The early-adolescent female clothing consumer: Expectations, evaluation and satisfaction with fit as part of the appreciation of clothing quality

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the early-adolescent female consumer's expectations and evaluation, as well as satisfaction relating to the fit, as a dimension of the quality of her clothes. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative research style was followed and a structured questionnaire was used as data-collecting method. A total of 120 13-year-old young female consumers, also known as the early-adolescent female, participated in the study. Findings - The results suggest that the early-adolescent female consumer is not only concerned about the functional aspects of the fit of her clothes, but also about the emotional effect. Results further suggest that this consumer group probably does not have the expertise, knowledge and cognitive skills that can enable them, during the evaluation phase of the decision-making process, to realistically evaluate this very important dimension of the quality of clothes, with the main purpose of giving functional comfort and emotional pleasure during the post-purchase experience. This then contributes to the fact that, when wearing the clothes, they are, especially as regards the emotional and cognitive dimensions, mostly dissatisfied with the fit of their clothes. Originality/value - With the buying power of this young market in mind,the main implication of the above is that brands that are specifically aimed at these young consumers should specifically be sized according to the measurements and figure proportions of the young consumer.