Understanding consumer emotions in practices of omnichannel slow fashion retail - The involvement of emotions in slow fashion shopping

Abstract: This study draws on previous research in omnichannel shopping, which is based on literature of consumer experience, customer journey and emotions in slow fashion shopping. The aim of this study is to further evaluate how emotions shape the practice of slow fashion shopping in an omnichannel environment and how the practices also evoke emotions. To do so, this study takes a practice theory perspective derived from Schatzki’s (1996, 2002) teleoaffective structures, which connects the linkage between practice and emotion. Methodologically, this research takes a phenomenological research approach with ten semi-structured interviews. By taking a phenomenological approach, the inner worlds of the interviewees and their stance of emotions and doings are revealed. This study contributes to the research field of omnichannel experiences by focusing on the emotions involved within the customer journey from a practice theory perspective. The practice of shopping slow fashion is characterized by doing extensive research based on the idea of “investing” rather than doing impulsive shopping of clothes. Emotions are involved in this practice through feelings of convenience, ease and safety. These feelings stem from past routines and habits around how research is conducted prior to a purchase, which affects the choice of channels. This study identifies three typical groups of consumers in their primal choice of channels: the online consumer, the offline consumer and the indifferent consumer. Practices of shopping slow fashion however differ depending on whether the emotional involvement of the consumer had primarily hedonic or utilitarian motives. Consumers in the indifferent group were more likely to switch channels and often overlooked the hedonic motives and strived towards utilitarian outcomes such as convenience of saving time and money. The consumers who stuck to their chosen channels of either online or offline were similar in their emotions connected to slow fashion shopping, which included hedonic motives such as visual appeal and the comfort of shopping within their preferred channels. Furthermore, they gained emotional safety by choosing their preferred channel due to the high involvement of time and emotions when shopping slow fashion. The concept of omnichannels offering the ease of seamless shopping, positively enhances the experience of consumers that have tendencies to switch between channels. Although, omnichannels does not contribute to the practice of shopping slow fashion in solely physical stores.