Volume 2
Issue 1
Spring 2009
Wanamaker's Department Store
Letter from the Editors
Annotated Bibliographies
STAR Research Papers
Annotated Bibliographies
Wanamaker Marketing and Advertisement
Kristen Alekna
full text / pdf 
The John Wanamaker Commercial Institute
Monet Grant
full text / pdf
Wanamaker's Christmas Light Show
Arianna Riccioni
full text / pdf
Wanamaker Building Architecture
Heather Stewart
full text / pdf
STAR Research Papers
You Are Who You Wear: A Conceptual Study of the Fashion Branding Practices of H&M, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters
Amanda Comunale
Abstract
In the winter of 2008, freshman students in the Design and Merchandising program at Drexel University were given questionnaires. Students were asked about their purchasing behavior, knowledge of supply chain initiatives, information sources, ethically marketed products, and demographic information. The respondents of this questionnaire consisted of fifty-eight females all ranging from eighteen to twenty years old. Questions asked students about aspects related to purchasing decisions. These included style, fit, color, quality, price, fabric, and brand image. The results of this survey suggested that almost half of the students considered brand image the least important when purchasing. However, most marketing and fashion research has shown that brand image is the most important. This contradiction led this researcher to explore the components and influences of branding in order to understand its importance to consumer behavior. Other results from the questionnaire revealed that the top three retailers for the students were Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and H&M suggesting that students might actually consider brand image important when shopping. In this paper, I will attempt to investigate these three retailers considering aspects of their perceived brand image. Theories related to branding and storytelling are first discussed to reveal how they impact a retail store’s brand. The major goal of this study, will be to conceptually show how branding impacts the purchasing behavior of consumers and influences what they buy at H&M, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters.
full text / pdf
The Power of Conscience Consumption
Meghan Lynch
Abstract
This paper is based upon a study conducted during the winter of 2008 questioned 59 Drexel University freshmen on their purchasing decisions. The purpose of the study was to determine whether ethical issues affect Generation Y consumer behavior. The results determined style, fit, and color as the first factors considered when purchasing garments. Price is also an essential factor and often serves as the final determinant in a purchase. Therefore, consumers are driven by reduced prices rather than product quality. Garments are easily disposed of after a single season instead being cherished as an addition to a wardrobe. Consumerism has become a practice of isolationism in which shoppers only consider the personal impact of their purchases.
full text / pdf