Customer data in the European fashion industry : Investigation of students’ willingnessto share customer data in the fashion e-commerce

Abstract: The present thesis aims to investigate students’ willingness to share customer data in the fashion e-commerce. Special attention is given to the way trust, benefits and law regulations are discussed in this context. An inductive approach was applied utilizing focus group discussions. The goal of the empirical study was to gain insights in the way students argue about customer data and which feelings are involved. The study highlights findings in the key areas trust, benefits and law regulations. A shift of customer trust from brands to recommendations could be observed. In terms of benefits, focus group participants tend to choose value exchange over traditional rewards. Findings regarding law regulations suggest that the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union can provide control of customer data but no security. Furthermore, consumer behavior plays an important role when it comes to data sharing attitudes. The experiences and observations of the participants may not be applicable to other studies. Furthermore, the study findings are bounded to the European Union. The findings suggest that trust, benefits and law regulations can influence students’ willingness to share customer data in the fashion e-commerce. The study is unique of its kind as it investigates the willingness to share customer data with the focus on students and fashion e-commerce. Hence, this research paper fills a gap in scientific literature and is valuable for businesses operating in the fashion e-commerce.