Consumer Segmentation in the Fashion Industry Using Social Media: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

Social media has developed into a symbolic channel that affects consumer behavior due to the remarkable marketing and ecommerce opportunities that the internet has provided. This study is based on segmentation of consumers into different categories in the world of fashion using social media. This paper proposes two conceptual models (the FC-CBR model of consumer brand relationship and the FC-CBP model of consumer brand perception) for exploring further into these constructs and developing a more coherent theoretical framework. The study identifies factors of Consumer Brand Relationship (CBR) and Consumer Brand Perception (CBP) using social media in the fashion world. Subsequently, the manuscript groups fashion consumers into clusters using K-means cluster analysis based on consumer brand relationship and consumer brand perception. The manuscript demonstrates how the clusters can be used in the development of efficient targeting and positioning strategies by practitioners.