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Touch Criteria Influencing the Purchasing Decision of Tunisian Consumers
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ABSTRACT
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 inperson
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.
Humans have always explored and interacted with their environment through touching surfaces. The sense of touch is an important part of human interaction and communication. It supports emotional development and wellbeing. But despite the relevance of touch in tactile experience, the touch of (textile) materials and its relationship to emotion has to date not received much attention. There is no tool or process to support textile designers evaluates emotional responses to the touch of textile materials. Designing with materials for overall wellbeing necessitates an understanding of the sensory modalities as well as consideration of the affective stage of what impacts material choices. This article provides a review of key background literature in understanding the complexity of the material-touch-emotion relationship, and the physical and psychological aspects of touching a material. Reflecting on workshops conducted, the Sensation-Appraisal-Emotion (SensAE) tool is presented to better understand the connection between the active touch of material surfaces and the emotional responses to that material touch. The article outlines the methodology for how the SensAE tool was developed, describing the tool, and benefits of using it. The SensAE tool explains the three stages in the material-touch-emotion elicitation process as sensation, appraisal and emotions. It encourages designers and users to consider first the sensation of actively touching the material- how “it” feels; to consider their appraisal of the sensation; and finally, their emotional response to the material- how “they” feel. The SensAE tool supports a user-centered design approach to be used as a guide enabling emotional connections to the touch of textile materials, thereby understanding psychological considerations surrounding sustainable material choices. The SensAE tool provides a way for designers to better assist their material choices consequently supporting a more empathic design process, to enable design for wellbeing.
The aim of this research was to investigate women's blouses in terms of sensorial comfort. In the research, a “Sensorial Comfort Assessment Model” including objective measurements and subjective evaluations was created. The objective measurement results showed that the silk fabric was the lightest and thinnest, the polyester fabric was tightest, softest, loosest, driest and most resistant to wrinkle and the lyocell fabric was the heaviest one with the lowest air permeability. The subjective evaluation results showed that the fabrics were categorized into three groups as silk-polyester-viscose, cotton-lyocell and linen according to their similarities. In summary, the similarity coefficients between the objective measurement results and the subjective evaluation results obtained by touching the fabrics were at a low level; however, the level of similarities between the subjective evaluation results obtained by touching the fabrics and wearing the blouses were higher.
[Purpose]
This study aims to explore consumers' vicarious experience of touch, namely, mental simulation for touch, through product pictures as visual stimuli and the use of touch devices as motion stimuli in the context of online fashion shopping.
[Design/methodology/approach]
Participants were randomly exposed to one of the two texture conditions (weak vs strong tactile sensitivity). The responses from the participants who used a laptop as a non-touch device and a touch device were considered in the analysis. A total of 179 responses were analyzed with analysis of variance and the PROCESS procedure for path analysis using SPSS 20.0.
[Findings]
The interaction effects of tactile sensitivity and device types on mental simulation for touch were significant; seeing a less tactile-sensitive product facilitated a greater mental simulation for touch when using a touch device; however, seeing a tactile-sensitive product produced a similar mental simulation for touch, regardless of device types. Furthermore, browsing a less tactile-sensitive product using a touch device increased favorable product attitudes, fully mediated by mental simulation for touch.
[Originality/value]
This study contributes to the literature on online shopping behaviors of fashion consumers by showing the role of mental simulation for touch that is shaped by the tactile qualities of products and device types. Exploration of this topic can contribute significantly to online fashion retailers because studies on consumers' mental simulation for touch are limited.
When consumers touch: a conceptual model of consumer haptic perception
- A T Ranaweera