Consumers’ perception of risk and the purchase of apparel from catalogs

This study was designed to examine the role that perceived risk plays in consumers’ purchases of apparel from catalogs. Specifically, it investigated the relationship between frequency of purchasing apparel from catalogs, the dollar amount spent on apparel purchased from catalogs, and several independent variables. The independent variables are consumer inability to inspect apparel physically, consumer self-esteem, consumer propensity to seek information, consumer attitude toward brand name, and consumer ability to visualize him/herself in a garment. This study was exploratory, with the purpose of investigating the general question of whether perceived risk associated with these factors deterred consumers from catalog shopping for apparel. Regression analysis indicated that, of these variables, inability to physically inspect apparel and attitude toward brand name are the most reliable predictors of frequency of orders placed. Physical inspection and consumers’ self-esteem were found to contribute to the inability to predict dollar amount spent on purchases of apparel from catalogs.