| This study explored how plus-size female consumers perceive their bodies and themselves, how their body-esteem and self-concept may influence involvement with clothing, and how these factors may impact their perceptions of the importance of plus-size store attributes. A preliminary qualitative study of in-depth interviews with four retailers of plus-size apparel and three plus-size consumers was conducted, followed by a quantitative survey study that included sixty female plus-size consumers living in southeastern region of U.S. Results of the hypothesis testing revealed only one significant relationship between plus-size consumers' clothing involvement and perceived importance of store attributes---which was merchandise quality. No significant relationships were found between clothing involvement and the other four store attributes (merchandise price, merchandise assortment, responsiveness of sales personnel, and store display). The results did indicate, however, that consumers' body-esteem and self-concept significantly affect their perceptions of merchandise quality, responsiveness of sales personnel, and store display. |
