“One of those brands that are always there”. A qualitative study on brand preference development among young consumers in the casual wear product category

Brand preference is an important concept in marketing research, as it determines consumers’ choices and their purchase decisions. Preference has been studied for years mostly with a quantitative approach, however, still no consensus has been reached on which concepts can be considered antecedents of brand preference, and which concepts can be seen an outcome of brand preference. Moreover, the volatile nature of brand preference concept makes it more difficult to investigate, as consumers can change preferences multiple times during the lives. Due to these reasons, there is a distinct gap in qualitative research on the topic. In the present study, the preference formation is studied through the concepts of brand image, and the degree of consistency between brand image and consumer’s self-concept, i.e. self-congruence concept. This focus is especially relevant for the fashion brands and young category of consumers, as this is the market, where consumers are mostly influenced by their self-concepts and symbolic meanings of brands. Hence, by carrying out qualitative research based on thirteen semi-structured interviews with consumers, this paper aims at answering the question of how 20-24-year-olds develop brand preferences for casual wear fashion brands. The results derived from the thematic analysis of the interviews show that interviewed consumers develop brand preferences for casual wear fashion brands through cognitive, emotional, and sensory associations they hold towards these brands and actual-individual, actual-social, and ideal self-congruence with these brand image. They are forming the perceived brand images through direct and indirect experiences and co-creating meanings together with the brands. While developing their preferences, consumers take into consideration experiences, when brands prove them to be universal, practical, trustworthy, reliable, and generally make them feel satisfied. In addition, when it comes to casual wear, interviewees do not go for their “desired” brands and pick the most familiar and comforting choices, which let them stay in their “Comfort Zone” instead. It also seems important for the interviewees, that brands correspond with their personal view on their style, as well as with the view of their social circle on their appearance. Finally, it was found that most of the interviewed consumers had valuable experiences with their preferred brands in the past, and these experiences coincided with their transition from one life stage to another. In these moments brand’s image appeared to be congruent with their past ideal self, which might have indicated the beginning of the preference development process.