Impact of Social media on Consumer Preferences in Fashion Trends

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA OF CONSUMER PREFERENCE IN FASHION TRENDS |
CAPSTONE PROJECT 2013 - 15
Project title: Impact of Social Media on Consumer
Preferences in Fashion Trends
Submitted to: Dr. Deepthy Raghavendra
Submitted by:
Name of the Student: Rohina Banerjee
Program: PGDM (2013 - 2015)
Roll No.: GLC-IB-057

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the Project Work titled “Impact of Social Media
on Consumer Preference in Fashion Trends” is a bona-fide work carried
out by Rohina Banerjee, a student of GLC-PGDM program 2013 –
2015 of the Institute for Technology & Management, Kharghar, Navi
Mumbai under my guidance and direction.
Signature of Guide: Dr. Deepthy Raghavendra

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past few years, social media and digital media have drastically
changed how people consume content, especially in the fashion
industry. People are no longer picking up magazines as often as they
have in the past. Today, content is consumed online and people are not
only reading content, but they are offering their feedback through
comments and social media. Multiple types of fashion blogs managed
by everyday people are giving consumers an inside look into what used
to be an exclusive, fashion-experts-only industry. This is an exploratory
research, mainly focused on Finding out the relationship of Social
Media with Fashion Consciousness and preferences.
The whole study has been done to a particular area i.e. Mumbai.
Simplicity is the main feature of this report from beginning to end so
that even a non-marketing person can take advantage of it.
This study will throw light on how social media acts as a catalyst in
consumer preferences for fashion trends and how important it is for the
companies to engage in social media to make sure that their products
are reaching the targeted audience and also to steer the way they desire
the audience to go. This study will deduce important results about its
effectiveness and benefits to the customers.
It also provides necessary recommendations in the industry and the
areas which require improvements. The whole report has been based
on customer survey therefore it also projects the consumer awareness
and customer satisfaction level related to the social media sites that help
the companies directly connect to the consumers.
All in all, this study looks at fashion blogging and social media within
the fashion industry and how it has transformed an elitist industry into
a consumer-friendly industry.

ABSTRACT
The enormous infusion of social media, in terms of bloggers, internet
celebrities, and ecommerce websites, especially targeting the younger
generation, influences the way we dress and what we feel is
‘fashionable’. Fashion and lifestyle bloggers today are highly reputable
and influential individuals and those extremely committed to their craft
have, earned industry recognition.
We are constantly being introduced to ‘what is trendy’, on a global
scale! Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, popular Blogs and Pinterest are
incessantly demonstrating; exotic travel destinations, the latest trends,
in terms of food, fancy recipes, beauty products and gorgeous fashion
and accessory pieces. People now get their beauty ideas from YouTube
tutorials and other popular websites, where fashionable men and
women share their fashion ideas, style tips and what they are wearing!
Online tutorials help the youth population to learn a variety of styling
techniques, like – makeup tricks, nail art, create tricky braids and outfit
ideas for a night out. Social media allows us to become more style-
savvy, and enables you to express yourself freely and to identify your
personal style and create an exciting wardrobe.
‘Social Media has made fashion & lifestyle more accessible and what’s
wonderful is that, now all have an opportunity to be trendy & stylish.
Fashion now transcends across all strata’s and is no longer the purview
of only the wealthy’ -Amrit Rai, publisher at Elle India.
Since everyone is going digital today, it allows you to stay connected
to your friends and various celebrities by simply scrolling through your
iPhones or Blackberrys and finding out about all the seasons latest
trends with the click of a button, it’s truly.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Project work has placed an important part to explore the practical
work, to learn in detail apart from the theoretical studies. Hence such
type of project work is valuable for the management students in
learning the core concepts with real life experiences. I perceived this
work as an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience apart from
study.
I articulate my sincere gratitude to my project guide Dr. Deepthy
Raghavendra who has spent her valuable time and guided me
throughout the project in spite of her busy schedule, in shaping my
project as well as providing necessary information regarding the project
and also for her support in completing the project.
I thank all the respondents for their cooperation and time in completing
this project, without whose cooperation, it would not have been
successful.

CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 08
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 13
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY 19
CHAPTER 4: DATA INTERPRETATION & ANALYSIS 21
CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS& CONCLUSION 36
REFERENCES 39
QUESTIONNAIRE 40

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURES PAGE
FIG 1 14
FIG 2.1 22
FIG 2.2 22
FIG 2.3 23
FIG 2.4 24
FIG 2.5 25
FIG 2.6 26
FIG 2.7 27
FIG 2.8 28
FIG 2.9 29
FIG 2.10 31
FIG 2.11 32
FIG 2.12 33
FIG 2.13 34

INTRODUCTION

“Ignoring the Internet is total madness,” said Diane von Furstenberg, who
didn’t live stream her show but did update her Facebook page with
backstage photos and tweeted from the event. “Being active on the Internet
is indispensable to growth and for being relevant. It helps your business to
be truly global and truly multi-generational.”
The reign of traditional media is soon becoming obsolete and is no longer
encouraging effective two-way communication between fashion brands and
consumers. The fashion industry has been known for being extremely exclusive
to everyone but the insiders. It was difficult for every day consumers to
understand what really goes on within the fashion industry. Traditional media
further reiterated this exclusivity. Today, focus in the fashion industry has drifted
toward digital media, specifically fashion blogs and social media. Both fashion
blogs and social media have recently made an elitist industry more accessible and
relatable to every day consumers. Fashion bloggers are encouraging a two-way
symmetrical approach by opening up communication between those in the
fashion industry and citizens. Fashion blogger are now using their influence to
drive trends, inform the public about the latest fashion news and more.
Fashion
Fashion is a popular style or practice, especially
in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup, body piercing, or furniture. Fashion
is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style in which a person dresses. It
is the prevailing styles in behaviour and the newest creations of textile
designers.[1]
Because the more technical term costume is regularly linked to the
term "fashion", the use of the former has been relegated to special senses
like fancy dress or masquerade wear, while "fashion" generally means clothing,
including the study of it.
Fashion Industry
Fashion Industry is the result of modern times. Until then, most clothing were
custom made, either home made for individuals or from dressmakers and tailors.
By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as
the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the
factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as
department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in
standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe and America, as of 2014,
it is an international and highly globalized industry, with clothing often designed
in one country, manufactured in another, and sold world-wide. The clothing
industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output. The fashion
industry consists of four levels:
1. the production of raw materials, principally fibres and textiles but also
leather and fur
2. the production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors,
and others
3. retail sales
4. various forms of advertising and promotion
Media
Media is a collective outlet that are used to store and deliver information. To
understand what exactly the media is, it is first important to define the term
“media.” Even more specifically, we want to know about the mass media.
Although many different meanings and interpretations may exist for the term
“mass media,” for our framework we can say that the mass media is a group that
constructs messages with embedded values, and that disseminates those messages
to a specific portion of the public in order to achieve a specific goal.
Media in Fashion
The media plays a significant role when it comes to fashion. For instance, an
important part of fashion is fashion journalism. Editorial critique, guidelines, and
commentary can be found on television and in magazines, newspapers, fashion
websites, Social network, and fashion blogs. In recent years, fashion blogging
and YouTube videos have become a major outlet for spreading trends and fashion
tips. Through these media outlets readers and viewers all over the world can learn
about fashion, making it very accessible.
The involvement of media with the fashion industry became even more influential
with the involvement of various fashion designs in the 20th
century,
Social Media
Social media refers to a combination of three elements: content, user communities
and Web 2.0 technologies. Social media denotes to the means of communications
among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in
virtual communities and networks (Halonen & Heinonen, 2008). According to
Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein, who define social media as "a group of

Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological
foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-
generated content” Furthermore, social media depends on mobile and web-based
technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and
communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content.
Social Media and Fashion
“Style doesn’t have to just come from Vogue anymore,” said Apu Gupta, CEO
of Curalate. “The democratization of style is being played out on the social web
and there is profound acknowledgement that bloggers and tastemakers actually
know what they’re doing and can influence consumers’ decisions. By
incorporating others into the mix, brands can also make everything feel a lot more
authentic.”
Fashion brands in the recent times, connect with their target market through social
media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. According to Macala
Wright Lee, CEO of Fashionably Marketing Me, “Until recently, the fashion
industry has been fashionably late to the social media party, refusing to adopt it
at all, or merely adopting one-way communication via social networks and RSS
feeds for sales and promotions.” Many brands initially believed social networking
would weaken the relationship with consumers, but for most it has turned into a
“genuine interaction between brand and client.” These brands use social media as
a contemporary platform to connect with younger demographics.
Of all social networks, designers favoured Instagram the most because of
consumers’ overall activity on the network. Analysis from Forrester Research
confirms that overall engagement on Instagram is significantly higher than other
social sites — even Facebook.
Through a study of more than three million user interactions with more than 2,500
brand posts across seven social networks, Forrester Research discovered that top
brands’ Instagram posts generated an engagement rate of 4.21%. Facebook and
Twitter only garnered engagement rates of .07% and .03%, respectively.
“If your brand is looking for social engagement — and if you’re not finding it on
Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks,” said Forrester analyst Nate Elliott,
“you should start using Instagram today.”
During most recent Fashion Week, overall engagement and participation on
Instagram increased significantly between the fall/winter 2014 and
spring/summer 2015 shows, according to research from Curalate. Total number
of images shared on Instagram increased more than 25% from 92,334 to 115,912.

Most surprisingly, total engagement — which includes image “likes” and
comments — swelled by 101%, from 5.4 million to 10.8 million.
“These results prove to brands that Instagram isn’t just a novelty anymore,” Gupta
said. “You have to figure out how, as a brand, Instagram plays a role in how you
tell your story.”
Fashion Consciousness
Fashion consciousness is the knowledge about the latest fashion, knowledge
about what is in the trend and following the fashion. A person who is fashion
conscious knows the details of the trends, its evolution and changes
himself/herself as the fashion dissolves.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Human beings are social and nowadays, consumers are participating in variety of
activities, from consuming content to sharing knowledge, experiences, opinions,
and involved in discussion with other consumers online (Heinonen, 2011). Today,
with the growth of Internet, online social networks have become important
communication channels and also virtual communities have emerged. Online
world has become a new kind of social communication, connecting people to
variety of online communities has been growing during past decade. Groups that
may never meet in the physical world but nevertheless they are able to affect
behaviour including purchasing decisions (Evans, Jamal & Foxall, 2009). Internet
is a social place which created new forum for consumers. Virtual communities,
blog, and online social networking sites provide a platform to influence
consumers’ purchase decisions (OTX research, 2008).
Social Media Marketing on Customer Relationship and Purchase Intention
Fashion brands’ Social media marketing is a significantly effective marketing
medium. Fashion brands’ social media comprise five properties:
1. Entertainment
2. Customization
3. Interaction
4. Word of mouth
5. Trend
Customer Relationship
Figure 1: Research Model
H3
H2
H1
Intimacy
Social Media
Marketing
Trust
Purchase
Intention

Hypothesis 1. Social media marketing will have a significant positive influence
on customer relationships (i.e., intimacy and trust).
Hypothesis 2. Social media marketing will have a significant positive influence
on purchase intention.
Hypothesis 3. Customer relationships (i.e., intimacy and trust) will have a
significant positive influence on purchase intention.
The result shows that the chosen brand’s Social media marketing includes
distinctive elements in comparison to old-fashioned marketing performances. In
evaluating its impact on customer relationships and purchase intention,
entertainment and word of mouth had a significant positive influence on intimacy.
Trust was influenced by entertainment, customization, and trend, while purchase
intention was influenced by entertainment, interaction, and word of mouth. Every
property found in fashion brands’ Social Media Marketing positively influenced
customer relationships and purchase intention, with entertainment affecting more
variables than any other properties. Luxury brands should heavily supply an
entertainment aspect of social media contents and activities. Every activity
enabled by use of the media, such as creating relationships with other users,
providing customized service and free entertainment contents, and obtaining
genuine information on personal interest should all be entertaining. By focusing
on providing such features, customer relationships and purchase intention will be
enhanced.
These results correspond to a DEI Worldwide report that states that consumers
make a purchase decision based on the information posted on social media sites,
and consumers using those sites pass along information to others (DEI
Worldwide, 2008). While marketing can be characterized as an investment in
improving a firm’s performance (Srivastava, Shervani, and Fahey, 1998),
marketing activities using social media have proven their effectiveness. Recently,
previous studies on customer equity have noted that customers can be seen as
intangible assets that a firm should wisely acquire, maintain, and maximize like
other financial assets (Blattberg, Getz, and Thomas, 2001). In the current
competitive marketing environment, customers’ future behaviour is a key
strategic asset that must be monitored and nurtured by firms to maximize long-
term performance. And customer relationship is what strengthens the bond
between customer and brand. Thus, using social media in conducting marketing
activities appears to be an appropriate medium for luxury brands. Concerning the
association between customer relationship and purchase intention, trust and
purchase intention were highly related. Customers’ trust was strengthened via

interaction with other users as well as brand on social media sites. Trust gained
while enjoying entertainment and communication provided on the sites seems to
contribute greatly toward a fashion brand’s profit.
http://bada.hb.se/bitstream/2320/12802/1/2013.11.9.pdf
Influence of Social Media on Customer Purchase:
According to the annual Deloitte Back-to-School survey, which was released in
2013, 36% of consumers plan to do back-to-school shopping online in 2013. This
is up significantly from their 2012 study, when it was just 20% going online.
Online sources were also the top choice for parents to learn about back-to-school
items. 55% of parents said they would most likely hear about items they intended
to purchase from online sources, such as retailer websites and blogs, compared to
one-third who said the same in 2012.
In the study, 21% of respondents plan to use social media sites in their back-to-
school shopping. The study shows that one of the driving forces to social media
are search for promotions and reviews. Deloitte reports that among those planning
to use social media for back-to-school shopping, 83% will visit social media sites
to find out about promotions, and 67% will go there to read
reviews/recommendations. As noted in this year’s Youth and Media report, more
than 4 in 10 (42%) social networking teens follow companies or brands on social
media sites. Social-savvy youth will be looking for their favourite retailers to cut
through the clutter with creative approaches for savings and product information
for their fashion needs.
http://www.edisonresearch.com/how-social-media-influences-fashion-
purchases/
Four Things that Fashion Brands must do in Social Media:
1) Know who your influencer are and what they are saying on fashion blog and
message boards, and engage in the conversation.
2) Turn on Facebook both for marketing and social intelligence.
3) Invest in Pinterest because it punches above its weight.
4) Understand the nuances of how the different social channels are used in your
fashion category.
http://www.edisonresearch.com/how-social-media-influences-fashion-
purchases/

Rise in the Market Share of Social Networking Sites:
Research study found out that online social networks impact every step of
consumers’ purchasing decision process to different extent regarding food retailer
shops. The reasons are mainly because Facebook’s features bring convenience to
people, consumers spend more time on it, and Facebook’s features allow
consumers to interact with supermarkets and other consumers and see comments
from other consumers on supermarkets’ Face book pages. The market share of
different online social networking websites have been grown, for instance, Face
book grew by 0.22 percent from November 2011 to October 2011. YouTube has
the strongest growth among online social networking site with a 0.67 percent
from November 2011 to October 2011. These measurements showed the
membership of online social networks websites have been grown (Hitwise, 2011)
There are different social network groups that possess the power to influence
consumers’ purchase decision (Evans, et al, 2009):
1. Primary groups: are characterized by the size and the close relationship
with—in individuals (e.g. family members, close friends)
2. Secondary groups: are made up of more than one primary Groups (e.g. Wider
Social system within organizations or university)
3. Informal groups: are made up of individuals with common interests or
cultures.
4. Formal groups: are organized with a more rigid structures.
5. Virtual groups (communities): online social networks, blogs.
http://readersinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JMI-Shafiq-gul-2-1-24-
45-2014.pdf
Different Types of Information Sources:
There are two types of information sources;
 Internal information search.
 External information search.
Internal search involves the consumers’ memory about the products, and external
search includes word of mouth, stores visit, trial and online social networking and
social media (Kardes, et al, 2011).
An informal means of communication (such as communication with friends,
family members and co-workers), much of what you discuss is related to products
and information about different products or services. Once you ask your co-
workers where they bought their dress or recommend new restaurant to your
friends, you are involving in Word-Of-Mouth (WOM) communication (Solomon,
et al, 2010). Many choices of consumers are made within different social groups

and even once consumers decide on their own, Word-Of-Mouth from other
people can influence them (East, et al, 2008).
Word-Of-Mouth in traditional communication theory considers as possessing
powerful Influence on consumers’ purchasing decision behaviour in every steps
especially information Search, evaluation of alternative, and product choice
(Silverman, G, 2001).Word-Of-Mouth is also can be described as an engagement
of consumers in positive or negative communication or an outcome of satisfaction
or dissatisfaction experiences. WOM is person-to-person communication,
regarding to brands, products, services, companies, and organizations that have
an impact on consumers’ purchase decision (Evans, et al, 2009).
http://readersinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JMI-Shafiq-gul-2-1-24-
45-2014.pdf

Research Methodology

Research Objectives
The study designed is analytical and exploratory in nature. There will be a further
scope for an extensive research over this project. The project will help understand
the impact of social media on Indian consumers. It will also help us understand
how advancements in the field of communication devices like computers, cell
phones and tablets impact the consumer buying behaviour.
Problem Definition
The purpose of this study is to have a better understanding of how social media
has had an impact on fashion consciousness of the consumer including
characteristics and influencing factors of change in fashion trends. It proves to be
a helpful source for understanding the importance of social media and marketing
strategies put in use on it. It also emphasizes on the importance of the trend that
has emerged with its boom. It helped a great deal to understand the changing
fashion consciousness of the consumer and how readily people adopt a change
that goes viral. It particularly focuses on how social media has come to impact
the fashion trends and consumer mindfulness about a fashion trend.
This report intends to study the growing influence of social media on fashion
consciousness and the user and the factors involved for this change.
Sampling Design
Sample Universe: - The sample universe includes the people of Navi Mumbai
region.
Sample Size: -The sample size of the participants was of 156 customers.
Research Methodology
The type of research will be both exploratory as well as Descriptive. Multiple
Choice will be used as a basis of Questions. I have taken different factors by
studying the existing models of consumer attitudes that play an important role in
purchasing fashion apparels and using internet for information and shopping
purpose.

Data Interpretation

Q1:- Age
Figure 2.1
Q2:- Gender
Figure 2.2
below 20
2%
20-30
94%
30-40
2%
40 and above
2%
below 20 20-30 30-40 40 and above
48%
52%
Gender
male female

Q3:- Occupation
Figure 2.3
Analysis:-
The first three questions are about the demographics of the respondent.
Age: It is safe to say that the Social Media targets the youth of the country. Also,
the most dynamic trend setter in the fashion segment would be the youth ranging
from the college students to the recently made employees. Thus, in order to get
the right set of information, my target audience of survey was between the age
group of 20 to 30, 94% of the respondents were between 20 to 30 years. But, just
to have a little understanding about the other age groups, I have included 3
respondents of the other groups.
Gender: It would not be right to say that only female population of the country
are active in Social Media and follow the fashion trends. With the rise in the
population of metro-sexual, men indulge in following fashion with same interest,
if not more, as that of women. Hence it is very important to involve both the
segments of the population in my research to get a centred result. My survey was
filled by 52% female and 48% male respondents.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
0
64
17
6
61
8
Others Business Employee Housemaker Student

Occupation: According to the survey, 41% of the respondents are students and
40% are employees. As discussed earlier, the prime target for any Social Media
Site and Fashion Brand company would ideally be among these two categories.
Apart from these two categories, 11% of the business class people engage
themselves with the fashion blogs and look over these sites to get information.
Q4:- Do you use social media?
Figure 2.4
Analysis:-
2014-2015 are the years where Social Media is dominating each and every sector
of the business. It is next to impossible to avoid Social Media Sites if the company
wants to be in touch with the masses. The digital world has taken over the
traditional ways of marketing and so it is very important to be active on these
sites for every information, be it the company’s side or the customer’s side.
As the target population of my survey was between the age group of 20 to 30, the
answer to the question, “Do you use Social Media?” is very predicted. 98% of the
respondents have answered yes and the remaining 2% do not wish to follow
Social Medias. This result shows that the Indian people are technology savvy and
are very comfortable with the use of Social Media networking.
Yes
98%
No
2%

Q5:- Which sites do you use?
Figure 2.5
Analysis:-
This was a multiple choice question where in the focus was to find out the
common favourite sites of the sample size.
Facebook was chosen the most popular site amongst its sister sites with 94% of
the respondents selecting it. Almost all the social savvy candidates are there on
Facebook.
Instagram is voted the second most popular social site with 45%. It enables the
user to upload pictures they want for others to see it. This particular site is very
96%
45%
25%
7%
5%

popular amongst the fashionistas as they get a platform to flaunt their fashion
sense to the world.
With 25%, twitter is considered to be one platform where the users are directly
and indirectly connected to the iconic public figures. For example, Amitabh
Bachchan himself tweets to stay in touch with the masses.
Pinterest and Blogs are particularly famous among the group who are more
involved with the fashion industry with one or the other way.
Q6:- Do you follow fashion brands on social networking sites?
Figure 2.6
Analysis:-
The result to this question is self-explanatory. With almost 130 people responded
that they follow fashion brands, on the sites. On further asking as to what is it that
they follow on these groups, they responded that the marketing promotions (3%),
the recommendations and reviews (9%), information regarding the existing
products (18%), and the new trends (70%).
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Yes No

Q7:- Have you noticed fashion apparel advertisement on social media?
Figure 2.7
Analysis:-
Advertising is everywhere. Anything and everything is some kind of advertising.
Hence when asked, whether they see any fashion related advertising in these
social media sites, the majority response was Yes.
Primarily in Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, the presence of fashion
advertisement is very prominent. These advertisements encourage the users to
click on them which ultimately leads to the company websites. Hence, high
chances for impulse shopping. The growth in online shopping and e-commerce
have a lot to thank to the social media sites as they are able to post their
advertisements on these sites, thus, increase their revenue.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Yes No

Q8:- How do you observe the latest fashion trends?
Figure 2.8
Analysis:-
You don’t learn style from watching people on a runway. Fashion happens every
morning when you wake up. This particular quote explains half the purpose of
my research. The runway fashion is for the designers and other entertainment
industry players. More approachable that the runways.
When asked the question, “How do you observe the latest fashion trends?” the
majority of the responses where social networking sites, like Facebook,
Instagram. This further signifies my research that social media has a great deal
of influence on the emergence of new fashion related trends. The nest source of
releasing the new fashion trends would be the television. According to the survey,
70 people have admitted that they look out for fashion related tips from the
television.
Print Media and observing what other people are wearing are also the sources to
understand the trending fashion in the region of Navi Mumbai.
This question concludes that social media has the highest percentage of people
attracted to itself for fashion related information.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Category 1
Chart Title
Social Networking sites Print Media Television Observation

Q9:- How much do you agree that social media helps in acquiring information
about fashion trends?
Figure 2.9
Analysis:-
Smartphones and social media expand our universe. We can connect with others
and collect information easier and faster than ever. It is the tool which is the
ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and platform to anyone willing to engage.
Social Media is a platform where one can get information without even asking
for it. The information is readily available there and all you have to do is log in
and start following.
About 133 responses (out of 156) agree that that social media helps in acquiring
the information about the emerging fashion trends. Social Media is the platform
where like-minded people get connected and share their views with each other.
Now a days, a new trend has emerged on Facebook where a person willing to buy
a certain product posts on his walls in search of reviews and recommendations of
those who already are using the product or have good reliable information
regarding the same. The social shopper relies a lot on the reviews and
recommendations of their friends from the social media. Two major target groups
are prevailing in the social media:
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Category 1
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. Fashionistas (fashion and beauty are extremely important to me)
2. Social shopper (brand and products my friends use influence my own
purchase decisions.)
The four main categories where the people have social media influence are:
1. Costume Jewellery (female)
2. Casual Clothing (male and female)
3. Cosmetics (male and female)
4. Casual Footwear (male and female)

Q10:- Do you follow fashion related blogs?
Figure 2.10
Analysis:
59% of the people responded that Yes, they follow blogs. A new and trending
way of staying in touch with the new and emerging trends in the fashion industry
can be revealed to the general masses through these blogs. The new trend is that
now a days, most of the fashion designers and other big players of the industry
like to keep a private blog where-in they can post all the works they are
undergoing in the present time. These blogs give specifics to the people reading
it.
As these blogs are specifically for those readers who are looking for specifics
about the fashion, hence they are not very popular among the masses. This can
be confirmed when 41% of the survey say that they do not follow fashion blogs.
When asked whether they will be interested in the future to get engaged to these
blogs, most of them replied, only when I am absolutely need expert opinion.
Q.10
Yes No Sometimes

Q11:- How often do you buy products that you see on these sites?
Figure 2.11
Analysis:-
After satisfying reviews and recommendations about the products, the question
comes whether they are willing to buy these products. 120 out of 156 people say
that ‘Yes’ they do buy these products and 29 people responded ‘Often’. Only 7
out of 156 replied straight out ‘No’.
These responses imply that the masses are willingly influenced by the social
media and act upon it. The fashionistas and the social shoppers, both the
categories take the information on the social media very seriously which
ultimately influence their buying behaviour.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Q12:- Do reviews and ratings affect your buying decisions?
Figure 2.12
Analysis:-
Reviews condition people. At the end of the day, a lot of human minds are
malleable. They can be easily shaped with strong words.
120 respondents’ reply that ‘Yes’, reviews and recommendations affect their
buying decisions. Social Media is the platform where the purchaser can get
valuable reviews and recommendations about the product which ultimately affect
the buying decision of the purchaser.
This model of “reviews and recommendations” is so popular that it even gained
the interests of the ecommerce and online shopping websites like flipkart, amazon
etc.
There is a dedicated team which pay serious attention to the reviews and
recommendations of other people before purchasing anything.
13 people replied that ‘No’ they do not value these reviews. For these people, the
buying decision of any product is his personal decision and are not comfortable
others deciding for them.
The survey implies that, in the Navi Mumbai region, 77% of the people are more
dependent on reviews and respondents which ultimately alter their buying
behaviour.
Q.12
Yes No

Q13:- Do you copy fashion from social media?
Figure 2.13
I took the responses on a 10 point scale, 1 being ‘never’ to 10 being ‘always’ and
for the purpose of analysis I have combined 2 consecutive point into one response.
Point 1 & 2: Never
Point 3 & 4: Rarely
Point 5 & 6: Sometimes
Point 7 & 8: Often/ most of the times
Point 9 & 10: Always
Analysis:-
This is a direct question. I asked the group whether they copy or willing to copy
fashion from the Social Media and 37% said that “yes” they do copy their fashion
tips from the sites whereas 41% said that they “sometimes” do. These sometimes
being, occasional, festive or other party related fashion. They do not indulge in
relying on social media for their day to day fashion. 22% said that they do not
copy the fashion from Social Media.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Chart Title
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

The implication of the result would be that, in the Navi Mumbai region, masses
are more interested in following the social media for the emergence of the new
trends in fashion.

INFERENCE MADE FROM THE
SURVEY
These 13 questions were prepared to know the consumer perception internet and
their preferences regarding social media and using internet and other media
devices as means of finding information and purchasing fashion related products
and services. The majority of the respondents were from the age group 20 to 30
and were from metro city Navi Mumbai. Most of them were college students and
employees, and are very tech savvy so majority of them are comfortable using
the internet and almost everybody has a smart phone which they use daily for
internet browsing and information searching and online shopping.
It is found that after laptops, people mostly use smart phones for internet access.
Usage of smart phones for accessing the internet and social media is increasing
at a very rapid pace as advancements in the field of smart phone technology is
happening at a very high rate. In the next decade, smart phone will be the device
which will be the deciding factor in marketing and advertising industry as it is a
medium which not many have tapped for marketing and advertisement purposes.
A recent survey states that the ratio of cell phones to landlines in India is 14:1.
As the penetration rate of cell phones in rural India continues to increase, more
people will start using the internet and are more likely to start using social media
for information search
This study discovers that fashion blogging is an incredibly impactful tool in the
fashion industry, especially when paired with social media use. Majority of the
respondents have shown tremendous interest in social media and have admitted
that they follow fashion through social media. Social Media has made a formerly
exclusive industry more inclusive to consumers. Fashion brands and designers
are using social media heavily and are encouraging two-way communication
between themselves and consumers. They are not just people giving consumers
an insider look into the fashion industry, but today, they are able to get into the
minds of the consumers through these sites. They have begun driving trends and
brands have begun to understand how important and influential social media can
be to consumers. Brands are beginning to partner with social networking sites so
that they will have a severe sales driving force on the grunt level as consumers
show religious following to the social media in respect to these fashion trends.

LIMITATIONS
As the survey has been taken out from a small cluster of 100 respondents, it
cannot be taken as an accurate result of how the digital media has impacted the
consumer buying behaviour. The study respondents were mainly students; it can
be conducted on different population other than students as well that can give a
better picture of the impact that social media is having on the people on the overall
scale.
Data sample was quite small that shows limited generalizability of the research.
Sample size should be increased in order to make the results more generalize able
as it would cover a wider section of the society and help facilitate to create a more
generalized picture.
As fashion changes from culture to culture, so people consciousness and
consumer buying behaviours may also vary likewise. Cross cultural research
should also be conducted regarding this topic to understand the magnitude of this
change.

CONCLUSION
Young consumers are in an increasing demand for trustworthy information
regarding fashion trends, therefore, social media can be a useful tool for finding
information due to its capability of instant interaction between users and brands.
Fashion brands’ presence on Social Networking Sites give the impression that
they are closer to their audience. This impression is derived from the interaction
between consumers and brands that social media provide. Contrary to traditional
media where consumers have a third party opinion that they do not know if they
can trust and are only fed information by the brand, social media gave consumers
a chance to be influenced by other consumers’ shared opinions, people that they
might trust more because of their online influence.
For instance, a lot of designers share their views and personal preferences that are
followed by thousands or millions of people. These designers are opinion leaders
that are often used by brands. Fashion brands could take advantage of this
phenomenon and make use of social media to exert more influence on the
formation young consumers’ opinion.
The role of social media in the process of purchase is in its preliminary phase
with it being costly informational. Dependency of consumers on social media to
know about latest fashion is high. Findings show that Social Media affects both
the Consumer Buying Behaviour and Fashion Consciousness of Consumer. So it
is revealed that Social media has little bit influence on Consumer Purchase
Behaviour as well as Fashion Consciousness of Consumer.

References
http://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/trend-watch/has-social-media-helped-
democratize-the-fashion-industry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion#Fashion_industry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_%28communication%29
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/media.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_in_the_fashion_industry
http://www2.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/tiedotteet/2008/T2454.pdf
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/fashion.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/social_media.html

Questionnaire
Name
Age
o Less than 20
o 20 - 30
o 30 - 40
o 40 and above
Gender
o Male
o Female
Occupation
o Student
o Businessman
o House Maker
o Employee
o Other:
Do you use social media?
o Yes
o No
Which sites do you use?
o Facebook
o Instagram
o Pinterest
o Twitter
o Other:

Do you follow fashion brands on social networking sites?
o Yes
o No
Have you noticed fashion apparel advertisement on social media?
o Yes
o No
How do you observe the latest fashion trends?
o Social Networking Sites
o Print Media
o Television Ads
o Looking at what others are wearing
How much do you agree that social media helps in acquiring
information about fashion trends?
o Strongly agree
o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree
Do you follow fashion related blogs?
o Yes
o No
o Sometimes
How often do you buy products that you see on these sites?
o Always
o Sometimes

o Rarely
o Never
Do reviews and ratings affect your buying decisions?
o Yes
o No
Do you copy fashion from social media?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Never Mostly

Impact of Social media on Consumer Preferences in Fashion Trends

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