The Effect of Community Appeal on the Adoption of Clothing Swap Stores
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2025-07-03
Language
en
Document type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Title
ISSN
Volume
Issue
Startpage
Endpage
DOI
Abstract
This research investigates whether enhancing community appeal in a clothing swap store increases adoption and reduces customers’ loneliness. A quasi-experimental design compares two swap stores (one experimental and one control) before and after a two-part intervention: (1) adding in-store community elements (nudges) and (2) external communication supporting the condition. Surveys (pre- and post-measurement) measure perceived community appeal, adoption variables (clothing brought and taken, positive word-of-mouth, intention to visit again, and flyer response), and loneliness over time to assess the intervention’s impact.
Perceived community appeal increased over time in both stores, but this was not significantly linked to the intervention. Similarly, no reduction in loneliness was observed. Notably, adoption variables intention to visit again (intention) and clothing taken (behavior) were higher in the control store, suggesting that factors other than the intervention influenced these outcomes. Other adoption-related variables showed no significant effects.
Findings imply that while subtle community appeal improvements can support sustainable behaviors, they may be insufficient for influencing deeper emotional states like loneliness. Stronger, more relational and longitudinal interventions are suggested. This study contributes to the understanding of social dynamics in sustainable fashion adoption and offers practical insights for improving the design and outreach of clothing swap initiatives.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen