Keywords: Chinese female consumers; socio-economic factors; education; household income; social class; information search behaviour

1. Introduction

The purpose of this study is to investigate Chinese female consumers’ information search behaviour when shopping apparel products, varied by their socio-economic character- istics. China has been the world’s fastest-growing economy with a consistent growth rate of around 10% over the past 30 years, emerging by 2010 as the world’s second largest economy after the USA (Moore, 2011). As China’s eco- nomic importance has grown, so has attention to Chinese consumers and their shopping behaviours. Rapid economic growth after the Chinese economic reform and increased per capita income in China have amplified Chinese con- sumers’ interests in and purchases of consumer goods. Chinese consumers, however, exhibit many unique traits in terms of buying habits and brand preferences, according to Teo, Piotroski, and Nunes (2007). They also noted that, although culture is often considered as a critical determi- nant in explaining heterogeneous consumer behaviours, old assumptions about consumption patterns in less developed countries or emerging markets cannot be applied to this complex and fast-changing market. Thus, many of the estab- lished theories and empirical research derived from studies of Western countries may not be relevant in understanding the Chinese consumer market.

China’s economic growth has changed the position of women in China. Contributing on an average of 50% of household incomes, Chinese women are very influential in

∗Corresponding author. Email: yseock@fcs.uga.edu © 2014 Taylor & Francis

family purchase decisions, often controlling households’ finances (Rein, 2009). Moreover, their educational oppor- tunities have increased, making them a significant part of the white-collar workforce (Rein, 2009). With their increased economic power and heightened social status in recent decades, Chinese women have become a powerful con- sumer segment. According to Rein (2009), the recent retail sales growth in China was driven in large part by women. In a study of Chinese consumer behaviour, McKinsey found that women tend to shop more frequently than men and spend more on personal-care products and food (Fish, 2010). A survey of 3000 female consumers in China con- ducted by China Market Research Group indicated that 85% of them expected to spend more in the next six months than in the past six months (Roseman, 2011). In addition, a 2009 survey by Women of China magazine found that Chinese women in 10 cities spent 63% of their income shopping and spent most of their money on clothes (30%), followed by electronic products (11%) and travel (10%). Boudreau (2011) also noted that Chinese female consumers spend a significant share (30%) of their income on clothing items, whereas Americans spend only about 8% on clothes. According to a report released by the Boston Consulting Group (The Economic Times, 2012), China’s apparel mar- ket has tripled over the past decade, reaching 400 billion yuan ($63 billion) by the end of 2010, and it is expected to reach 1.3 trillion yuan by 2020. Given the importance

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International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education 97

of Chinese female consumers in the apparel market, under- standing and appealing to this consumer group might be a key for global apparel retailers who are aiming to cap- italise on huge sales potential in China. Thus, the present study focused on Chinese female consumers’ shopping for apparel products.

Despite the importance of the information search behaviour that precedes all purchasing behaviours (Peterson & Merino, 2003) and is typically the first step in any con- sumer’s decision-making process, no study has attempted to comprehensively investigate the information search behaviours of Chinese female consumers. In earlier stud- ies, a wide range of socio-economic characteristics such as education, income, nationality, occupation, and social class have been used to categorise consumers into many subgroups and identify their behaviours because such socio- economic identities can influence their thoughts, feelings, judgements, and behaviour (Han & Kim, 2002; Jang, 1995; Ok, 2000; Seo, 2003; Shin, 2007; Yu, 2008). Thus, this study aimed to examine Chinese female consumers’ information search behaviour in shopping apparel prod- ucts, varied by their socio-economic characteristics. The socio-economic variables examined in this study include educational background, total household income, and self- reported social class.