Browsing by Subject "consumer behavior"
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Item The Archaeology of Texas Freedmen Descendants, Antioch Colony (41HY491)(2018) Kitch, Katelyn; Franklin, MariaThis thesis presents the results of a ceramic analysis on the ceramic artifacts recovered from the Anderson House site within the larger Antioch Colony Site, a freedmen community established in Buda, Texas shortly after emancipation. Two main research questions were explored. First, I address the depositional history of the site and the formation processes that acted on it. To do this, I conducted a crossmend analysis and ascertained the minimum number of vessel count, and analyzed this evidence within the context of Schiffer’s cultural and environmental formation processes. Second, I discuss the consumer behaviors of the Anderson family and how they relate to the larger consumer culture of the twentieth century. I also discuss how these behaviors are related to their identities as both black and rural consumers. To do this, I analyzed the abundance and variety of artifact types and decorations represented in the ceramic assemblage based off of the MNV analysis, and within the context of the larger consumer culture that characterized American society at large during the first half of the twentieth century.Item Cues in a Coffee Shop: An Analysis on Ethical Consumerism(2020-12) Avard, Emily; Irwin, JulieThis research experiment explores consumer behavior in regard to ethical purchases. Specifically, it investigates if consumer behavior is driven psychologically and subconsciously by the environment the consumer is in. This experiment seeks to prove that certain cues influence consumers to purchase ethically. This research consists of survey distributed to young adults in the Austin area. The four surveys were sent out at random, and each contains a variable in the visual of a coffee shop. The results indicate that certain cues, such as trash or trash bins, influence consumers to shop more sustainably within a coffee shop. This demonstrates that when negative effects of consumption are present, consumers are forced to think about their purchases and their personal impact on the issue. Other cues, such as the presence of a recycling bin, or the control, with nothing present, allow consumers to continue purchasing the way they would prefer, without considering “greenness”.Item From Trends to Transformation: Investigating Consumer Awareness and Behavior as Drivers Behind the Rise of Fast Fashion and the Circular Shopping Economy(2023-12) Tanner, EmmaThis thesis explores the global ascent of fast fashion, investigating its significant impact on textile and garment production and the resultant environmental consequences stemming from accelerated production processes. It identifies the environmental and ethical ramifications of the stages of the linear garment lifecycle, offering a comprehensive perspective of the modern fashion industry. Through an exploration of consumer awareness and behavior, this paper uncovers the influential role played by consumers in driving the proliferation of fast fashion practices. Consumer shifts toward affordable, trendy clothing have propelled the fast fashion industry, reflecting the direct link between consumer choices and fashion production. Furthermore, this thesis investigates the paradoxical relationship between the sustainability advocacy of consumers and their concurrent engagement in consumption habits that perpetuate an unsustainable "take, make, dispose" clothing cycle. By delving into consumer dynamics and psychology, this research unravels the underlying motivations that drive fashion consumers' purchasing decisions. It subsequently evaluates how past consumer behavior has effectively instigated shifts toward sustainable initiatives within the fashion industry, particularly through engagement with the secondhand fashion market. Furthermore, past consumer affinity for secondhand fashion companies is analyzed to glean insights into strategies that sustainable brands can adopt to enhance consumer engagement and participation.Item Luxury Markets: An Evolution of Variation(2020-05) Ling, OliviaLuxury goods have existed since the beginning of civilization. In fact, the creation of luxury goods helped further the development of a complex civilization. Yet, how has the luxury goods market changed since then? How has it evolved into a mass market valued at the size of $1.2 trillion in global sales? At the same time, in what aspects has the luxury market remained the same? One of the common themes is our constant struggle with our moral principles and the seemingly instinctive desire for opulence. We all understand that money can’t buy happiness, and our desire for luxury can’t be satiated and continue to strive for wealth. In this paper, I argue that luxury purchases are an irrational form of investment and analyze this through the ever-evolving aspects of the history of luxury markets. In addition, I aim to identify the contributing factors that lead to both the changing and static aspects of these markets. By doing so, I set up a framework by first defining what the word ‘luxury’ is and what ‘luxury products’ are characterized as. Ultimately I point to forward looking areas in which the future of luxury markets will travel towards to in light of both the COVID-19 pandemic induced recession as well as the long-term future.Item The Role of Physical Retail Stores in a Digital, Post-Pandemic World, Do Old Habits Die Hard?(2023-04) Eisler, BenjaminWe live in a dynamic retail environment. COVID forced retailers to adapt to new consumer behaviors quickly and develop robust omnichannel fulfillment infrastructures— meaning that online and offline channels had to be integrated. Today, e-commerce offerings are more robust than ever, and customers have more choices than ever regarding how they shop. Considering this dynamic environment, I have several questions about how retailers can persuade consumers, who became accustomed to e-commerce during the pandemic, to return to their stores. Furthermore, I am interested in evaluating retailers’ strategies to make their physical retail stores more appealing. Despite the growth of e-commerce and the ongoing pandemic, some American consumers expressed a desire to return to shopping in physical retail stores. According to a 2021 report, 57% of US adults “expressed excitement” to return to in-person shopping 1. Today’s retail environment is uncharted territory. Consumers have more channel options than ever before. Retailers have made significant changes because of the pandemic, which has rapidly accelerated digital transformation. My research examined whether customers who became accustomed to online shopping during the pandemic returned to physical retail stores. Through in-depth interviews with retail executives and managers, ethnographies, and a questionnaire, I sought to understand whether customers are returning to stores and to discern which strategies and decisions have been effective for persuading customers to return to stores and demonstrate loyalty towards a brand. My findings reveal that while some customers became accustomed to the convenience of online shopping, after realizing they could fulfill their needs without visiting stores, many customers longed to return to physical retail stores, and are shopping in stores, like how they behaved during the pandemic. My findings also revealed that consumers’ desires to visit stores vary by industry and shopping occasion. Additionally, many customers who use digital technology and e-commerce also value being able to visit the stores for returns, interact with merchandise, and seek out expert advice. While my questionnaire findings did not provide significant insights into how the pandemic changed behavior, they provide insight into how consumers choose between shopping online or in person for certain occasions. Ultimately, my findings provide a basis for further research on how retailing has changed because of the pandemic and omnichannel transformation.Item Trash to Treasure: A Case Study and Conjoint Analysis of Consumer Preference for Sustainable Apparel Shopping(2021-05) Sampayo, HelenaThe fashion industry is taking a toll on the environment, and all eyes are on industry leaders and circular business models to respond to the crisis and help repair the integrity of fashion. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018, 13 million tons of apparel were generated and over 9 million tons of clothing and footwear were landfilled. While consumer interest in sustainable product offerings has risen in past years, the "green" attitude-behavior gap is a challenge for market offerings that primarly target ethical personal values of sustainable consumption. Through several case studies, this thesis explores the potential economic value in business models that enhance service and product attributes relating to sustainable fashion, including: online resale, upcycling, and rental services. The final chapter of this thesis employs the findings of the case studies to empirically determine the value of various sustainable apparel offerings. To evaluate the unrealized value of apparel at various stages of use, a conjoint analysis is performed on the data collected from a panel of 262 US consumers. The findings suggest that consumers attribute a certain utility to unique, scarce items and more convenient methods of shopping sustainably.Item Understanding Consumer Response to the Olympic Visual Identity Designs(2016-12) Wu, Di; Hunt, Thomas M; Bowers, Matthew; Castelli, Darla M; Dixon, Marlene A; Todd, Janice SAbstract: Visual identity designs are frequently used as branding tools to build or modify images of sport event and its host destination and to help consumers to identify the event and its host destination. To measure the effectiveness of the Olympic Games visual identity designs regarding their branding values, this study focused on logo design and built a framework based on design studies, image formation studies, and information transfer studies to capture the effects of design messages on consumer evaluations of event image, destination images, and logo representativeness. A 2 (absence and presence of event design message) x 2 (absence and presence of destination design message) x 2 (absence and presence of athletic movement design message) x 2 (nationality) x 2 (gender) experimental design was employed to test the effects of design messages on evaluations of the Olympic Games image, the host destination image, as well as the logo representativeness. The research findings show that the effects of design messages on event image and the host city image were asymmetrical and were limited to certain image dimensions. Design messages of the event, the host city, and athletic movement didn’t significantly influence consumer evaluation of the host city image, but design messages of the event and the host city did affect event type image dimension. Moreover, in general, design messages of the event and the host city can also benefit consumer evaluations of logo representativeness. This study also tested the relationships between evaluations of event image, destination image, logo representativeness and consumer behavioral intentions regarding the event and its destination. Findings suggest that effects of design messages on evaluations of event and host city images are limited and asymmetrical. In general, both event design message and destination design message contributed to logo representativeness of the event and destination. The importance of evaluations of event image, destination image, and logo representativeness on consumer behavioral responses vary depends on consumer behavioral intentions are destination related or event related. Furthermore, the moderating effects of culture and gender were found in this study on evaluations of event image and destination image, as well as consumer decision-making process.