The Impact Of Self-referencing And Virtual Touch On Online Clothing Purchase Decision

In recent years,online clothing sales have become a new type of clothing marketing model,which is becoming more and more popular with consumers.However,consumers can only perceive clothing visually,as they cannot try on and touch the clothing themselves.This has largely hindered the development of clothing online sales.As a new way of commenting on pictures,the buyer’s show can convey more intuitive and comprehensive information to potential consumers,make consumers feel "seeing is believing," and then help consumers make decisions.Especially for apparel products,the buyer show can show the dressing effect of consumers with different styles and images,which has great persuasion to potential consumers.Consumers are more likely to trust the authenticity of buyer shows than seller shows.However,with the existence of the buyer’s show online shooting platform and fake orders,the credibility of the buyer’s show has gradually been questioned by consumers.This paper extends the theory of multi-sensory interaction and integration.Based on previous studies,this paper studies the mediating variables that affect the relationship between virtual touch and consumers’ purchasing decisions.Using the stimulus-body-response(S-O-R)model as the theoretical framework and supplementing it,this paper explores the role mechanism of consumer self-reference and virtual haptics on their online clothing purchase decisions in the context of buyer’s show.In the process of apparel consumption,the perception of product performance and the degree of trust in the buyer’s show has a key role in purchasing decisions,so a model is established accordingly.Through interviews and questionnaire surveys,this study collected 494 valid questionnaires.Through SPSS22.0 and R3.4.1 statistical software,the following analyses were performed: descriptive statistics,reliability and validity tests,regression analysis,mediation test,interaction test and moderation test,and then the research model and hypothesis in this paper were tested.Considering previous research mentioned that consumer self-reference would affect the normal persuasive effect of advertising,therefore,this article innovatively introduces the variable of self-reference into the study of consumer online apparel purchasing.This article concludes that under the visual perception of the buyer show,consumers ’self-reference and virtual touch significantly affect consumers’ online clothing purchase decisions.Compared with virtual haptics,self-reference has a greater impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions.In addition,this article distinguishes consumer trust in online shopping platforms,merchants,brands,and products from consumer trust in buyer shows,and verifies the intermediary effect of the variable of trust in buyer shows on the main effect effect.Finally,based on the conclusions drawn,this study puts forward corresponding suggestions for consumers and retailers,providing a reference for the continuous development of the online apparel market.