The slow establishment of Fashion-as-a-Service: Evidence from the changing behaviour of fashion consumers

Purpose. The aim of this study is to analyse current fashion consumer trends. Specifically, what influences the purchasing behaviour of consumers within the fashion industry? What contributes to shaping their customer journey? What makes them consider certain products rather than others? What variables are able to influence their buying behaviour? Methodology. The systematic literature review (SLR) approach is used to collect data and analyse literature. Three key steps were included in the approach: Review planning, review conducting, and finding reporting. Findings. The results indicated that the 56 academic publications could be categorized into six major content areas. Within these areas, purchasing behaviour is emerging that would seem to demand a marked change in the business model of fashion retailers, embracing the logic of Fashion-as-a-Service (FaaS), i.e. a distribution model in which clothing and accessories are provided to customers temporarily, often through rental or subscription. Research limitations/implications. The limitations of the research lay in the impossibility of establishing a general framework of fashion consumer behaviour out of the results obtained. To this end, it would be necessary to combine the SLR carried out in this paper with one or more empirical investigations. Such an approach could represent a future development of the research. Originality/Value. The results provide a very broad picture of changing consumer behaviour within the fashion industry. Furthermore, the identification of the latest fashion consumers behavioural trends provides useful insights for fashion retailers in order to adapt their business models and ensure their survival within an increasingly globalized and digitized market environment.