Effect of Internal (Psychological) and Marketing Factors on Amount of Money Spent on Secondhand Clothes and Retail Market Choice in Kenya

Abstract

Although second-hand clothing market has a long history, its economic impact and worldwide significance rose in the early 1990s as a result of the deregulation of many emerging economies and rising demand from different countries (Brooks & David, 2012). As a result, second-hand clothing has become one of the most important tradeable commodities and a means of advancing the interests of the West. Trade agreements involving secondhand clothing have often been employed by the United States as a bargaining chip to achieve its objectives (Hansen, 2014). For instance, the US has utilized competitive pricing of cotton and wool fabrics, as well as ready-to-wear garments, to significantly reduce the attractiveness of second-hand clothing in domestic markets. Consequently, the export of second-hand clothing, particularly to Africa, has become an increasingly crucial component of trade (Nordas,2004). Kenya is one of the major importers of secondhand clothes in Africa because of the growing demand, which is driven by low priced charged on this commodity. Many Kenyans are now importing secondhand directly from the source, then selling in large quantity to retailers, who later sells to the final consumers. This has led to 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. Although the growth in secondhand clothes has been attributed to affordability, there is need to investigate other marketing factors that may be contributing to this growth. Psychological (internal) factors could also be playing a role, whereby what is in the consumer ‘psyche’ pulling the consumers behaviour towards secondhand clothes, and this needed to be investigated. The purpose of this paper was therefore to investigate whether psychological (internal) factors and marketing factors influences 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 million respondents from 7 counties with the highest population. A sample of 384 respondents was used, and data was collected using structured questionnaires. Findings of the study revealed that there exists a significant relationship between internal factors and consumer behavior in terms of amount of money spent on secondhand clothes. There is also higher association with the probability of buying from open markets than from other forms of markets. and the probability of choosing open market retailers compared to other form of retailers. Results further indicated that there exists a significant relationship between internal factors and consumer behavior in terms of amount of money spent on secondhand clothes in kenya. Except for lifestyle, the other marketing factors had shown a higher association with the probability of buying from open markets than from other forms of markets. The study shall contribute practically to textile manufacturers who shall understand the reasons why consumers are buying secondhand clothes. By understanding the influence of internal and marketing factors on consumer behavior towards secondhand clothes, they will, have to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly in order to meet customers’ needs