Brand perception and brand repurchase intent in online apparel shopping: An examination of brand experience, image congruence, brand affect, and brand trust

With continuous growth in online apparel shopping, many consumers have experience not only in purchasing brand products online, but also in making repeat purchases. Although repeat purchases are critical to the success of branded companies, especially in online apparel shopping, limited academic research is found examining factors that influence online shoppers’ intent to repurchase apparel of a particular brand. This research investigated the effects of four types of brand perception (i.e. brand experience, brand image-congruence, brand affect, brand trust) on brand repurchase intent in online apparel shopping. An online survey was conducted with a US national sample of 217 online apparel shoppers who had purchased and worn products from a particular apparel brand. Bootstrapping Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the proposed model and research hypotheses. The findings showed that brand experience and brand image-congruence were antecedents of brand affect. Brand image-congruence and brand affect significantly influenced brand trust. Brand image-congruence and brand trust also had direct effects on brand repurchase intent in online apparel shopping.