Does Experience Matter? Understanding the Changes of Consumers’ Evaluation After Using an Online Apparel Mass Customization System

Abstract

By conducting an experiment, this research investigated consumers’ evaluation before and after using an Online Apparel Mass Customization (OAMC) system. A research model and hypotheses were developed based on a review of literature on technology acceptance (i.e., usefulness and ease of use), with additional factors including enjoyment, risks, and choice variety. The empirical study was conducted in a marketing research lab with student participants recruited from a major university in the United States. Descriptive statistics, reliability, K-Means cluster analysis, and paired-samples T-test were used to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicated that consumers who have better impressions toward an OAMC turned to have a significantly lower rate on enjoyment, ease of use, and choice variety evaluation; while consumers who have a lower expectation beforehand have a significantly higher evaluation on enjoyment, but a significantly lower evaluation on ease of use. Theoretical and practical implications were presented.