Trend, status or need? A study of men's fashion customer behaviour in Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish markets

Abstract

Objectives

The motivation for this study arises from the author's personal professional interest towards the differences in men's fashion customer behaviour as a Norwegian premium menswear chain "Volt", operating currently in Norway and Sweden is now entering the Finnish market. In order for the newcomer to offer the Finnish men the best possible shopping experiences the chain needs to know the local customer.

The objective of this study is to understand if there are differences in men's fashion customer behaviour in the selected markets, what those differences are, and specifically what is the customer behaviour of a Finnish man as a fashion customer. Secondary objective of the study is to understand the Finnish fashion market from the viewpoint of a men's premium fashion shop chain that has operated previously in Norway and Sweden.

Methodology

The study combines the theories of customer behaviour with service design tools, in specific the customer journey tool, to form a theoretical framework for the entire study.

The empirical part of the study is a qualitative research on the differences of Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish men's fashion customers and markets. The study is conducted as interviews with several industry professionals operating in these areas.

Interview results are analyzed within the theoretical framework, reflecting existing literature and studies on the topic. Key findings from the research are summarized and viewed from the perspective of a newcomer and in particular Volt, entering the Finnish market. The differences in Finnish market compared to Norway and Sweden are highlighted, specifically what should be taken into account when entering the market. Last, key conclusions are summarized and further studies are suggested around the topic.

Results

Norway, Sweden and Finland are indeed slightly different as markets for men's fashion. The main difference is in the very beginning of the purchase process as the Swedish man follows trends, the Norwegian values traditionality and status and the Finnish man values comfort and good customer service as he is shopping for a need. Though customer service was a key component in all of the markets, it was more prominent in Finland. Other highlighted findings of the study were the differences in customer behaviour regarding younger men and others, and the possibilities offered by webshops. The young men seem to reflect more women than traditional men with their fashion customer behaviour.

As Finnish men are more comfort seeking and not necessarily as fashion conscious as their neighbours in Norway and particularly in Sweden, a new operator in the market should emphasize the high standards of customer service. The newcomer should also take into account the different initiatives of the purchase process by market and utilize this information in for example choices regarding their selection.

With good customer service rising as one of the most highlighted topic in the results, it is suggested that further studies with service design perspective in the area would be valuable.