Purpose: Decision-makers must be well-informed to successfully impact the future of the business. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of US fashion retail executives when making business decisions to understand what resources and strategies are utilized within the decision-making process. Additionally, the role of academic research within executive decision-making process was explored.Design/methodology/approach: This study utilized a phenomenological approach to understand the experiences of fashion retail executives when engaging in business decision-making. Fifteen US fashion retail executives participated in the study. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews and thematically coded to gain a holistic perspective of the decision-making process within the fashion retail industry.Findings: As the result of the data analysis and interpretation, three topical areas emerged:: “Incredible Amounts of Information,” “Industry Specific Academic Research” and “Have a Clear Road Map.” The findings suggested that while the facts gleaned from internal and external data are of great importance to fashion professionals, insights gathered from social media are equally influential within the decision-making process. The authors identified five major strategies utilized consistently by fashion retail executives regardless of the type of business they represented: collaboration, adaptability, speed, gut instinct and creativity.Research limitations/implications: The results are important to fashion retail companies for improving internal decision-making processes. The identified resources and strategies of the decision-making process can be incorporated into fashion program curricula and considered as learning outcomes when preparing future industry professionals.Originality/value: Limited studies have explored the decision-making process specific to the fashion retail environment, an uncertain and ever-changing industry. Further, the study shed light on the opportunity for academic research use in fashion retail decision-making and contributes to the literature by developing a fashion retail decision-making model.

Due to an increased interest in the circular economy, there has been a gradual shift to purchase used items including home furnishings by consumers. The secondhand home furnishing industry is gaining traction in the market and therefore, it is imperative to understand what is driving consumers to shop for these used pieces and adding them to their personal spaces. The purpose of this study was to explore psychological motivations for secondhand home furnishing consumption, including environmental sustainability, functionality, aesthetic style, and economics, and their impact on purchase intention. Guided by the theory of reasoned action, an online survey was administered to home furnishing consumers and data were analyzed quantitatively. Findings supported that the psychological motivations of environmental sustainability, functionality, and aesthetic style positively influenced consumer attitudes with purchase intentions of secondary home furnishing items. The results of this study expand the applicability of the TRA model specifically to secondhand home furnishing consumers. Practically, this study gives insights into secondary home furnishing consumers and their interest in environmental sustainability, functionality, and aesthetically appealing pieces.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the psychographic factors of shopping enjoyment, market mavenism and consumer innovativeness and their influence on hedonic and utilitarian values, attitudes and patronage intentions of the small concept luxury department (SCLD) store.Design/methodology/approach: The researchers utilized a quantitative method. An online survey was created and distributed over a three-week period to a representative sample of US luxury consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships among variables.Findings: The theory of reasoned action (TRA) theoretical framework provided an effective model to investigate the perspectives and behaviors of luxury consumers within the SCLD. The findings of this study suggest the SCLD is an effective store format for consumers who are characterized as market mavens, are considered innovative and enjoy shopping.Practical implications: The findings from this research are beneficial to luxury department store retailers looking to invest resources into a new experiential format to appeal to their consumer base.Originality/value: The research extends the literature in a rapidly evolving area of retail formats and consumer perception by exploring psychographic factors, including shopping enjoyment, market mavenism and consumer innovativeness, and their impact on the beliefs regarding retail formats' hedonic and utilitarian value.