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Amidst escalating sustainability challenges, product and brand managers face a pressing need to foster responsible consumption and marketing strategies. Guided by the theory of planned behavior, this paper aims to explore consumers’ motivation to purchase second-hand clothing, a type of product that contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production by democratizing the brand, extending the life-cycle of the product, promoting a circular economy, while reducing economic costs for consumers and environmental costs for companies.

A two-stage study was conducted: 20 consumers were initially interviewed to identify the salient beliefs about second-hand clothing, and following that, a survey was conducted with 449 consumers to statistically analyze consumers’ motivation to purchase second-hand clothing. The data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA).

From a “should-have” perspective (PLS-SEM), the study reveals that behavioral beliefs, injunctive normative beliefs, descriptive normative beliefs and control beliefs positively shape attitudes, injunctive norms, descriptive norms and perceived behavioral control toward second-hand clothing, whereas attitudes, injunctive norms, moral norms and perceived behavioral control positively influence consumers’ purchases of second-hand clothing. From a “must-have” perspective (NCA), the study shows that behavioral beliefs, injunctive normative beliefs and descriptive normative beliefs are necessary conditions to positively shape attitudes, injunctive norms and descriptive norms toward second-hand clothing, whereas attitudes, injunctive norms and perceived behavioral control are necessary conditions to stimulate second-hand clothing purchases.

The study offers a deep dive into consumers’ motivation to purchase second-hand clothing using a multimethod approach that enables not only the elicitation of salient beliefs (through interviews) but also the empirical examination of these beliefs alongside varying subjective norms in motivating consumers to purchase second-hand clothing (via survey). Given that beliefs are deeply rooted, the rigorous unfolding and validation of consumers’ beliefs about second-hand clothing, including the “should-haves” versus the “must-haves,” provide finer-grained insights that product and brand managers can strategically use to encourage consumers to purchase second-hand clothing.

This study is among the first to integrate the technology acceptance model (TAM) and value-based adoption model (VAM) in the context of augmented reality (AR) shopping. It assesses how consumers' rational (TAM) and emotional (VAM) factors influence their intention to use AR in online shopping via perceived value and consumer engagement.

This study uses a quantitative research approach and employs a standardized survey questionnaire distributed on social media platforms to recruit Gen Z members who are potential buyers or users of AR technology. SmartPLS 4.0 was used to test the responses of 204 respondents.

The results indicate that consumers who perceive a higher value of AR in shopping are inclined to use AR in their future shopping when AR shopping is easy to use, useful, personalized, innovative and provides a highly engaging experience. Interestingly, perceived sacrifice did not influence perceived value. This study confirms that integrating TAM and VAM is instrumental in capturing value, which in turn influences engagement and the intention to use AR in online shopping.

This study further extends the conceptualization of AR perceived value by combining rational components derived from TAM and VAM, thus leading to a sturdy and theoretically grounded framework. In addition, this study contributes to the literature on extended reality, namely AR shopping, and helps brand managers manage highly evolving AR experience for Gen Z.