CONSUMER INNOVATIVENESS AND FASHION PURCHASING BEFORE AND DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract: The subject of this paper is the analysis of the fashion products consumers’ innovativeness and consideration of fashion purchasing, before and during COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the paper is to examine the speed of adoption of new fashion products, as well as to learn how consumers of diff erent degrees of innovativeness behave when buying fashion products, before and during the pandemic, in Serbia, considering the frequency of purchases and the factors that infl uence fashion purchasing. The results of empirical research, conducted in Serbia between March and June 2021, prove that a signifi cant percentage of consumers are innovators (5%) and laggards (44%). The frequency of ordering fashion products has been in decline during the pandemic among all categories of consumers. Innovators most often ordered fashion clothing items before and during the pandemic, while early adopters most often ordered footwear and fashion accessories before the pandemic. During the pandemic early adopters share the fi rst place with innovators. Before the pandemic, infl uencers were the most important factor for innovators, and during the pandemic for early adopters. During the pandemic, the geographic origin of a fashion product has become more important to innovators, early adopters and early majority.

 

Keywords: consumer, innovativeness, fashion products, frequency of purchase, COVID-19 pandemic