Does sustainability matter to fashion consumers? Clustering fashion consumers and their purchasing behavior in Spain

Abstract

Using choice-based conjoint analysis, this research explores consumer behavior for sustainable fashion in Spain. We confronted consumers through an online survey with a real marketplace situation in which they had to make trade-offs between different attributes and where the importance of the price factor was explicitly considered. Specifically, the information available for consumers on clothing hangtags – price, country of origin, material composition, and (with/without) fair-trade label – was used to study consumer preferences for sustainable fashion products. Furthermore, we examined how consumers ponder the five dimensions of sustainable fashion – functionality, authenticity, exclusivity, localism and equity. Based on a sample of 1,063 respondents, the results indicate that price is still the critical purchasing driver for the average consumer. 31.9% of the sample always chose the lowest pricetag independently of the other attributes. Combining the conjoint results, the attitude towards the five dimensions of slow fashion, and demographics, we identified four clusters of consumers: Sustainability Rejecters, Sustainability Neutrals, Sustainability Believers, and Sustainability Enthusiasts. Ninety-two consumers, 8.65% of the sample, appear to buy sustainable fashion regularly. This endorses and significantly adds to the literature on sustainable fashion consumer behavior in a flourishing market and to the attitude-behavior gap research.