• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.971-986
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• 2006

As baby boomer generations become older, these "New-age elderly" have emerged as an important consumer segment for apparel products. These young-minded elderly have positive attitudes to technology and enjoy many of high technology tool in their everyday life, which signals a huge market potential for internet apparel retailing targeting these elderly consumers. Internet apparel businesses are required to provide various consumer information to its consumers to facilitate the decision making process. For elderly consumers, who might have different shopping behaviors from the younger consumer segments, different kinds of information with higher quality would be required. As a preliminary step to develop internet consumer information model for elderly consumers, this study seeks to investigate the current practice of information offerings of internet apparel businesses for elderly consumers. Ten internet sites carrying apparel products for elderly consumers were selected and analyzed their offerings of consumer information by five researchers. This study found that internet apparel businesses targeting elderly consumers were still small-sized and lack of sophisticated technology to support these elderly consumers. Most web sites provided basic product information and service information but not fashion and trend related information. Managerial implications were discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.123-138
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• 2013

This paper studied the apparel product attributes that women in the new elderly generation require in formal wears and in casual wears. The purpose of this study was to provide the design guideline when considering the changing and diverse buying patterns of the new elderly female consumers as opposed to the traditional elderly generation. We employed a qualitative study methodology of one-on-one in-depth interview with open coding. Between August 10 and October 3 of 2012, we interviewed sixteen female consumers of age 60 or above residing in the metropolitan area who considered themselves as young-minded. Our findings were as follows: The consumer-required attributes that the new elderly women wanted to present have five dimensions of symbolism, aesthetic, fitness, usefulness, and maintenance. The main focus of the apparel product attributes that the new elderly women wanted was the dimension of symbolism in formal wears and the dimensions of usefulness and maintenance in casual wears. The new elderly females were the emerging group of consumers of diversified clothing products who emphasized overall balance and wore appropriately for occasions. Apparel products for the new elderly females should incorporate the design attributes that they want as well as the overall balance among individual wears.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.559-573
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• 2008

Internet apparel businesses are required to provide various kinds of consumer information which includes both product information and customer service information. "New Age Elderly" who become an aged man in 21th century are familiar with internet and other high technological tools from their life time experience with technological development and ready to enjoy the convenience the technology offers. As a preliminary step to develop internet consumer information model for elderly consumers, this study examines the US and Korea apparel e-tailing sites targeting elderly consumers. Ten Korean sites and nine US sites were selected and compared for their provision of consumer information in terms of contents, ease to access, and the completeness of the information. Results of data analysis indicate that elderly market in Korea is not yet clearly defined compared to the US. In Korea, elderly consumer market is considered as a part of middle-aged market, and there was no unique target marketing efforts observed. Korean sites are better than the US's sites in terms of shopping information, while the US sites offer detailed information about the company, and customer service information. In both countries, fashion related information is lacking and failing to satisfy fashion conscious elderly consumers. Managerial implications were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1542-1553
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• 2007

Recently, the growing of the aging population resulting from the medical and science development has made the elderly consumer as a new market. The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the purchase behavior of apparel products and hairdressing services of elderly consumers, 2) to investigate the purchase behavior in the apparel store and hairdressing shop on lifestyle types. Data were collected from 853 women in their 50s and 60s living in Busan. Data were analyzed by frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach#s alpha, Chi-square analysis, cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA and Duncan test using SPSS WIN 12.0. The results of the study were as follows: First. when elderly consumers purchased apparel product, they were likely to use credit cards, to shop alone or with friends at a department store, and to use the store as information source. In their purchases of hairdressing services, they tended to visit the near shop for a permanent service bimonthly and to depend on their past experiences for hairdressing. Second, elderly consumers were classified by the lifestyle into the Active self-fidelitist, Economy family-oriented, and Passive-stagnant. The purchase behaviors in the apparel store and hairdressing shop were different among lifestyle types. Implications were suggested for the consumer behavior researchers and retailers of the elderly fashion market.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.355-365
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cognitive age on service quality, consumer satisfaction, and repurchase intentions across the elderly's lifestyle types in the apparel store. Data were obtained from 853 women in the 50's and 60's living in Busan, and were analyzed by factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA, Duncan test, and path analysis using SPSS WIN 12.0 and LISREL 8.53. The results showed that the lifestyle of elderly consumers was classified into three factors, such as Active self-fidelitist, Economy family-oriented, and Passive-stagnant. Service qualities perceived by the elderly in apparel stores were composed of Personal Service, Facilities Service, Product Service, and Policy Service. Generally, the younger cognized their ages most of the elderly were the more importantly perceived store service quality, the greater satisfied with apparel store services, and the more intended to repurchase apparels at a store. However, economic family-oriented elderlys were the younger cognized their ages, the less satisfied with the apparel service. Additionally, personal and policy services of the apparel store were important variables for elderlys' satisfaction with store services. The findings provide potential explanations and managerial implications for the elderly market.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.28-42
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• 1996

The purposes of this sturfy were 1) to examine the difference between cognitive and actual age, 2) to understand apparel shopping orientations and the importance of store attributes related to cognitive age and 3) to identify relationship.; between apparel shopping orientations and importance of store attribute, ; in cognitively younger and older groups For the study, questionnaires were administered to 450 elderly women over 55 years of age. The questionnaires were designed to mea, ;ore apparel shopping orientations (hedonic, store loyal and brand conscious, careful and planned, confidented and independent, and economic shopping), importance of store attributes, cognitive age and demographics. Using a base of 204 women, data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, t-test and correlation coeffictents. The results of this study weve summarized as follows. 1. The older women saw themselves on average 6. 6 years younger than they really were 77.6% of the respondents blieved themselves to be cognitively younger 2 Cognitively younger women were more hedonic and less carefull and planned than cognitively older women in apparel Shopping. 3. Cognitively older women thought that proximity and private dressing rooms in apparel stores were mote important attributes than cognitively younger women. In terms of apparel store attributes, older consumers placed importances on product quality, fit and size, design suited to their age, attractive price, and the availability to return unsatisfactory products, in orders.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.323-346
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• 1995

The increasing number of senior citizens, combined with the power of purchasing due to discretionary income have vaulted the elderly into the position of an attractive future target market. Therefore, it would be crucial for marketers to understand elderly's purchasing behavior. The purpose of this study was to identify clothing purchasing behavior of elderly women. For this study, questionnaires were administered to 600 women over 55 years of age. However, the sample that was analyzed fer statistical analysis was involved 418 elderly women. Statistical analysis were majorly descriptives such as frequencies and percentages. The major results of this study were summarized as follows. 1. In relation to problem recognition in purchasing process, motives of purchasing apparel were identified as a happy event in home such as a wedding and a birthday, a change of seasons and a casual discovery of a suitable clothing in shopping, in orders. 2. In relation to information search, important information on apparel and fashionability were thought as display racks in a store, opinion from friends and family and fashionability from others or streets, in orders. 3. In relation to selecting a store in purchasing process, older consumers assessed that attractive price, design suited to my age, variety in one store and apparel product quality were important store attributes, in orders. In terms of a purchase place, older consumers purchased clothing mainly on department stores, wholesale stores such as Namdaemoon or Dongdaemoon market, mainly retail stores located close to home and discount stores of well known brand, in orders. 4. In relation to alternative evaluation in purchasing process, older consumeres considered that style or appearance suited to me, color, design, comfort and fitness were important selection criteria, in orders. 5. In relation to purchase choice, 61.7% of the respondents paid money by themselves and 68.9% paid on cash in purchasing apparel. 6. In relation to outcomes of purchase, older consumers solved their complaint against a unsatisfactory product mainly by returning the unsatisfactory clothing. Also, there were those who took no action against the unsatisfactory product and who altered the clothing for fitness by themselves.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.147-155
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• 2013

The demand to complement the elderly body shape with comfortable clothing has greatly increased with the growing elderly population and their improved social-economic level. However, apparel industries have not provided significant production and sale strategies that reflect and consider elderly body shape characteristics. This study investigated the demand and complaints of current silver wear. This study was conducted on 100 elderly people 65 and over. The questionnaires were composed of Korean Activities of Daily Living (K-ADL) that reflect the general characteristics of the respondents related to clothing (clothing requirements and demands) and free comments on each question. Subsequently, we found that the most uncomfortable clothing parts were 'sleeve length' and 'crotch' in women and 'neck circumference' and 'pocket' in men when wearing shirts and pants respectively. Respondents felt that the button and zipper knob sizes were too small with the buttons too numerous. The results suggest that we should consider body shape changes caused by aging in order to develop elderly clothing patterns to improve the level of ADL. We anticipate apparel industries for the elderly to expand due to the rapid increase in the elderly population.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.119-126
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• 2010

We need to develop a target market for elderly women by increasing the ratio of functional apparel. The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for developing a Leisure Sports Jumper and improving the quality of life of clothing for female elderly consumers. This study reviewed the current situation on the production of the functional Leisure Sports Jumper for the elderly women in literature. For the experimental study, we selected Leisure Sports Jumpers from five apparel brands, and evaluated a sensory test on 20 subjects representing the average body shape of the elderly women aged from 65 to 75. After the first sensory test, we manipulated the patterns for samples of the Leisure Sports Jumper. In the second sensory test, visual and cognitive appropriateness of the Leisure sports jumpers were assessed by the elderly women. The results of the study were as follows: the Leisure Sports Jumper of brand 'C' showed the highest appropriateness in terms of neck, armholes, and sleeves among the 5 brands. The Leisure Sports Jumper of brands 'B' and 'D' showed the lowest appropriateness in the width of the armpits among the 5 brands. Except for the length of the Leisure Sports Jumper, the margin, location of the pocket, and armholes had the lowest score in the first test showing over 3.5 points.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.665-678
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to promote the elderly apparel industry for the increasing numbers of elderly obese male population. In the study, a total number of 249 males between the ages of 60 to 85 were studied to analyze their body types and differences. The group had a Rohrer Index of 1.6 or higher and BMI of 25 or higher. The noticeable physical differences in the group were shorter waist front length, bigger waist and hip circumferences with increasing age and slimmer limbs that are associated with the natural aging process with or without obesity. The obese body types have been classified in the following 3 different categories. Type 1 is the group that has lower body obesity with broad shoulders and relatively slimmer abdomen than a heavy bottom. A total number of 84 people belonged to the type 1 obesity category which makes up 33.8% of the total. Type 2 is the group that has upper body obesity with especially large abdominal obesity. A total number of 76 people, 30.5% of the total, were classified as type 2. Type 3 is the group that has whole body obesity with balanced obesity in the whole body. A total number of 89 people, 35.7% of the total, made up type 3.