This study explored the conceptual constructs of consumer benefits and perceived risks of online fashion rental services (Online FRS) and their impacts on usage intention towards Online FRS. The mediating roles of perceived risks and service trust were examined in this research. A survey was performed on female shoppers between the ages of 20–30 residing in a metropolitan area. Results of this research were as follows: (1) The results analyzing the sub-dimension of benefits (Reasonable cost, Wearing at right time, place and occasion (TPO), Space Saving, Entertaining, Product Variety, Style Conformity) and perceived risks (Financial, Performance, Social) clearly presented factorial structures. (2) Reasonable cost, Style Conformity, and Product Variety showed significantly positive influences on usage intentions towards online fashion rental services; in addition, Financial, Performance, and Social risks of rental services had a negative effect on usage intentions. (3) Service trust and consumer perceptions of Financial and Performance risks had important mediating roles in the relationship between consumer benefits and usage intentions towards Online FRS. This study highlighted that consumer benefits, perceived risks, and service trust should be registered among consumers to boost usage intentions towards Online FRS.

This study aimed to investigate consumers’ intentions to purchase sustainable masks to reduce the environmental pollution caused by disposable masks in the context of COVID-19. A research model was derived based on the Value-Belief-Norm theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the moderating role of health concerns and environmental knowledge due to the COVID-19 pandemic were examined. Through a Korean online survey company, we collected data on sustainable masks from respondents aged from their 20 s to 50 s, living in the Korea, and a structural equation analysis was performed on the 337 valid samples. Environmental concerns and beliefs were found to have a positive impact on the purchase intention on sustainable masks. Although environmental knowledge played the role of a moderator, we found that the higher the health concern, the stronger the purchase intention. Based on these results, it is possible to derive a strategy to increase the purchase of sustainable masks and reduce the environmental pollution caused by disposable masks. A sales strategy should be implemented for groups with high health concern. In addition, since the subjective norm increases the purchase intention for sustainable masks, advertising that stimulates them will help reduce environmental pollution caused by disposal masks. In the future, it will be possible to help reduce environmental pollution not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also during other emerging pandemics.

Recently, many companies have adopted smart factories to increase productivity and efficiency. However, the fashion industry is one of the industries that have been relatively slow at embracing automation and switching to a smart factory. The purpose of the study is to suggest the future direction of the low-maturity smart factory in the fashion industry through newspaper analysis. In this study, semantic network analysis and convergence of iterated correlation (CONCOR) analysis were performed on 15,523 news articles. The analyses revealed that the smart fashion factory was developing to incorporate automated, unmanned, and intelligent operation. The problem of job loss owing to the smart factory was also heavily addressed in the news articles. In the newspaper articles, the view that the smart factory is efficient, fast, and innovative, and concerns regarding the possible damages that will result from hacking and machine malfunction were simultaneously expressed. Therefore, if news about security improvement emerges in the future, negative public opinion will be reduced, positively influencing the government’s support for smart factories and policy making.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of retail therapy (RT) values and the role of body consciousness on therapeutic shopping motivations and outcomes. In order to accomplish our research aim, we investigated therapeutic shopping values (i.e., positive mood reinforcement and negative mood reduction) and the moderating effects of body surveillance, body shame, and weight preoccupation. A total of 247 female college students in the United States participated in an online Qualtrics survey, and structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup analysis were performed to analyze the data. The findings reveal that therapeutic shopping values (positive mood reinforcement and negative mood reduction) significantly influence therapeutic shopping motivation. Therapeutic shopping motivation, in turn, positively influences therapeutic shopping outcomes. Moreover, weight preoccupation moderates the relationship between negative mood reduction and therapeutic shopping motivation, suggesting that RT should especially be utilized for weight-conscious individuals. The results can be utilized for retailers to develop marketing strategies for consumers who are conscious about their appearance. Academic and managerial implications, along with future research, are suggested.