From Storefronts to Screens: Changing Consumer Behavior towards Clothing Shopping in the Digital Era - A Comparative Analysis of Online and Offline Shopping Preferences
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital commerce has transformed consumers’ clothing shopping behaviour, shifting purchasing activities from traditional physical stores to online platforms. However, physical stores continue to offer important experiential benefits, particularly product examination, fitting, personal assistance, and immediate purchase. This study examines changing consumer behaviour towards clothing shopping in the digital era by comparatively analysing consumer preferences for online and offline shopping channels. The study identifies key factors influencing channel preference, including convenience, price attractiveness, product variety, trust, perceived risk, physical product evaluation, personal assistance, and shopping experience. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design is proposed, with primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from clothing consumers. Descriptive statistics, reliability and validity assessment, correlation analysis, comparative tests, and multivariate/structural analysis are employed to examine relationships among the study constructs and test the proposed hypotheses. The study contributes to the literature by providing an integrated understanding of how consumers evaluate competing clothing-shopping channels and by highlighting the emerging shift from channel-specific preferences towards omnichannel shopping behaviour. The findings are expected to provide useful implications for clothing retailers in developing customer-centric digital, physical, and integrated retail strategies.
Institution: Amicable Knowledge Solution University
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7208811758