Gender differences in brand loyalty towards fashion brands among generation Y students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine African Generation Y male and female students' brand loyalty towards their preferred fashion brands. In South Africa, the African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) represents an important market segment particularly to fashion marketers, given the size of this market segment and their spending on products such as clothing. The increase in the number of international fashion brands available in South Africa has given these consumers more brands from which to choose. This, of course, means that the competition among fashion retailers and brands is more intense than ever before. As a result, effective differentiation such as branding is increasingly essential in targeting consumers, including Generation Y consumers. In addition, fashion marketers and brand managers need to understand their target markets' preferences and how to earn brand loyalty. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from a convenience sample of 750 students registered at three South African public higher education institution campuses in Gauteng. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The findings suggest that for African Generation Y male students, brand awareness and brand association predict their brand loyalty, whereas with female students, perceived quality, brand awareness and brand association predict their brand loyalty. As such, marketers should focus on enhancing brand awareness and brand association of fashion clothing when targeting both male and female students, as well as on improving perceived quality when targeting female students.