Abstract:
Over the years, there has been tremendous growth in second hand clothes trade globally, a trend
replicated in all African countries. This has been attributed to the global economic crisis, and comparatively
low prices for those products in comparison with new garments. However, there is evidence from the existing
literature that people from all social classes do purchase second hand clothes. There is also a huge influx of
hawkers of secondhand clothes in the streets of all big cities in Kenya, which has contributed to congestion in
those cities. The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether personal factors influence consumer
behavior towards secondhand clothes in Kenya in terms of amount spent on secondhand clothes and the
choice of retailers. This study adopted both descriptive and exploratory research design. The target
population of this study was 15,513 respondents from 7 counties with the highest population according to
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) (2019) population census. The sample size was 384 respondents
selected by Krejcie & Morgan (1979) table and formula. Structured questionnaires were used to collect
primary data from the selected respondents. The findings revealed that there exists a significant relationship
between personal factors and consumer behavior in terms of amount of money spent on secondhand clothes
and the probability of choosing open market retailers compared to other form of retailers. The study shall
contribute practically to textile manufacturers who shall understand the reasons why consumers are buying
secondhand clothes. By understanding the influence of the personal factors on consumer behavior towards
secondhand clothes, they will, have to adjust their new clothes marketing strategies accordingly in order to
meet customers’ needs. This will increase the level of consumer’s satisfaction and loyalty to new clothes,
which is one way to gain competitive advantage in the competitive clothing marketing environment
