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Price and composition, which should consumers look at first when buying?


Release time:

2019-02-15

Consumers are often price-driven when buying clothing, however, some industry insiders in the apparel industry suggest that whether clothing is sold online or in-store, consumers are better off focusing on ingredients and care labels, and they also recommend that manufacturers do the same, as they are concerned about cost.

CTEI NetworkConsumers are often driven by price when they buy clothing, however, some insiders in the clothing industry suggest that whether the clothing is sold in an online store or a physical store,Consumers are better off focusing on ingredients and care labelsThey also recommend that producers do this, as they are concerned about cost.

Rissanen Timo, associate dean of the School of Built Environment at Parsons Design School, said that consumers should know what they are buying, especially the quality of the fabric is important to clothing. Low-grade fibers, or not having too much fiber in the fabric, can lead to poor quality garments. In terms of clothing, this means that clothing is easily deformed, consumers cannot wear it for long, and will soon be sent to donation boxes or landfills.

"We need to educate society about where the price is spent, so that everyone can better understand what it affects them when we pay for the 'true cost' of something," Rissanen said."

In the United States, federal law requires that "most textile and wool products be labeled with fiber content, country of origin, manufacturer or other business responsible for marketing or handling the product."

The confusion in finding fiber content and care details exists both in the online shopping process and in physical store purchases. In some garments, the "pages" of their fiber content labels are filled with information in a variety of languages and small fonts. When shopping online, it seems easier to read information about the ingredients of clothing. But online retailers don't always list product details or specification links. It is clear that providing this information has an impact on whether consumers end up buying a product.

According to the American Cotton Company Lifestyle Survey (Lifestyle MonitorTM), nearly 2/3 of consumers (63%) say fiber content is important to their clothing purchasing decisions. In general, the majority of consumers who check labels say they are looking for the amount of cotton in clothing (82%). This may be because 81% of consumers say cotton is their favorite fiber and fabric.

According to research from the Lifestyle Survey, consumers believe that cotton products are the most comfortable (86%), the most sustainable (86%), the softest (83%), the highest quality (78%) and more versatile (63%) products compared to other fibers. During the festival, shoppers will also pay attention to looking for cotton fibers when buying clothing gifts. In addition to 34% of gift givers looking for cotton products for comfort, 12% of gift givers buy cotton products because it is easy to take care.

That's why consumers read fiber ingredient labels. According to research from the Lifestyle Survey, a significant proportion of people say they want to see what clothes are made of or want to find a particular fiber (28%). Next is to look at the washing instructions (24%), evaluate the quality and durability (18%), evaluate the comfort/feel (11%), and judge whether it will shrink (10%).

It is worth noting that although Americans like to buy clothing, theyNot much interest in spending a lot of time or effort looking after the outfit. A study conducted by Kelton Global in collaboration with electronic appliance manufacturer LG found that most Americans (80%) have washing machines overloaded, exceeding the maximum capacity of the washing machine. Not only were these clothes poorly washed, but 22 percent said their clothes were not even properly washed. Kelton's research also found that most people (53%) wash the clothes they know should be separated in order to avoid washing a pile of clothes, at the risk of the clothes may cross color.

In another Nielsen study, researchers found that while Americans have the highest self-reported use of washers and dryers globally (82 percent), they are more likely to wash their clothes only once a week or less. In contrast, 45% of residents in other regions such as Asia Pacific have to wash clothes every day.

Due to doubts about the qualifications of dry cleaners, it may affect some consumers to take care of their own clothing. More than 40% of consumers (42%) say they always/usually check ingredient labels before shopping. In addition, the majority of consumers (52%) said that when buying clothes online, knowing the fiber content will influence their final purchase decision.

This is why manufacturers and retailers must provide detailed information on the composition of clothing fabrics for consumers who shop online or in-store. The lifestyle survey revealed that while most consumers still prefer to shop for clothes (72%), most consumers prefer to research clothes online (61%). Nearly 1/4 of online shoppers (22%) said they were more worried about not knowing the fiber content of clothing fabrics than they were last year.

Consumers are also beginning to realize that microplastic particles in synthetic clothing are polluting oceans, rivers and tap water. These particles come from polyester, nylon, acrylic and other synthetic fibers. Researchers at Plymouth University in the UK (2016 study) found that more than 700000 of these microplastic particles have flowed down the sewers into rivers and lakes after clothing has been washed. The researchers found that marine organisms ate these microplastic particles, which in turn allowed them to enter the food chain.

Rissanen believe that designers and consumers should not be alone in figuring out what is good or bad for the environment.

He said: "At the root of all these choices at the moment is our economic system: it tolerates and even encourages injustice and inequality. Morality comes down to actions, not words, and we should demand a moral bottom line in business and politics, including in fashion."