CONSUMERS’ SHIFT TO ONLINE APPAREL RENTING: APPLYING THE PUSH-PULL-MOORING FRAMEWORK

This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of consumption switching from buying to renting apparel through the lens of the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) framework. Four research questions (RQs) guide this inquiry:

RQ1. What are the key push factors associated with negative apparel purchasing experiences that influence switching intention from buying to renting apparel?

RQ2. What are the key pull factors associated with underlying motivation for apparel renting that influence switching intention from buying to renting apparel?

RQ3. What are the key mooring factors associated with both underlying motivation for apparel renting and negative apparel purchasing experiences that influence switching intention from buying to renting apparel?

RQ4. How are the push, pull, and mooring factors associated with switching intentions from buying to renting apparel?

Study 1 addresses RQs 1-3 by exploring online consumer discussions using big data analytics. This study uncovers four push factors (low quality, frustration, dissatisfaction, and overconsumption guilt) regarding apparel buying, four pull factors (hedonic benefits, financial benefits, product variety, and substitutive value) related to renting apparel, and two mooring factors (environmental concerns and mindful consumption) associated with consumers’ personal traitsregarding switching from buying to renting.

Building on Study 1’s findings, Study 2 addresses RQ 4 through a survey design. Switching cost is added as another mooring factor based on the PPM framework literature; switching intention to renting from buying for apparel is examined as the dependent variable. A total of 482 responses were analyzed using Set-Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (Set-ESEM) to test the seventeen hypotheses. The results indicate that overconsumption guilt from apparel purchasing, hedonic benefits, financial benefits, substitutive value of apparel renting, and consumers’ mindful consumption significantly enhance their switching intention while switching costs exert a negative effect on switching intention. Furthermore, environmental concerns and mindful consumption, but not switching costs, are shown to have moderating effects on the research model.

This dissertation makes meaningful theoretical contributions to the apparel consumption literature by explaining consumer switching from buying to renting based on the PPM framework. It offers practical implications for apparel rental businesses as to how push, pull, and mooring forces can be leveraged to attract consumers.