From dust to dreams

: unravelling the store atmosphere's influence on parents' second-hand purchasing intentions

Abstract

This thesis aims to identify which dimensions most influence the parents’ purchase intention of second-hand children’s clothing (SHCC), with a primary interest on how the store atmosphere plays a role in the shaping of consumers’ preferences. The study targets parents, caregivers and others who purchase children’s clothing in Portugal with a focus on understanding the motivations behind their purchasing decisions. The research firstly begins with a thorough literature review to support the model intended to pinpoint the factors motivating, as well as the factors refraining, the purchasing decision of SHCC. It investigates how three dimensions (store atmosphere, products’ characteristics and consumers’ characteristics), encompassing a total of eight independent variables (lighting, colour, music, cleanliness and layout, price, hygiene, environmental sustainability concerns and social embarrassment), affect the purchase intention of SHCC. Data collection involves a survey, written in Portuguese, and distributed to the target audience through family and friends alongside various Facebook groups related to the matter. The gathered data is analysed through statistical tools including IBM SPSS 29 and smart-PLS, making use of the partial least squares equation model (PLS-SEM) to assess the relationships between the constructs. The study found that colour, music, price and especially environmental sustainability concerns have a significant positive influence on the purchase intention of SHCC, while hygiene presents itself as a barrier to this consumption. The results of the study are perceived as valuable for businesses in the children’s clothing industry, particularly those in the second-hand market, as they provide helpful insights into the factors that drive consumers to purchase SHCC, despite the paper’s limitations of a low sample size and the focus on a specific geographic area.

Date of Award	23 Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Susana Silva (Supervisor)