who share electronic shopping experiences related to products and services information” (Maia et al., 2018, p. 195). These authors add that, social media users are encouraged to participate in social commerce by selling, recommending and sharing information about products in online communities. This sharing of information allows for consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions, Erskine (2017) states that “84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation” showing just how important social commerce is. The internet has given consumers more power to find the information they’re looking for and empowered by social media, Hajli (2014) states that “consumers are now content generators on the internet”. Hajli agrees with Maia, adding that social commerce allows for individuals to share their knowledge and experiences, providing a supportive online environment (Hajli, 2014).

Houghton and Hawkins (2018) talk about how increasingly social the retail landscape is becoming, as well as how peer to peer and the community based elements of social media are playing an increasingly important role in informing shoppers buying decisions. They add to this with research that found “four out of five UK consumers are more likely to trust a customer product review over a well-known influencer” (Houghton and Hawkins, 2018).

People trust people, this highlights further research into the possibility of more peer-led apps or websites? Some people, however are still struggling to trust. Kim and Park (2013) suggest that the quality of information available online is often a big determining factor of the trust consumers have for social commerce. Further research will address this, looking at why some people still don’t trust social media and who these people are?

Consumers have increasingly demanding needs, “from one click payments to same day delivery, consumers now expect fast, efficient and seamless shopping experiences” (Houghton and Hawkins, 2018). Newman (2016) backs up Houghton and Hawkins, stating that, the ability the internet has given people to share and receive immediate feedback with others has caused for unexpected changes in what the consumer wants from a brand. Brands work hard to address these demanding needs, for example increasing their presence on social media. According to Morrison (2015) “91 percent of retail brands use two or more social media channels”. Morrison adds that “the apparel industry is the most connected, with 86 percent using four channels” (Morrison, 2015). Another way brands have tried to win back their customers, is through technology. “Augmented reality is one type of technology helping to reduce consumer uncertainty when shopping via social platforms” (Houghton and Hawkins, 2018). This can allow shoppers to see how something would look in their home or on them before making a purchase and is the brands way of trying to put themselves back in control. However it’s not stopping consumers looking elsewhere for other people’s opinions, a key question raised from this research would be if brands are actually doing enough to retain the trust and loyalty of their customers, further primary research will try to get to the root of this.

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2.5 Shopping motivations: online convenience

An increasingly important motivation for online shopping is convenience. Beuchamp and Ponder state that lots of consumers turn to the internet in order to reduce the effort associated with making a decision (Beauchamp and Ponder, 2010). Jiang agrees with this, he believes online convenience has been one of the principal motives of customer’s adopting online purchasing ( Jiang et al., 2013). Hughes states that “it takes just 10 seconds for the average online shopper to lose interest in a website if it doesn’t offer relevant information for the product, including fit, fabric and dimensions” (Hughes, 2018). Hughes also adds that ever evolving expectations from the consumer means businesses need to become increasingly adaptive and flexible. “An understanding of customers motivation behind participation in social commerce can help businesses unleash its potential” (Zhang et al., 2014, p. 1017). Businesses have a growing understanding of the convenience social media provides consumers and how important this is to them when motivating them to buy. Beauchamp and Ponder (2010) agree that “online retailers are certainly able to supply more convenience as store location becomes irrelevant and consumers may now shop from any location, 24 h a day, seven days a week”. Social commerce provides endless possibilities but are people actively using this as a shopping platform or is there still some scepticism over it, this will be addressed in the primary research.

This convenience of shopping online or through social media has caused for an increase in impulse buying.

Cobb and Hoyer (1986) define impulse buying simply as unplanned purchasing. An impulse purchase involves experiencing an urge to buy and then involves an unplanned purchase to occur. This urge is felt suddenly and strongly and is often irresistible, Gerbing talks about how it includes the idea of impulsiveness, causing people to act spontaneously, without considering the consequences (Gerbing et al., 1987). It has been suggested by Maclnnis and Price (1987) that shopping without specific intent can provide a highly pleasurable buying experience and produce positive feelings for many shoppers. “These positive feelings can be conceptualized as ‘positive affect’, which reflects the extent to which a person feels enthusiastic, active, and alert. It is a state of high energy, full concentration, and pleasant engagement. Low positive affect involves sadness and lethargy” (Watson and Tellegen, 1985). This proposed impulse buying behaviour model, shown in appendix 9, is a snapshot view of the effects certain aspects of shopping has on people with lots of the links being connected with ‘positive effect’. Carter (2018) argues that social media has caused for people to impulse buy because of the ‘fear of missing out’ on a new item. With advertising on social media also playing a key role in getting consumers attention. This is a more up to date article, showing a different reason why people impulse buy and the role social media has played in this, whilst still implying it is an emotive decision.

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2.6 The Sharing Economy: Collaborative consumption Hamari defines the sharing economy as “an emerging economic-technological phenomenon that is fuelled by developments in information and communications technology (ICT), growing consumer awareness, proliferation of collaborative web communities as well as social commerce/sharing” (Hamari et al., 2013, p. 1).

This definition shows how the sharing of goods and services have been driven through online platforms.

Pike (2016) adds to this, “technology has created platforms for new online marketplaces and provided better channels of communication to connect users and owners, which have made sharing resources at scale cheaper and easier than ever”. This shows how technology has helped drive the sharing economy through creating such a hyper-connected world. Wang and Zhang agree with this, stating that the sharing economy uses social media to “support social interactions and user contributions to assist activities in the buying and selling of products and services online and offline” (Wang and Zhang, 2012, p. 2).

According to Amed a shift in consumers attitudes has occurred because of consumer desire for variety and affordability and a greater choice of products (Amed et al., 2018). This promotes the idea that economic benefits have been a strong driver of the sharing economy, compared to Hamari, Sjöklint and Ukkonen, who argue that “attitudes towards consumption have shifted in recent years and brought increasing concern over ecological, societal and developmental impact” (Hamari et al., 2013, p. 1). (Amed et al., 2018) also suggests that the sharing economy has been driven by the young generations hunger for newness. This is backed up by a survey done in Britain, showing that “one in three young women consider clothes ‘old’ after wearing them once or twice” (Barnardos.org.uk, 2015). Both renting and re-selling allows for products to last longer, whilst still offering the newness a consumer wants.

Luxury rental fashion is already in existence with brands such as Rent the Runway, however, when it comes to high street fashion, Pike (2016) talks about there being lots of increased difficulties. Convincing people to share clothes “requires a much bigger behavioural shift than convincing them to share vehicles or accommodation” (Pike, 2016) as people may feel uncomfortable wearing something worn by a stranger.

Despite the limitations Pike points out, Hendriksz (2017) states that “a fifth of millennials say they would consider renting clothing” showing how fashion is the perfect category for the sharing economy, especially with its high value but low usage, consumers often only wear an item of clothing a few times before getting bored of it. Amed (2018) agrees with Hendriksz, as they predict more consumers in the near future will see an increasing proportion of their wardrobes made up of pre-owned or rented clothing. Further research will be carried out to understand how people really feel about the sharing economy, both positive and negative and if this is a feasible idea for the future?

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Methodology Metho Methodology ogy Meth Me Methofology ology Method Methodology gy Methodology 13

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3. Methodology 3.1 Research methodology Within this research methodology section of the report will be an explanation of the methods used to collect the data, how these have been useful, as well as any limitations faced. Both primary and secondary research was carried out within this report to ensure an extensive and strong depth of understanding of the research question and objectives laid out. (Saunders et al., 2009) talk about how research needs to be carried out in a systematic way and have a clear purpose of why the research is being examined in the first place. In order to define a clear purpose and predominantly target these objectives each primary research method links to answering one or more of the research objectives. In turn helping the research to be looked at in a clear and methodical way. The primary and secondary research together has helped create a strong debate throughout the report, with the primary research helping to fill any gaps in the knowledge. Also using such a mixed range of both qualitative and quantitative research helped to enable higher validity and reliability throughout.

Sample The two chosen samples for this research are 16 to 20 year old Generation Z’s, who identified as female and male. As well as Generation X, aged 39 to 53, also identifying as both female and male. Generation Z were targeted as they were born digital and are savvy, connected and have a lot to say. They are the generation “who care deeply about ethical consumption, are the most progressive generation to date, use digital technology more than any previous group, and are set to change the world with their optimism and ambition” ( JWT Intelligence, 2015). “This digital fluency has changed the places where teenagers congregate and the channels they use to shop” (Pike, 2016). They no longer distinguish between shopping online, using social media and buying in store, it has all become a very seamless experience.

Generation X were also targeted in order to have a contrast to Gen Z. This generation are older, therefore have been identified to have different priorities and values to the younger age demographic. “This generation grew up loving to shop at malls and, of any generation, they are still very likely to enjoy shopping in-person. However, they have seamlessly embraced online shopping, making them a hybrid generation” (Woo, 2018). As a group they have a lot of influence over other generations and Business Insider reported that Gen X make significantly more money each year than their younger counterparts (Kiersz, 2018). This in turn makes them a powerful generation, not to be forgotten, especially by brands.

Age has shown to have an impact on people’s acceptance of technology, with older people tending to have more negative perceptions of new technologies. Fred Davis and Richard Bagozzi’s technology acceptance model (see appendix 10) was developed in 1989 and is the most widely used model when looking at acceptance and usage of technology. The model suggests that when users are presented with a new technology, a number of factors influence their decision about how and when they will use it (Lindsay et al., 2011). Adoption of disruptive technologies and how it will impact the fashion industry can be seen in appendix 1. It was important for two different age demographics to be researched in order to be able to compare the differences between their attitudes and motivations towards social commerce and try to understand this.

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Secondary research 3.2 Secondary research A significant amount of secondary research was undertaken by studying existing literature written on the particular subject area in order to develop a clear understanding of the topic being researched. The research involved a vast amount of reading including academic journals, books, news articles, trend websites and industry reports. The main advantage of using secondary data is the enormous saving in resources, in particular time and money (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2005). Also the data has already been collected, allowing for time and effort to be spent actually analysing the data (Saunders at al., 2009). The secondary research carried out allowed for some key themes to be identified at the end, that then helped assist what the primary research would focus on.

The limitations of secondary research would be that some data is outdated, there is also a lack of control over the data quality. Lots of secondary data has also been collected for a specific purpose that differs from the research question or objectives that are trying to be found out (Denscombe, 2007). Considering these limitations, it was important to make sure as many sources as possible were used, and from different time periods and authors to form a more reliable literature review, as well as show a deeper breadth of understanding. The trustworthiness of the sources were also looked at and any out dated sources backed up with more recent research, ensuring higher validity.

3.3 Primary research Primary research involves going directly to a source, for example customers within the target market to ask questions and gather information (Thehartford.com, 2019). Based on the gaps of knowledge in the secondary research, primary research was undertaken to target the specific objectives put forward at the beginning of the report. The primary research also lined up with the key themes drawn out of the secondary research.

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Quantitative: online survey Objectuves 1 Survey research is defined as “the collection of information from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions” (Check & Schutt, 2012, p. 160). They allow for the collection of a large amount of data from a wide range of people. Online surveys are also an effective means of primary research because each person responds to the same questions, therefore providing an efficient way of collecting answers from a large sample of people (Saunders at al., 2009).

This particular research method was chosen in order to get hold of a broad view of the two groups being researched. In turn helping to provide quantitative data that could be analysed more easily and then converted into infographics that would be able to showcase the research in a clear and visual way. A limitation of this research method was that it was only able to address one research objective, therefore not being overly beneficial to the research as a whole. If time hadn’t been an issue another online survey would have been carried out at a later date, allowing for more precise questions to be asked.

The sample for the survey was 130 respondents, 102 of which were female, 27 male and 1 identified as other.

43% of people that took part in the survey were in the 18-24 demographic and 41% were 45-54. The survey was completed through an online website Typeform and the results can be seen in the appendix (see appendix 2). The survey was sent out to respondents through social media allowing for a range of ages to be reached.

Quantitative: online poll An Instagram poll was carried out, involving five dichotomous questions, that were able to reach a large amount of people through social media. This helped to fill any gaps in the knowledge that had been missed from the online survey and ask any extra questions that needed to be answered. A limitation of this poll is that it was only shared on Instagram, therefore isn’t definite it would have reached both age demographics equally. In order to address this more in depth, primary research such as interviews were carried out equally into both age groups.

Quantitative: structured observation This research was carried out through an online mobile app called ‘Moment’ that was used to measure people’s phone usage, as well as how many times they pick up their phone in a day. Observations involve recording and then analysing what has been found out, they are a way to measure people’s behaviour. This form of research through peoples mobile phones “offers researchers the advantage of non-intrusiveness and the removal of possible observer bias” (Hewson et al., 2003, p. 305). The research carried out involved 6 participants from both Generation Z and Generation X. This helped in generating visual and easily comparable quantitative research that could then be analysed and key insights drawn out of this. It also wasn’t time consuming as the data was already there to be analsyed.

To gain more reliable results people were asked to carry this out over the space of a week so an average could then be collected. A limitation of this however was if for some reason the result hadn’t been recorded correctly and it made an anomolie in the results. In order to address this any anomalies were removed before taking an average, helping ensure higher validity and reliability of the research.

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Qualiative: case studies A case study is a descriptive and exploratory analysis of a person, group or event. Case studies are most often of interest to someone trying to gain a richer understanding of the context of the research (Morris and Wood, 1991) “The case study strategy also has considerable ability to generate answers to the question ‘why?’” (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 146). The case studies used in the research were based around brands, as these were most useful for the specific research being undertaken.

Qualitative: focus groups Objectives 1,2 and 3 Focus groups are used to look at a particular issue or topic, allowing for an interactive discussion amongst participants (Carson et al., 2001.). “The use of this method is likely to necessitate a balance between encouraging participants to provide answers to a particular question or questions that you introduce and allowing them to range more freely in discussion where this may reveal data that provide you with important insights” (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 345). It also allows for an efficient way to interview a large number of people.

Limitations of this method were people holding back and not expressing their true opinions because other people were present. One or two people can be found to dominate the discussion, in order to address this problem and bring others into the conversation, they were addressed more personally.

As part of the primary research two qualitative focus groups were carried out. The first focus group (see appendix 4) was taken part by Generation Z and involved 5 participants, 1 male and 4 female. The second focus group (see appendix 5) consisted of 5 participants from the Gen X age demographic, 2 male and 3 female.

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Focus group 1 (Gen Z) The first focus group involved relatively structured questions to help guide the conversation and help gain ideas and insights about more specific research areas. However, people were still able to debate their ideas freely within the focus group, allowing for new ideas to crop up as well as the rationalisation of these ideas and opinions. The focus group was relaxed and carried out in an informal setting, allowing people to feel more comfortable to share their ideas. Videos were used within the focus group to add some variety, helping to showcase the ideas in a more visual way that was easier for the participants to understand. The focus group also touched on case studies, such as Depop and Instagram in order to gain some insightful primary research. This research could then be compared with the second focus group, including the similarities and differences between the two age groups, with key insights being pulled out from this.

The responses for this focus group were transcribed respectively (see appendix 4).

Focus group 2 (Gen X) The second focus group also involved structured questions, similar to the first group in order to help carry the conversation. The focus group was also carried out in an informal and relaxed setting. People were able to debate amongst the group and share their opinions with each other. This allowed for some interesting insights to be pulled out. Videos were also shown within the focus group, in order to help make it more interesting and interactive. Case studies such as Depop were also spoken about in order to gain the opinions of a different demographic. The debates and discussions throughout the focus group helped raise new ideas and insights about the research topic.

The responses for this focus group were transcribed respectively (see appendix 5).

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Qualitative: in depth interviews (1 to 1)

Objectives 2 and 3

“In-depth interviewing is a qualitative research technique that involves conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their perspectives on a particular idea” (Boyce, 2006, p. 3). They are used to help provide more detailed information, compared to other data collection methods, such as surveys. They also allow for more valid and reliable data, relevant to the research question and objectives to be collected. Another key benefit of qualitative research, like interviews, is that its helps you understand the reasoning behind what participants say. In depth interviews allow interviewers with the opportunity to ‘probe’ answers in order to get the respondents to build on their answers, or explain something in more detail (Saunders at al., 2009) Limitations of this research method include, how the questions might be asked, it’s key to avoid any leading or yes/no questions as this would have an impact on how reliable the data collected is (Silverman, 2007). Boyce (2006) talks about how interviews can be time consuming, because you have to conduct, transcribe and then analyse them.

4 in depth interviews were conducted, 2 female and 1 male from the Gen Z age demographic and 1 female from the Gen X age category (see appendix 6). The in depth interviews were carried out face to face in a relaxed environment, allowing the respondent to give more detailed and honest responses in order to seek new insights. The interviews built on the research found in the online survey and helped uncover more insightful primary research.

The interview questions asked, aimed to get in depth answers that helped answer the research question and any gaps in the knowledge found in the literature review.

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Qualitative: industry interviews

Objectives 3 and 4

Industry interviews are carried out in order to give some inside information from someone with expertise knowledge and a better understanding of the subject matter. “They may also lead the discussion into areas that you had not previously considered but which are significant for your understanding, and which help you to address your research question and objectives” (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 324). More information is able to be accessed through an interview and “it allows a researcher to see and understand the context within which decisions and actions take place” (Myers, 2013, p. 5).

One of the biggest limitations with industry interviews is that they’re often carried out online, causing some people to be reluctant to participate. They may feel it isn’t appropriate to send confidential information to someone they’ve never met before. They may also not trust the way in which the information they provide is used (Saunders et al., 2009). These limitations were addressed through online consent, allowing them to only consent to their name being used if they wanted to. It was important to be extra sensitive with the questions being asked and not to ask any intrusive questions that might put them off taking part.

4 industry interviews were carried out over email and responses transcribed (see appendix 8), in order to look back over and draw insights from. The 4 respondents interviewed were chosen because of their expertise knowledge and depth of understanding on the specific topic. A digital marketing manager, e-commerce and social media manager, social media specialist and content writer and social media blogger were interviewed. This helped give a different view point from people other than consumers, as well as the possibility of new insights that might not have been come across otherwise.

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3.4 Research limitations The sample size for both Gen Z and Gen X were relatively small and if there hadn’t been both time and financial constraints this would have been addressed, and more people interviewed. A larger sample would have allowed for more reliable qualitative research to be collected. However taking in the time constraints, the research collected was appropriate for the amount of research objectives, as they were relatively specific. It also allowed for the research to be analysed in more detail.

The research also didn’t contain an equal male to female ratio, for example in the focus groups more females were present. However men did participate and the main focus of the research were the differences in age, instead of gender, therefore not impacting the research too drastically. However if this research was to be carried out again, with more time, the gender split would be made more equal.

Financial restrictions were a big constraint within the research, especially in the industry interviews as this limited the amount of people that were able to be approached. Industry interviews were also held back because of the logistics of being able to arrange a video call, the questions were asked through an email interview, restricting the answers. Other factors that have possibly limited the reliability of the research collected is researcher bias.

In order to overcome this research was recorded and then transcribed. Questions were asked without giving a biased opinion or probing the respondent for a particular answer.

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4. Key findings

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Chapter 1 Forever returning clothes 4.1 As discussed in the literature review, online social networking sites have caused consumers to gain more power, people are now more likely than ever to go out of their way to look at reviews, however people are still faced with the problem of returning clothes.

Hajli (2014) states how “consumers are now content generators on the internet”. Consumers now have the power to seek out the information they need through the internet. This can also be seen through primary research carried out with an online survey, finding 68% of people said they look at reviews before making a purchase (see appendix 7).

like what they did online or not fitting right. This is also being driven by the rising amount of people choosing to shop online because of its convenience, with an online poll survey showing 66% of people prefer to shop online (see appendix 2, q. 4). Secondary research found that 63% of women’s clothing that had been bought online, were returned (Clancy, 2016).

Participant 1, in an in depth interview expressed that she ends up returning clothes all the time because of the ease of online shopping and the fact that most brands offer free returns making the consumer feel less guilty about buying something and then sending it back (se appendix 6, in depth interview 1).

Despite the power to read reviews it hasn’t stopped consumers to impulse buy, with an online poll carried out finding that 68% of people are impulse buyers (see appendix 7). These are mostly impulse buyers online, because they will see something and feel like they need it. Participant 2 stated “if I like something, I want it and struggle to walk away from it, also buying things makes me happy so why not” (see appendix 6, interview 2). Consumer behaviour specialist, Graves (2013) talks about this being driven by the simple explanation of a love of shopping, “some people just derive an enormous amount of pleasure from acquiring something new” (Graves, 2013). However this impulse buying causes more people to return clothes because they and up arriving and not looking Not impulse buyers

32%

“Buying things makes me happy so why not”- participant 2

Impulse buyers

68%

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The urge to buy something instantly, has been shown to depend on different factors, for example age of the consumer and price. People within the in depth interviews explained how if it’s an expensive item they are more likely to take more time thinking about the decision and looking at reviews, participant 1 stated that this is any price point over £20 (see appendix 6, in depth interview 1). Also within the second focus group that was carried out with Gen X, they said how they didn’t return clothing very often, this was due to the fact they think more about the decision beforehand and put an emphasis on how important reading reviews were before purchasing online. Participant 3 expressed that he relies heavily on reviews because of the fact they find returning time consuming and inconvenient. Gen X also showed more loyalty to brands compared to Gen Z who talked about wanting the cheapest deal and best

delivery price, with participant 3 explaining “there’s so much choice nowadays that I wouldn’t say I’m a very loyal customer” (see appendix 6, in depth interview 3). Consumers struggle to come up with just one or two favourite brands as online shopping offers so much choice of brands to shop from.

“There’s so much choice nowadays that I wouldn’t say I’m a very loyal customer” - participant 3 Despite the amount of people sending back clothes because they are dissatisfied with how they look or fit, research found that people don’t necessarily want to go out of their way to actively look for reviews themselves. Secondary research found that “29% of customers say that online puchases don’t meet their expectations when they receive them” (Hughes, 2018). Erskine (2017) further states that “84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation” however if the reviews aren’t easily accessible people are less likely to look at them.

During the focus group with Gen Z, participant 4 spoke about how this was something that brands could improve on (see appendix 4). Consumers

have increasingly demanding needs, “from one click payments to same day delivery, consumers now expect fast, efficient and seamless shopping experiences” (Houghton and Hawkins, 2018). They don’t want to go out of their way to look for anything, they want it to come to them and be less than a few clicks away for them to even consider reading. Secondary research found that this has caused for such an appeal in social commerce because it is a quick and easy way to assist your shopping experience. Gen Z’s love for convenience and their quick thinking when online was shown through observational research carried out (see appendix 3). The observation of phone usage found key differences in the ways Gen Z and Gen X use their phones on a daily basis. Gen Z were found to pick up their phone more frequently but the overall time they spent on their phones was less whereas Gen X picked up their phones less frequently but spend more time actually on their devices (see appendix 1).

Gen Z spend on average 1 hour and 50 minutes on their phones a day, compared to Gen X who spend 2hr 23m staring at their devices.

(see appendix 3) 25

84% of people trust

online reviews as much as a personal recommendation (Erskine 2017)

26

Chapter 2

27

Trust in each other 4.2 Carrying on from chapter one, secondary research showed how much trust people increasingly have in one another, with this being driven mainly through social media. Houghton and Hawkins (2018) talk about how increasingly social the retail landscape is becoming, as well as how peer to peer and the community based elements of social media plays an increasingly important role in informing shoppers buying decisions. In a sense, shoppers are wanting opinions and to see clothes on other people, just like them, increasingly more. During the focus group with Gen Z this became apparent, with participant 2 talking about how they like the clothing and swimwear website Shein, as it allows them to see pictures of the outfits on other people in order to help them order the correct size. They also think it helps more when looking at someone with a similar body shape to yourself in order to make a better judgement of what the item of clothing will look like on. Looking at other people wearing a brands clothing helps the consumer see the clothing in its real light and get a better idea of what the clothing is going to look like when it arrives. The other respondents agreed, stating if they had quick access to pictures of normal people modelling the clothes, they would definitely look at them. Consumers prefer this as these people are more relatable (see appendix 1). More primary research discovered that 57% of people would be more likely to make a purchase if the clothes were photographed on normal people instead of influencers (see appendix 7).

requirements that were seen during the online survey were great images, good description of the product, easy to use website, and quick delivery times. This shows consumers have increasingly demanding needs for convenience, if a brand doesn’t live up to their expectations they can simply shop elsewhere, with a brand offering something similar.

Research also showed the increasing lack of influence bloggers have on purchasing decisions. Bloggers and influencers are more likely to inspire a consumer for an outfit instead of actually causing someone to make a purchase. Participant 3 in an in depth interview stated that “it is no secret that influencers get sent clothing for free or for payment, so the audience are bound to question if the brand is one that the influencer would truly invest in and love or just a post for business” (see appendix 8, industry interview 3).

Within the focus group participant 2 stated that “I don’t really look at them to then buy a product that they’re wearing because I guess they get paid for it and they might just be doing it for the money, so I don’t know if I trust it” (see appendix). Gen Z are increasingly more clued up about seeking out quality information when online shopping. Masse is an example of an app that is working towards ensuring all recommendations are authentic and credible, that people can trust.

Secondary research discovered peer to peer elements of online shopping has a bigger impact on peoples shopping decisions, over what brands and influencers are telling them. Consumers understand the possible dangers of social media and the image bloggers can give of the ‘perfect’ life. Gen Z have shown to be looking for more peer based advice in order to make a purchasing decision. People trust people as they a more relatable, someone they could be friends with.

57% of people were found to be more likely to make a purchase if the clothes were photgraphed on normal people instead of influencers/bloggers.

Convenience is key with younger consumers and this kept cropping up within primary research . Main 28

Shoppable posts on Instagram

“Social commerce is here to stay and will get bigger, it has a place in the overall digital ecosystem�

(Appendix 8, industry interview 1)

Instagram case study

7

29

Instagram’s shoppable posts Social commerce continues to grow as new technologies and social media platforms assist how consumers buy and interact with products (Houghton and Hawkins, 2018). Instagram launched its shoppable posts in 2018 in the UK. This helped create a ‘seamless experience’, as it allowed brands and businesses to tag up to five products in a post, allowing consumers to then tap on the product to find out more information and make a purchase. As of June 2018, Instagram reported more than 1 billion monthly users worldwide and 500 million daily active users (Statista, 2018), showing just how widely used the social media site is. Instagram’s shoppable posts have changed the way lots of people shop. When on Instagram people are able to click on a tagged product and immediately see the name and price of the product, if they then click on the tag more product details come up, without actually going onto the website. Consumers then have the option to click on the ‘view on website’ button that takes them directly to the product on the business’s website where they can make a purchase. It allows consumers to discover and buy new products from their favourite brands. Simsek (2018) states that “shopping directly on Instagram has never been easier”. This also links to chapter 2, as it shows how social media sites likes Instagram have reacted to consumers need for convenience and seamless shopping experiences.

to all age demographics. Houghton and Hawkins (2018) state that “more than 90m Instagram users tap to reveal shoppable tags in posts each month”.

Participant 1 expands on this talking about how today’s generation want everything instantly (appendix 8, interview 1). People expect lots from technology, they expect everything to be at the touch of a button and if it’s not they loose interest (see appendix 1). Participant 1, in an in depth interview exclaimed how they are influenced by Instagram to buy because of the fact they follow bloggers and then if they like what they’re wearing, the convenience and ease of the shoppable posts is a motivation for them buy (appendix 6, interview 2). Instagram have been very good at providing convenience for their users with shoppable posts being just one example. The posts are easily accessible and can be used by anyone as a way to help them make quicker online purchases.

Consumers wanted convenience and a seamless experience and Instagram helped to provide this for them through shoppable posts (see appendix 12).

Shoppable posts however are still relatively new, an online survey carried out as primary research found that 58% of the people asked have never used social media as a shopping platform (appendix 2, q.

6). If consumers are visiting Instagram on a daily basis, why aren’t shoppable posts being used more?

Instagram need to look at how they interact with their consumers more (see appendix 12), listening to consumer feedback is key in order to improve.

Shopping through Instagram has been more accepted by younger consumers, as it’s not necessarily catered

30

Chapter 3 31

Swapping and sharing 4.3 As spoken about in the literature review, the sharing economy has been on the rise within the fashion industry, mediated by the access people have to the digital world, making swapping, sharing and renting more convenient than ever. Secondary research talks about the sharing economy being driven by the younger generations hunger for newness (Amed et al., 2018). People feel clothes are old after wearing them once or twice and this can by seen during the first focus group that was undertaken where participants all shared the fact that they owned clothes either unworn or only worn once or twice (see appendix 4). Secondary research backs this up stating that “one in three young women consider clothes ‘old’ after wearing them once or twice” (Barnardos. org.uk, 2015). People like having new clothing, and this has been helped by the availability and choice online offers consumers. According to Amed, a shift in consumers attitudes has occurred because of consumer desire for variety and affordability (Amed et al., 2018). With lots of consumers in the Gen Z demographic identifying as students, affordability is often top of their wish list. This can be seen from an online survey carried out, where price ranked the highest requirement consumers had when shopping (see appendix 2, q. 7). The Sharing Economy also has lots of environmental benefits, as the fashion industry is so impactful on the planet (see appendix 1).

Primary research found a lack of understanding of what the sharing economy was, the main answer within the online survey that people came up with was ‘Depop’ (see appendix 2, q. 9) when asked if they had participated in any form of sharing, renting or swapping. However, swapping was not a new concept to everyone and lots of people were participating in it both online and offline without even realising. One participant in an in depth interview exclaimed that she would definitely swap clothes because she does it with friends anyway (see appendix 6, in depth interview 2).

“I would definitely swap clothes because you already do that with your friends” - participant 2 Despite the literature review discussing the limitations of the sharing economy, with Pike (2016) stating that people may feel uncomfortable wearing something worn by a stranger, an online poll for primary research found that 80% of people said they would consider shopping in a charity shop (see appendix 7). This shows that the stigma around second hand clothing has definitely declined (Knowles, 2018).

Brands are starting to make the idea of second hand clothing cool with Depop playing a big part in this.

32

Depop is a peer-to-peer, free to download social shopping app, where consumers can buy and sell in a new, unique and trendy way. It is a UK based business that has won 9 million of the worlds youngest and most entrepreneurial shoppers, according to Maria Raga, Depop CEO (Knowles, 2018). Depop was described by Brignall (2017) as “part-eBay, part-Instagram”. Consumers are able to take shopping into their own control through this online marketplace and it allows consumers to have increased power when shopping and selling online. Many products that are bought and sold via the app are often lower value, vintage fashion items that offer a higher level of individuality. Knowles (2018) described Depop as “authentic and human because social interaction is at its core”. Consumers spend a lot of time communicating with each other through Depop and this helps build a strong sense of community within the platform. It’s also a place where people can interact with each other as they are able to like, share and comment on items.

An online poll carried out as primary research found that 65% of people that answered the poll had used Depop (see appendix).

An online poll found that 65% of people have used Depop Depop has proved particularly popular with younger consumers like Gen Z. “Today 80% of Depop users are under 25-years-old” (Knowles, 2018). Consumers liked the fact it’s easy and quick to use and offers a range of products. Within the 4 P’s, product is definitely Depop’s strong point as it allows for consumers to take control of what they’re wanting to sell, with people being able to buy and sell anything from high street and vintage fashion to books and records, this is what consumers want (see appendix 11). Participant 1 stated that she buys off Depop all the time, “it’s my go to. I think it’s so easy to use and you can get products so much cheaper” (see appendix 4). Focus group research on the Gen Z age demographic also discovered that they chose to shop with Depop because of the variety they offer, however some scepticism over the trustworthiness was still present, with participant 1 stating that “it is extremely important to read the reviews” (see appendix 4). This is an improvement Depop could look at working on, however this is hard as it is a peer based app and any problems consumers face is for them to sort and not Depop as a brand. It is important for consumers to look at the sellers reviews before making a purchase,

Depop case study

Depop could work on putting more of an emphasis on this to save customers being disappointed. One of their weakest points would also be price as they take 10% of what the consumer sells (see appendix 11), this could look at being reduced.

From a focus group carried out with Gen X it became apparent that older consumers are more likely to sell on the app instead of buy as they stated that they didn’t overly trust it. Gen X are older than Depop’s 16-26 target market, however focus group research on Gen X found that three of the five participants had used it before to sell. They also spoke about eBay being another key site they would use to sell clothing and other items. They found Depop was maybe not the right platform for what they were wanting to sell, participant 5 showed some confusion over how it worked and stated that they felt “it would have been better if I used social media” (see appendix 5). This shows how Depop is perceived as a young brand and maybe doesn’t cater for older consumers, like Gen X.

Photos taken by Depop sellers “I buy off Depop all the time, it’s my go to. I think it’s so easy to use and you can get products so much cheaper” (Appendix 4, participant 1) 33

80%

“ of Depop users are under 25-years-old�

(Knowles, 2018)

34

Key insights Key insights Key insights Key insights ghts Key insights Key insights Key Key in sights ight Key insights 35

Ke

s

t

5. Key insights

• Gen Z are constantly returning clothes because they are dissatisfied with how they look or fit, this is usually because lots of consumers impulse buy, with this being driven by the convenience of online shopping, compared to Gen X who have been proven to think more about their decision before making a purchase.

• Consumers have become less brand loyal because of the vast amount of choice they are faced with when online shopping, the internet and social media has offered them endless possibilities, consumers are not willing to settle for anything less.

• Social media is used by Gen Z to discover and purchase products in a seamless and convenient way, however Gen X are more sceptical about the safety of social media sites. Brands struggle to cater for all generations.

• Peer to peer based apps have proved to be the way forward as this allows for consumers to be in control of what they’re looking for online. Gen Z have become increasingly trusting in other people over brands and influencers, as they prove more relatable.

• Second hand clothing has become increasingly accepted, especially by Gen Z, with online brands like Depop making the idea ‘trendy’ and ‘cool’.

36

6. Conclusion Throughout the report both primary and secondary research has been used in order to be able to pull out key findings and insights that would lead onto the development of future recommendations. This was achieved through a deep and thorough analysis of the research, using case studies and models to back up the ideas found. Throughout the report, key themes have been drawn out surrounding social commerce, for example the shift in power from brands to consumers and social media as a shopping platform, in order to help answer the key research question. Two key consumer demographics have been looked at throughout the work in order to highlight key differences between their differing attitudes towards social commerce. Key findings showed the main reasons of, consumers increased power and being increasingly connected with one another through online and social media platforms, are what’s helped drive social commerce within the fashion industry.

37

38

39

7. Future recommendations After extensive primary and secondary research being carried out it’s significant that shopping is becoming increasingly social, from the research 3 future recommendations have been pulled out.

Peer to peer online sites A key insight found in chapter 2 was that consumers have been gaining increasing amounts of power through the internet and the influence this has given them to be able to search, shop and discover on their own and in their own way is immense. Gen Z are increasingly beginning to question what they see online. This has highlighted the need for more peer based apps and websites as consumers are most influenced by the people around them, Stage 2 should look into this.

Seamless shopping Convenience is key for consumers when shopping online, they are wanting to save time at all costs.

This can be an aspect to be considered during Stage 2. Consumers are constantly on the look out for new apps and other tools to aid their shopping process online, helping make the experience increasingly seamless.

Increasing second hand popularity Swapping clothes is a way for consumers to save money and the planet. A key insight from chapter 3 is that it’s an avenue that definitely has the scope to take off, but first needs a helping hand. Stage 2 should look into making second hand trading better well known, as well as helping it to become more popular, trendy and convenient, as this could be the key to its success.

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Appendix Appendix 1

Social Technological Ethical Economical Political Legal Environmental

Consumers are becoming increasingly connected to one another, with there being over 39 million social media users in the UK (Statista, 2017).

Gen Z are incresingly looking for brands using relatable consumers as their models, over influencers and bloggers, as it’s more authentic.

Consumers are also becoming increasingly social, with 42% of people stating that they’ve actually used social media as a shopping platform (see appendix 2, q. 6).

“Higher expectation of what a company should be able to deliver” (Amed et al., 2017, pg 17), consumers have more demanding needs.

The Gen Z age demographic have become increasingly prominent in society and are now a main target market for brands.

Group influence often has a great impact on consumers shopping decisions online and offline. These influential groups consist of family members, friends, relatives and acquaintances (iResearch Services, 2018).

The adoption of disruptive technology such as artificial intelligence, mobile internet, advanced robotics, advanced analytics and virtual and augmented reality is accelerating (Amed et al., 2017).

Observational primary research found Gen Z spend an average of 1hr 50m on their phone a day, and Gen X spend an average of 2hr 23m on their phones a day (see appendix 3). Research showed that Gen X were picking up their phones more but spending less time on them compared to Gen X who were picking up their phones less but spending a longer time actually looking at their screens. This shows that Gen X are no newbies to technology but are maybe just slightly slower when on their devices. Gen Z are more tech savvy and quick when using technology.

“Utilising tech, today’s generation wants everything in an instant, access to the internet, social, video on demand - we’ve been wired to expect everything at a touch of a button and if we can’t access it quickly, most will move on” (see appendix 8, interview 1).

Serious concerns are often raised about exploitative working conditions in the factories that make cheap clothing for the high street (Vam.ac.uk, 2018).

Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with ethical aspects of fashion, especially younger consumers who are actively looking for how ethical brands are before purchasing from them.

Changing consumer attitudes has caused a shift and as a result the market for ethically produced fashion is experiencing rapid growth.

“7.1 million consumers say that ethical issues are important to them but feel availability of such items is poor” (Hamnett, 2008), this is something that brands need to look at addressing.

Brands who aren’t ethically inclined are likely to be found out and receive negative publicity, this can then impact a companies sales.

Fashion is seen as one of the UK’s most important exports industries, accounting for a total of 7.5 billion pounds in 2014, according to FashionUnited’s statistics (Hendriksz, 2017).

There’s so much choice available when online shopping that consumers are able to look around for the cheapest option.

An online survey carried out as primary research found that price ranks top of people’s main requirements from a brand (see appendix 2, q. 7).

For brands to be competitive it is key for them to offer promotions/student discounts otherwise consumers will often just chose to shop somewhere else.

Since the vote to leave the EU, the British pound isn’t worth as much.

Brexit caused inflation to surge and consumer spending to slow, this has caused some people to beome more careful with their money. However a survey found that 86% of people stated that BREXIT hasn’t actually had an impact on their intention to spend on fashion with 23% saying they will actually spend more (Pragma, 2016).

Changes in legislation will have impacts on brands, for example minimum wage laws, toxic materials legislation, labelling laws.

Union workers, within clothing manufacturing, may protest against their employers, especially if their wages are low. This then impacts production and can cause delays for retailers in getting spring or fall fashions into shops on time (Suttle, 2019).

The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world (SustainYourStyle, 2018).

“The low costs and disposable nature of high street fashion means that much of it is destined for incinerators or landfill sites. The UK alone throws away 1 million tonnes of clothing every year” (Vam.ac.uk, 2018).

The Sharing economy can help reduce the amount of clothes left unworn by encouraging people to swap, share and borrow/rent When brans behave in an environmentally friendly way by preventing physical waste and increasing energy efficiency they save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness.

Access to online reviews before purchasing a product helps to decrease the amount of items returned as consumers are more likely to buy the right size first time, this therefore can reduce CO2 emissions in the long run.

People online shopping saves people having to drive to the shops, therefore cutting down the amount of CO2 emissions that are let off into the air, damaging the planet.

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Appendix 2

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Appendix 3 Moment app results Monday 17th Participant 8 - 20 pickups, 4hr 13m screen time Participant 9 - 47 pickups, 2hr 20m screen time Participant 10 - 33 pickups, 1hr 29m screen time Participant 11 - 22 pickups, 2hr 1m screen time Participant 12 - 19 pickups, 2hr 16m screen time

Participant 1, male, 20 - 93 pickups, 3hr 32m screen time Participant 2, female, 18 - 49 pickups, 1hr 54m screen time Participant 3, male, 18 - 44 pickups, 2hr 10m screen time Participant 4, female, 19 - 46 pickups, 2hr 18m screen time Participant 5, female, 20 - 50 pickups, 1hr 17m screen time Participant 6, female, 20 - 43 pickups, 1hr 30m screen time Participant 7, female, 48 - 12 pickups, 19m screen time Participant 8, female, 46 - 15 pickups, 3hr 39m screen time Participant 9, male, 50 - 28 pickups, 51m screen time Participant 10, female, 50 - 49 pickups, 2hr 49m screen time Participant 11, male, 51 -30 pickups, 1hr 55m screen time Participant 12, female 43 - 18 pickups, 2hr 19m screen time

Thursday 20th Participant 1 - 97 pickups, 1hr 22m screen time Participant 2 - 60 pickups, 1hr 9m screen time Participant 3 - 42 pickups, 1hr 43m screen time Participant 4 - 55 pickups, 3hr 4m screen time Participant 5 - 75 pickups, 1hr 54m screen time Participant 6 - 50 pickups, 1hr 21m screen time Participant 7 - 52 pickups,1h 37m screen time Participant 8 - 10 pickups, 3h 27m screen time Participant 9 - 41 pickups, 2hr 1m screen time Participant 10 - 30 pickups, 2hr 25m screen time Participant 11 - 18 pickups, 3hr 39m screen time Participant 12 - 39 pickups, 2hr 55m screen time

Tuesday 18th Participant 1 - 160 pickups, 1hr 53m screentime Participant 2 - 55 pickups, 2hr 8m screen time Participant 3 - 39 pickups, 1hr 30m screen time Participant 4 - 83 pickups, 1hr 47m screen time Participant 5 - 57 pickups, 1hr 53m screen time Participant 6 - 10 pickups, 24m screen time anomolie* Participant 7 - 9 pickups, 15m screen time anomolie* Participant 8 - 11 pickups, 2h 20m screen time Participant 9 - 32 pickups, 1h 21m screen time Participant 10 - 26 pickups, 1hr 30m screen time Participant 11 - 16 pickups, 3hr 9m screen time Participant 12 - 24 pickups, 1hr 56m screen time

Friday 21st Participant 1 - 109 pickups, 1hr 43m screen time Participant 2 - 58 pickups, 1hr 49m screen time Participant 3 - 35 pickups, 2hr 44m screen time Participant 4 - 66 pickups, 3hr 39m screen time Participant 5 - 59 pickups, 1hr 18m screen time Participant 6 - 60 pickups, 1hr 52m screen time Participant 7 - 60 pickups, 1hr 48m screen time Participant 8 - 32 pickups, 5hr 1m screen time Participant 9 - 31 pickups, 58m screen time Participant 10 - 48 pcikups, 4hr 23m screen time Participant 11 - 8 pcikups, 24m screen time anomolie* Participant 12 - 16 pickups, 1hr 34m screen time

Wednesday 19th Participant 1 - 50 pickups, 1hr 54m screen time Participant 2 - 48 pickups, 2hr 29m screen time Participant 3 - 59 pickups, 1hr 36m screen time Participant 4 - 61 pcikups, 2hr 3m screen time Participant 5 - 51 pickups, 1hr 25m screen time Participant 6 - 48 pickups, 1hr 11m screen time Participant 7 - 23 pickups, 29m screen time

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Saturday 22nd Participant 1 - 74 pickups, 1hr 56m screen time Participant 2 - 74 pickups, 1hr 11m screen time Participant 3 - 43 pickups, 58m screen time Participant 4 - 40 pickups, 2hr 13m screen time Participant 5 - 61 pickups, 1hr 50m screen time Participant 6 - 48 pickups, 1hr 20m screen time Participant 7 - 16 pickups, 54m screen time Participant 8 - 29 pickups, 3hr 12m screen time Participant 9 - 46 pickups, 1hr 15m screen time Participant 10 - 63 pickups, 4hr 5m screen time Participant 11 - 14 pickups, 2hr 59m screen time Participant 12 - 25 pickups, 2hr 4m screen time Sunday 23rd Participant 1 - 63 pickups, 1hr 44m screen time Participant 2 - 81 pickups, 1hr 35m screen time Participant 3 - 35 pickups, 44m screen time Participant 4 - 78 pickups, 2hr 41m screen time Participant 5 - 50 pickups, 1hr 49m screen time Participant 6 - 47 pickups, 1hr 32m screen time Participant 7 - 46 pickups, 2hr 23m screen time

Participant 8 - 19 pickups, 3hr 48m screen time Participant 9 - 46 pickups, 1hr 32m screen time Participant 10 - 22 pickups, 1hr 27m screen time Participant 11 - 25 pickups, 2hr 48m screen time Participant 12 - 22 pickups, 3hr 51m screen time Averages Participant 1 - 92 pickups, 2hr, 1m screen time Participant 2 - 60 pickups, 1hr, 45m screen time Participant 3 - 39 pickups, 1hr, 38m screen time Participant 4 - 61 pickups, 2hr, 32m screen time Participant 5 - 57 pickups, 1hr, 38m screen time Participant 6 - 49 pickups, 1hr, 27m screen time OVERALL AVERAGE - 60 pickups, 1hr 50m screen time Participant 7 - 31 pickups, 1hr 15m screen time Participant 8 - 19 pickups, 3hr 40m screen time Participant 9 - 39 pickups, 1hr 28m screen time Participant 10 - 38 pickups, 2hr 44m screen time Participant 11 - 21 pickups, 2hr 45m screen time Participant 12 - 23 pickups, 2hr 25m screen time OVERALL AVERAGE - 29 pickups, 2hr 23m screen time

PARTICIPANT 1

PARTICIPANT 2

PARTICIPANT 3

PARTICIPANT 4

PARTICIPANT 5

PARTICIPANT 6

PARTICIPANT 7

PARTICIPANT 8

PARTICIPANT 9

PARTICIPANT 10

PARTICIPANT 11

PARTICIPANT 12

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Appendix 4 Focus group 1 – Gen Z PARTICIPANT 1 – female, 20 PARTICIPANT 2 – female, 20 PARTICIPANT 3 – female, 20 PARTICIPANT 4 – male, 18 PARTICIPANT 5 – female, 18

INTERVIEWER: What is your favourite way to shop for fashion and why?

PARTICIPANT 1: Definitely online, through brands websites because it’s easier than going into a shop. I find it hard shopping in store as I never seem to be able to find what I want, or they don’t have my size and I end up having to order online anyways which is annoying.

PARTICIPANT 2:I actually prefer to go shopping and shop in store, whenever I order something I struggle with it not fitting and then the hassle of having to return it. However recently I have been shopping online more because it is so convenient.

PARTICIPANT 3: I do like trying clothes one, but I now have the unicorn delivery which allows me to get free next day delivery fo several brands such as Missguided and Pretty Little Thing. I definitely think if you have to pay for delivery you think about it more.

PARTICIPANT 1: Yeah, I agree! If I couldnt get free or cheap delivery it would definitely put me off buying something. I’ve bought off Boohoo before because I saw they were doing 1p next day delivery and I couldn’t resist.

PARTICIPANT 3: Also with the new app, Klarna which let’s you pay like a month down the line, which is definitely another incentive to shop online, especially being a student.

PARTICIPANT 4: Online so I can stay in bed, and the comfort of my own home. Does depend on how big of a deal it is though, if it’s for a special occasion I would rather go into store and try it on.

PARTICIPANT 5: Online too, because it saves me time and money to actually travel to the shops and then park.

INTERVIEWER: What’s your favourite fashion brand and why?

PARTICIPANT 2: I really like ASOS, because of the APP where you’re able to take a photo and it shows you similar products to what you’re looking for.

Or if I’m looking for jeans probably Topshop petit because they have such a wide selection.

PARTICIPANT 4: Yes, definitely ASOS. It’s just got everything and they quite often do 20% student discount.

PARTICIPANT 3: Probably Missguided or Pretty Litte Thing because of the fact I get free next day delivery.

PARTICIPANT 1: I really like Boohoo because it’s so cheap.

PARTICIPANT 5: I really like ASOS, but would probably say JD sports because they do a good variety of sizes.

INTERVIEWER: How important is looking at reviews before purchasing a product?

PARTICIPANT 1: I think looking at reviews is really important, well for me anyways. I’m mainly looking for anything negative for example if I read that it’s bad quality I’m less likely to buy.

PARTICIPANT 5: Very important as it gives me a heads up whether it’s going to be well fitted and good quality.

PARTICIPANT 4: ASOS don’t do that, that’s one thing about them that could be improved. It doesn’t stop me buying though, if there isn’t reviews on the website I wouldn’t go out of my way to find one.

PARTICIPANT 2: I look at reviews more for swimwear, to see if it’s true to size or seethrough. I like the fact on Shein I am able to see pictures of some of the simwear on other customers. Helps me to see how it would fit on me and what size I should get.

INTERVIEWER: So, do you look at influencers and bloggers on social media?

PARTICIPANT 2: I don’t really look at them to then buy a product that they’re wearing because I guess they get paid for it and they might just be doing it for the money, so I don’t know if I trust it.

PARTICIPANT 1: I do like to look at them though for inspiration, to see what’s on trend.

PARTICIPANT 3: I do the same.

PARTICIPANT 4: Yes I do, on Instagram the bloggers I follow, if they’ve got a nice outfit on and I like the brand I would most likely click the link in their bio and have a browse.

PARTICIPANT 5: I can’t say I can relate, I wouldn’t say there’s as many for men. If there are any they are usually from Love Island or promoting for Boohoo.

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INTERVIEWER: So here’s a campaign Monki do, where they get just normal people to post pictures of them in their clothes, what do you think about this?

PARTICIPANT 1: Yes, I’ve seen that before and think it’s a really clever idea.

PARTICIPANT 3: It’s also really handy because you can look to see if they have similar body types to you.

PARTICIPANT 1: This should definitely be done my more brands. I love the idea INTERVIEWER: This is the second and final section of my focus group, my first question is have you ever or believe to have participated in any form of sharing, swaping or renting?

PARTICIPANT 3: Erm, I’m not sure PARTICIPANT 2: I’ve swapped clothes on Depop before, does that count?

INTERVIEWER: It can be anything that you can think of, I’m just wanting some ideas PARTICIPANT 2: I know of a few people that have swapped on Depop before.

PARTICIPANT 1: I’ll sometimes have people message me on Depop if I want to swap an item of mine for one of theirs and then I can make a decission of whether I want to or not.

PARTICIPANT 2: I think renting is really cool, like celebrities, say on Made In Chelsea when they rent like a Chanel handbag and I think that’s a really good idea. Even though it is still so expenisve PARTICIPANT 3: I’d be too worried to rent something expensive incase I damaged it or something.

PARTICIPANT 2: I definitely think it’s a good idea though because then you don’t have to buy it yourself PARTICIPANT 3: It’s a good idea if you have a wedding PARTICIPANT 5: I dont’ know if I’d want to rent clothing.

PARTICIPANT 2: I think it’s a really good idea for handbags though, I would definitely do it if I had the money, maybe when I’m not a student INTERVIEWER: Does anyone use Depop and if so why/why not?

PARTICIPANT 1: Yes I buy off Depop all the time, it’s my go to. I think it’s so easy to use and you can get products so much cheaper.

PARTICIPANT 2: Yeah they’re usually different aswell, like it’s not just the same coat everyone’s wearing from Pretty Little Thing.

PARTICIPANT 1: It is extremely important to read the reviews though.

PARTICIPANT 4: I haven’t actually bought off them but I do look on there from time to time. It’s a good way for young people to make money and not have to spend as much.

PARTICIPANT 2: I haven’t bought off them either because I am still slightly skeptical. I use it to sell my own clothes though!

PARTICIPANT 3: Yes I’ve ordered before and it didnt’t come for a month! It hasn’t put me off though as I still buy off it.

PARTICIPANT 5: I don’t overly trust it, I like to shop directly from a brand but then I definitely see why people use it.

INTERVIEWER: Who has something in their wardrobe that’s either never been worn or still has the tags in it?

PARTICIPANT 2: Yes PARTICIPANT 3: Shamefully yes I do PARTICIPANT 1: I have quite a lot actually, that’s so bad PARTICIPANT 5: Yes I do too!

PARTICIPANT 2: I’m not sure I like the fact it’s borrowing becuase you might not get that item back or your neighbours might take advantage and keep asking to borrow something.

PARTICIPANT 5: I think that’s really cool!

PARTICIPANT 4: Maybe if they did something similar but for younger people with clothes?

INTERVIEWER: Street Bank example - What do you think about this and do you think this type of concept would ever work in fashion (fast fashion)?

PARTICIPANT 2: It’s a cool concept PARTICIPANT 1: Depends on what type of person you are I guess, some people might not like being social and talking to their neighbours *laughs* PARTICIPANT 2: I’m not sure I like the fact it’s borrowing because you might not get that item back or your neighbours might take advantage and keep asking to borrow something.

PARTICIPANT 5: I think that’s really cool!

PARTICIPANT 4: Maybe if they did something similar but for younger people with clothes?

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PARTICIPANT 1

PARTICIPANT 2

PARTICIPANT 3

PARTICIPANT 4

PARTICIPANT 5

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Appendix 5 Focus group 2 – Gen X PARTICIPANT 1 – Male, 50 PARTICIPANT 2 – Female, 50 PARTICIPANT 3 – Male, 47 PARTICIPANT 4 – Female, 44 PARTICIPANT 5 – Female, 51 INTERVIEWER: What is your favourite way to shop for fashion and why?

PARTICIPANT 1: Online, as it is quicker and easier. I can shop around for best price.

PARTICIPANT 4: I definitely prefer shopping in store, as I like to know the fit and quality of the clothing before I buy it. I don’t particularly like returning things.

PARTICIPANT 5: Yes, I also enjoy shopping in store as I can find online a bit difficult, if i do shop online I get my children to help me *laughs* PARTICIPANT 2: I like shopping online because of the convenience aspect INTERVIEWER: What’s your favourite fashion brand and why?

PARTICIPANT 1: Next as it is good quality and fit PARTICIPANT 4: Also Next, I’ve shopped there for years and just really trust them as a brand PARTICIPANT 2: I buy a lot of clothing from New Look, because they are so reasonably priced PARTICIPANT 5: I wouldn’t say I have a favourite brand, if I see something I like, I buy it INTERVIEWER: How important is looking at reviews before purchasing a product? Clothing in particular?

PARTICIPANT 1: Very important PARTICIPANT 3: I rely heavily on reviews as I don’t like returning items as it’s a waste of my time, and I will then have to buy it again in a different size.

PARTICIPANT 5: I really like looking at reviews, especially for holidays, I use Trip Advisor for this.

INTERVIEWER: What about for fashion?

PARTICIPANT 5: Not so much for fashion I wouldn’t say PARTICIPANT: 4 I always look at reviews for clothing as I like to see what others say about the quality before I buy it PARTICIPANT 2: I don’t like the hassle of having to return clothes INTERVIEWER: Do you return clothing often?

PARTICIPANT 1: Hardly ever PARTICIPANT 2: No not really as I often look at reviews before I buy in order to avoid having to return the clothes.

PARTICIPANT 1: Yes I agree PARTICIPANT 4: I don’t return clothes too often, as I often shop instore more, therefore am able to try the clothes on beforehand. I only really return clothing that is faulty. I can see how this could be an issue for people who prefer to shop online.

INTERVIEWER: This is the second and final section of my focus group, my first question is have you ever or believe to have participated in any form of sharing, swapping or renting?

PARTICIPANT 1: No, don’t think so PARTICIPANT 2: Yes, I have rented clothing before PARTICIPANT 5: I don’t think I ever have but this isn’t saying I wouldn’t in the future, I just think I would need to know more about it.

PARTICIPANT 4: I have borrowed clothes before but only off of family members not other members of the public. But then again I shop in charity shops so this wouldn’t put me off in the slightest, good for the environment I guess!

INTERVIEWER: Does anyone use Depop and if so why/why not?

PARTICIPANT 1: I have used it once or twice but only to sell PARTICIPANT 2: I personally haven’t but I know my children do PARTICIPANT 3: No, I haven’t either but I have heard of it PARTICIPANT 5: I have used it, but only sold one item. I felt it would have been better if I used social media but I do not. I’ve only ever used it to sell, but would never buy from there as I wouldn’t say I trust it.

PARTICIPANT 4: I have used it once but didn’t get on with it very well

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INTERVIEWER: Do you sell through any other websites online?

PARTICIPANT 1: Yes I sell through ebay all the time INTERVIEWER: Thank you for your time everyone PARTICIPANT 1

PARTICIPANT 2

PARTICIPANT 3

PARTICIPANT 4

PARTICIPANT 5

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Appendix 6 In depth interview 1 – Participant 1, female, 18 INTERVIEWER: How do you like to shop and why is this?

PARTICIPANT: I enjoy going out shopping because you can make a day of going out and can actually try on the clothes. Although sometimes online shopping is easier, it is frustrating when clothes do not fit and you then may be charged to send them back.

INTERVIEWER: Are you an impulse shopper or do you think about the decision before you make it?

PARTICIPANT: No, I like to think about bigger purchases before I buy them (over £20).

INTERVIEWER: Has social media ever impacted a purchasing decision or a motivation to buy? Please explain PARTICIPANT: Yes If I see an influencer wearing/promoting an outfit or product that I like the look of I will usually look it up. It is especially helpfull on Instagram stories, as they can link the items they are wearing below and all you have to do is swipe up.

INTERVIEWER: Do you trust social media? Why/why not?

PARTICIPANT: I trust influencers promoting brands. I don’t trust random brands that just pop up on my feed because you have no actual evidence that the items are good. Usually influencers are promoting brands that I have heard of before, also they will usually have products to show you, so you know they’re good quality etc.

INTERVIEWER: Do you return clothes often?

PARTICIPANT: Yes, I return clothes all the time, it’s just so easy to shop online nowadays and returns are often free which makes me feel less guilty about buying and then sending it back if I need to. Also sometimes the fit of the clothes isn’t great quality so has to be returned INTERVIEWER: Do you look at reviews before making a purchase? Does this depend on what it is your buying?

PARTICIPANT: Yes I do if they are easily accessible to me, but if they aren’t I won’t actively seek them out. I do like seeing reviews for clothes because if everyone says to size up or down it can help, saves the returning process etc.

INTERVIEWER: What are your expectations from brands? Have these changed at all recently?

PARTICIPANT: Good quality products, reasonable prices, offer a student discount, offer rewards for loyal members. No not really.

INTERVIEWER: Do you believe you are a loyal customer to any particular brands?

PARTICIPANT: No, definitely not INTERVIEWER: Why do you think this is?

PARTICIPANT: I like to shop with loads of different brands, I wouldn’t say I am loyal to any particular brand because they don’t always have clothes I like, too much choice.

INTERVIEWER: What could have impacted your loyalty do you think?

PARTICIPANT: Purely because there’s so much choice now a days, so many brands doing the same sort of clothes, I will just go for whatever can offer me the best discount.

INTERVIEWER: Would you ever consider, swapping, renting or borrowing clothes and why would this be?

PARTICIPANT: Potentially if I could trust the person that I was doing it with, but I’m not sure if I would be too keen. I would happily share clothes with friends at university, because I know that they will return it to me in good condition. My main worry with swapping my clothes is how trustworthy it is, it sounds a bit risky.

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In depth interview 2 – Participant 2, female, 20 INTERVIEWER: How do you like to shop and why is this?

PARTICIPANT: I like shopping both online and offline, I get more of an experience when I go into a physical store. However I am more of an online addict and addicted to online shopping, as its more convenient.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think you’re an impulse buyer or do you think about the decision before you make it?

PARTICIPANT: Yes definitely, however I always justify whatever I buy. If I like something, I want it and struggle to walk away from it, also buying things makes me happy so why not. I also experiment with new trends!

INTERVIEWER: Has social media ever impacted a purchasing decision or a motivation to buy? Please explain your answer PARTICIPANT: Yes I follow a lot of Instagram influencers and if I like what they’re wearing it would make me more likely to purchase something, especially with the convenience of being able to click on the post and buy it stright away. Certain bloggers also influence me more because they reflect my style more than other INTERVIEWER: Do you trust social media?

PARTICIPANT: That’s a hard one, I do trust it because you can see the clothes one real people and in a more normal form, making me have more trust for the brand.

INTERVIEWER: Do you look at reviews before making a purchase?

PARTICIPANT: That depends on price, if it’s expensive I’m more likely to look at reviews. I f I was buying clothing I would only look at reviews if they weren’t too hard for me to find. If I see a review that says someone likes something I would definitely buy.

INTERVIEWER: What if you saw a negative review?

PARTICIPANT: That would definitely put me off!

INTERVIEWER: Do you return clothing often?

PARTICIPANT: With online orders definitely, all the time in fact, because they often don’t represent what they look like online.

INTERVIEWER: What are your expectations from brands? Have these changed at all recently?

PARTICIPANT: Depends on the brand, but my main expectations is quick delivery INTERVIEWER: Do you believe you are a loyal customer to any particular brands?

PARTICIPANT: Skincare brands I am definitely, origins and Liz Earle. Also I have a lot of trust in ASOS as they have a lot of experience and I always end up going back to them, therefore would say I’m quite loyal. It still wouldn’t stop me shopping elsewhere though but ASOS always deliver and I don’t often return much from them.

INTERVIEWER: Would you ever consider, swapping, renting or borrowing clothes? If so what would be your reasons for this? If not what would be stopping you?

PARTICIPANT: Yes I would definitely swap clothes because you already do that with your friends anyways. Also renting sounds great so would definitely do it because you usually only wear clothing once or need something for a one off special occasion.

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In depth interview 3 – Participant 3, male, 20 INTERVIEWER: How do you like to shop and why is this?

PARTICIPANT: Online because its more convenient and I feel like there’s better choice than in store. Also the comfort of doing it from home makes the experience more enjoyable. I often find something I like in store but are most likely to purchase at a later date online.

INTERVIEWER: Are you an impulse shopper or do you think about the decision before you make it?

PARTICIPANT: No I wouldn’t say I am, I often just spend a while thinking about it but once I want something I will definitely buy it at some point. It’s often because what I’m thinking about buying is often expensive, like a pair of trainers and I cant commit straight away to buying something that expensive.

INTERVIEWER: Has social media ever impacted a purchasing decision or a motivation to buy?

PARTICIPANT: Yes, sponsored adverts popping up on Instagram relative to what I might have looked at previously, influencing my purchasing.

INTERVIEWER: Do you trust social media?

PARTICIPANT: No I don’t like the fact they seem to know so much about me for example what clothes and brands I like INTERVIEWER: Do you look at reviews before making a purchase?

PARTICIPANT: Not for clothing as they’re often brands I trust and have shopped with before. The clothes are also about £40-£50 so I don’t think I need to look at reviews as you expect good quality for that price. Also I know how easy it is to return something.

INTERVIEWER: What are your expectations from brands? Have these changed at all recently?

PARTICIPANT: Good quality and affordable prices. Also expect quick and well priced delivery as this can sometimes deter me away from making a purchase if it is too expensive.

INTERVIEWER: Do you believe you are a loyal customer to any particular brands?

PARTICIPANT: No INTERVIEWER: Why do you think this is?

PARTICIPANT: I don’t think I am as I shop from a variety of competing brands, such as Nike and adidas. There’s also so much choice nowadays that I wouldn’t say I’m a very loyal customer.

INTERVIEWER: Would you ever consider, swapping, renting or borrowing clothes?

PARTICIPANT: I would consider swapping but not renting or buying, I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing someone’s clothes out and then having to give it back.

If I like something I want to be able to keep it. I like the idea of swapping because I have so many clothes that I don’t wear, and would like someone else to be getting wear out of them instead. I do often donate old clothes

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In depth interview 4 – Participant 4, female, 48 INTERVIEWER: How do you like to shop and why is this?

PARTICIPANT: Depends, usually at busy shopping times (Christmas) online so I don’t have to go to lots of different shopping areas as all the shops I’d

shop from wouldn’t be in one place. I prefer to physically go to a shop for clothes if I’m not sure what I’m after so that I can feel the material check the size etc as I don’t like sending things back. However, I hate shopping at busy times especially when the items are messy and on the floor. At times like this I’m more than likely to not buy anything. Grocery shopping I do online but will go to the shops for fruit/veg as I prefer to choose these myself.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think you’re an impulse buyer or do you think about the decision before you make it?

PARTICIPANT: Mostly I think about it, especially for expensive items, I like to estimate how often I would wear the item and see if it’s worth the money. I

do buy on impulse sometimes, but this is usually if the shopping area is quiet and I’m enjoying the shopping experience ,which I don’t usually do.

INTERVIEWER: Has social media ever impacted a purchasing decision or a motivation to buy?

PARTICIPANT: Yes and no. Yes, as sometimes I would see something I wouldn’t have necessarily thought about and it will lead me to research to find

items here as the items are usually from the US. No, as I don’t tend to follow trends

INTERVIEWER: Do you trust social media?

PARTICIPANT: No, I’m fully aware a lot of companies use it for advertising and gathering information. Away from companies, I believe SM is not a

true reflection of someone’s life as people only post about the fantastic times they are having. Which in all honesty, with the rubbish going on in today’s world, it’s good to see these posts, as long as you’re aware it’s a snippet of their lives and that’s not how it is for them everyday. You never know what someone is dealing with.

INTERVIEWER: Do you look at reviews before making a fashion purchase?

PARTICIPANT: If purchasing online, yes, as I like to make sure the fit is good and the quality of the material. I don’t like having to return things.

Otherwise, I tend to go with what I like and am not swayed by other people’s opinions.

INTERVIEWER: Do you return clothing often?

PARTICIPANT: No, only if there’s a fault. I won’t order different sizes and lots of different items to choose from if I only need one item. I’d rather go to

the shops.

INTERVIEWER: What are your expectations from brands?

PARTICIPANT: I expect good quality that is going to last and be a true fit. Can’t stand how sizes are different from one shop to another! I want items

that are going to last and wash well. I’m not a fan of throw away fashion.

INTERVIEWER: Do you believe you are a loyal customer to any particular brands?

PARTICIPANT: I know what I like, but will look at other brands as well. It’s good to have a change sometimes.

INTERVIEWER: Would you ever consider, swapping, renting or borrowing clothes?

PARTICIPANT: No. I’d only consider it amongst really good friends or family. I’ve no problem lending my items to friends or family. I couldn’t do this

with strangers as I’d have to spend too much money getting the items thoroughly cleaned before wearing. I would consider renting something that I would never wear again. For example an expensive ball gown. However, it’ll have to come from a reputable rental service. If I was into fashion and following trends etc, then I can see the attraction as it is kinder to the environment and the finances.

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Appendix 7 Instagram poll results Question 1 - Have you ever used depop?

174 respondents Yes 65% No 35% Question 2 - Are you an impulse buyer?

180 respondents Yes 68% No 32% Question 3 - Is looking at reviews important to you before making a purchase?

168 respondents Yes 68% No 32% Question 4 - Would you be more likely to make a purchase if the clothes were photographed on normal people instead of influencers/ bloggers 175 respondents Yes 57% No 43% Question 5 - Would you consider shopping in a charity shop?

161 respondents Yes 80% No 20%

Appendix 8 Industry interview 1 – Participant 1, male, industry expert INTERVIEWER: Do you feel there has been a shift in power in terms of social commerce, from the brands/businesses to the consumer them-

selves?

PARTICIPANT: The shift in social commerce is driven by 2 areas, firstly Celebrity and blogger social content and secondly brands using social as

marketing channels Whilst social absolutely has a space from a commerce perspective, I still believe social media is a conversation starter, so very much top of funnel when the ‘customer’ is in the research phase of there shopping mission.

Personally I only think it is Instagram that is nailing social commerce, but this is driven by the fact it is a visual platform.

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INTERVIEWER: What do you believe are people’s main motivations to use social media when searching for a product?

PARTICIPANT: Social media is very conversational, so my view would be recommendations or reviews - take Facebook for example, it now has an

option to ask

INTERVIEWER: In what ways and why is social media so key to the success of a brand?

PARTICIPANT: Social is a platform to give everyone a voice online - for brands to succeed on social they need the following:

friends for recommendations on everything from the best restaurants to the local plumbers.

- a tone of voice that represents the brand and its values - its key that businesses stick to their values, this is why more and more consumers choose brands - empathy and personable - behind a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and all the other social platforms are real people, treat and speak how you would expect these back - ability to help and support with queries (and for larger organisations this could be 24/7 support) - social media has become more of way to gain help and support, much like you use to dial a help number is something went wrong with delivery and the like, because of this, consumers expect a rapid response and this needs monitor closely - compelling content - this is what drives follows, shares and so on - and ultimately you need to give customers what they want so its really important to listen. I’d strongly suggest these are the 4 things that would support solid social success INTERVIEWER: What do you think might be stopping some consumers from participating in social commerce and how do you think this could be

addressed?

PARTICIPANT: 3 key things for me on this:

1. all of the social media data sharing issues over the past few years, are consumers fully trust worthy because of this - just look at Google news: https://www.google.com/search?q=social+media+data+sharing+issues&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwja8-GXisDfAhVjoXEKHZ_ OAWsQ_AUIDigB&biw=1440&bih=768 2. every time something like the above happens, and because many social media uses do not truly understand what happens to their data, when the above happens it deants confidence in the platform.

3. and because of the above points, do consumers trust these brands with their bank details?

INTERVIEWER: Brands use social media primarily as a marketing tool and to draw consumers in. In your opinion how do you feel about ‘shoppable

social’, do you think shopping solely through social media sites would take off in the near future?

PARTICIPANT: I think social commerce is here to stay and will get bigger, it has a place in the overall digital ecosystem, do I think it will over take ecommerce (buying through a website or brands app) not anytime soon due to the points raised above which centres around data and privacy.

Have a read of this article - https://phys.org/news/2018-04-social-media-platforms.html And to further add to this, this is why GDPR was released earlier this year to protect consumers and data - https://eugdpr.org/

INTERVIEWER: Do you think brands are actually doing enough to satisfy and retain the trust and loyalty of their customers.

PARTICIPANT: To be honest I don’t no, think about the different generations, millennial’s, gen X, gen Y etc - their is no one business nailing it for all

or one generations and as a result this can impact trust and loyalty. Personally I feel loyalty is a misused word, consumers are becoming less brand loyal and more offer loyal which changes the landscape a lot.

INTERVIEWER: What changes might brands have to make to keep up with demanding consumer needs?

PARTICIPANT: Utilising tech, today’s generation wants everything in an instant, access to the internet, social, video on demand - we’ve been wired to

expect everything at a touch of a button and if we can’t access it quickly, most will move on - businesses need to respond to this tend to ultimately deliver a seamless, and quick service.

If you respond , you consent to me using this information in my report. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. This online interview will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. At any subsequent point, you can withdraw from the project and if you wish, withdraw any of the information that you have given so far. You do not have to give any reason for withdrawing.

Industry interview 2 – Participant 2, female, industry expert INTERVIEWER: Do you feel there has been a shift in power in terms of social commerce, from the brands/businesses to the consumer themselves?

PARTICIPANT: I believe social platforms have given consumers a much more visible voice than when social media was not around. Consumer

opinions and complaints can be seen in comments, likes, ratings and across their personal platforms. This have certainly given the consumers more power in terms of brands having to deliver what the consumer wants. In my personal opinion this is very positive, as brands now have no choice but to be customer centric in their approach. The brands values, sustainability, customer care and quality is out there for the world to see, and if consumers are not happy other consumers will hear about it too (an example of a great company being super transparent: Reformation).

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This transparency is driving companies to be more aware in their approach across all aspects of their business - even down to the ethical processes in their factories. And in todays crowded market (especially in fashion e-commerce) a bad reputation can eventually lead to bankruptcy (example: American Apparel).

INTERVIEWER: What do you believe are people’s main motivations to use social media when searching for a product?

PARTICIPANT: I think people are looking to social platforms for both validation and inspiration. They want to know who else is wearing the

brand, what kind of social perception it has (in other words what kind of personality/style will the consumer convey by wearing the brand) and they are looking to be inspired by beautiful content/outfits/styles. More demanding consumers might also be looking for products/brands on social media to get an understanding of the message and values behind the brand: ie. are they sustainable? ethical? do their values match my own? etc.

INTERVIEWER: In what ways and why is social media so key to the success of a brand?

PARTICIPANT: Influencer endorsement gives easy and instant access to large audience whilst social media targeting techniques allow brands to

specifically target new/prospecting audiences in a world (ie. Instagram) where consumers are easily influenced.

It is a soft first approach to get a prospecting costumer to hit the follow button. As a brand you are not asking much of the customer. You are not asking them to buy anything. And this way you can slowly build a relationship with your followers then eventually turn them into customers.

INTERVIEWER: Brands use social media primarily as a marketing tool and to draw consumers in. In your opinion how do you feel about ‘shoppable social’, do you think shopping solely through social media sites would take off in the near future?

PARTICIPANT: The challenge here would be the technical aspect of shopping through social media sites. A lot of websites (and especially new start up brands) do not have the technical resource or enough investment to develop a smooth checkout service that will be easy and quick to use on your phone. However mobile shopping have already taken over desktop and tablet shopping - so once these technical obstacles are overcome I have no doubt that social shopping will take off or even become the norm.

If you respond , you consent to me using this information in my report. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. This online interview will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. At any subsequent point, you can withdraw from the project and if you wish, withdraw any of the information that you have given so far. You do not have to give any reason for withdrawing.

Industry interview 3– Participant 3, female, blogger

INTERVIEWER: Why do you think seeing products on bloggers/celebrities has such a big impact on people’s motivation to buy?

PARTICIPANT: In my opinion, people are motivated to purchase products which bloggers wear, as they are relatable, someone which you could be

friends with. On the other hand, I think people purchase clothing seen on celebrities as they are seen as an inspiration.

INTERVIEWER: In your opinion, why do you think some people don’t trust social media?

PARTICIPANT: I feel like often people don’t trust social media as it’s hard for them to tell if a product or experience is a genuine recommendation

or not. It is no secret that influencers get sent clothing for free or for payment, so the audience are bound to question if the brand is one that the influencer would truly invest in and love or just a post for business.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think in some ways social media is causing consumers to become less brand loyal?

PARTICIPANT: Yes, I believe that social media causes consumers to become less brand loyal, as there are so many competing brands being

marketed to consumers, that they are able to be influenced by other products and prices. The explore page of Instagram for example is a feature which enables users to find brands which they have not necessarily ever even heard of before.

INTERVIEWER: Who do you think people are more likely to trust when it comes to shopping online for fashion, brands or other people?

PARTICIPANT: You never know what you’re going to receive from a brand until you have purchased there yourself and experienced the process

and the product, it is hard to trust their values. However, word of mouth or recommenadtion from another person, in my opinion is a more reliable source when online shopping.

If you respond , you consent to me using this information in my report. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. This online interview will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. At any subsequent point, you can withdraw from the project and if you wish, withdraw any of the information that you have given so far. You do not have to give any reason for withdrawing.

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Industry interview 4– Participant 4, female, INTERVIEWER: Do you feel there has been a shift in power in terms of social commerce, from the brands/businesses to the consumer

themselves?

PARTICIPANT: Definitely. Social media users are much savvier than they used to be and they can see right through a campaign that isn’t thought out properly - and they aren’t afraid to call out a company, either.

Brands are having to try a lot harder to gain attention in the social space due to the number of commerce brands now sharing the space. This involves the whole social strategy - having a great brand identity, engaging in current events, giving great customer service and recognising just how powerful social media can be for your customers and your business. Social shoppers have so much choice these days that when they choose your company, it’s important to ensure they return, putting much more pressure on brands. Furthermore, it makes brands accountable. If a company is delivering bad customer service, it can’t be hidden away and is often dealt with in the public space. Their dirty laundry is out there for the world to see, which encourages them to do better by their customers.

INTERVIEWER: What do you believe are people’s main motivations to use social media when searching for a product?

PARTICIPANT: Due to the rise of influencer marketing, people have switched their focus from simply consuming content to having their eyes peeled for their next payday purchase as they scroll. Celebrity style is now more accessible than ever and for some shoppers, owning the latest merchandise is a real motivator. Social media continues to make this easier than ever before, with tagged accounts, shoppable posts and more.

One of the other motivators has to be ease. Why visit several websites or apps, when you can do everything in one place?

INTERVIEWER: In what ways and why is social media so key to the success of a brand?

PARTICIPANT: Your online reputation can allow you to gain loyal customers, even before they’ve ordered. If you’ve discovered a new brand, you’re likely to check out all of their social platforms, their Google reviews and website comments before making a decision on whether or not to buy from them. It’s changed the face of customer service. Social media really is the first point of contact for customers in this day and age. It’s very rare someone will sit on the phone for hours to complain, instead, they’ll head to Twitter or Instagram and get a response within minutes, while making an impact on the brand’s reputation.

A large number of startup brands have seen success as a direct result of social media, which really shows its true power. Utilising influencers, great content and marketing stunts allows literally anyone to jump into the commerce space. This, teamed with good customer service and great products, is a formula for success.

Lastly, it’s a huge market. Millions of people use social media every day, so if you’re not in, you’re losing out on potential customers.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think might be stopping some consumers from participating in social commerce and how do you think this could

be addressed?

PARTICIPANT: It’s still a relatively new way to buy, which makes people a little nervous. Just as eBay and Amazon are susceptible to con artists, so is social media, and people are wary of this while shopping online.

I think more time and effort needs to be spent by social media platforms to eradicate those sellers who could be seen as spam or who have mostly negative reviews. At the moment, anyone with a credit card can buy an advertising spot on Instagram and other sites, and if this was more regulated, I believe this would instil shoppers’ confidence in splashing their cash.

Along the same lines, not everyone knows that social commerce is an option, and many brands don’t partake in social media selling, which limits the number of people who can actually shop using this method. Many will still turn to search engines or direct websites if these are the only option.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think different age groups need to be targeted in different ways on social media?

PARTICIPANT: There’s definitely a split between age groups and platforms, so it’s useful to research where your audience spends most of their time. If you’re targeting 18-34-year-olds, Instagram is the place to be, especially as this age group are more likely to purchase and convert.

If an older audience is your target audience, then Facebook could lead to more success. In the next few years, however, this could change dramatically, with more people of all ages flocking to Instagram and the introduction of new platforms.

If you respond , you consent to me using this information in my report. The information provided will be treated in strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. This online interview will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. At any subsequent point, you can withdraw from the project and if you wish, withdraw any of the information that you have given so far. You do not have to give any reason for withdrawing.

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Appendix 9 Impulse buying model

Appendix 10 Technology acceptance model (TAM)

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Appendix 11 The 4 P’s

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Appendix 12 Marketing Mix 4 C’s

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