Can you see the feel? The absence of tactile cues in clothing e-commerce impairs consumer decision making

The lack of sensorial input in the e-commerce domain impairs consumers’ online apparel purchases. Therefore, it is important to identify possible compensatory cues to present the ‘feel’ of a garment in an enhanced way. This study investigates how visual interpretation of the feel of fabrics is related to the actual feel. Haptic textile attributes of seven fabric swatches were quantified in an online questionnaire (part I), simulating an online shopping experience. Separately, a physical assessment of samples mailed to participants (part II), simulating an in-person shopping experience, was performed. Part I and II comprised 20 participants each. No robust significant difference was found between sex. The comparison of the visual only and the visual-haptic assessment showed higher variability and lower scores of the haptic attributes in the visual only session. Especially textile surface structure related haptic attributes could not be conveyed visually and needed tactile sensory input to assess.