Generational Differences in Online Fashion Return Behavior in China: A Cross-Cohort Analysis

Sammanfattning

This thesis investigates generational differences in online fashion return behavior in China, focusing on wardrobing and bracketing. An integrated framework combining the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Generational Cohort Theory (GCT) is tested using a sequential explanatory mixed‑methods design. The quantitative phase surveyed 225 Chinese fashion e‑commerce consumers (Generations X, Y, and Z, 75 each). Data were analyzed using PLS‑SEM with multi‑group analysis and ANOVA. The qualitative phase included 14 semi‑structured interviews analyzed thematically. Quantitative results show that attitude strongly predicts return intention for both behaviors (β = 0.74 for wardrobing; β = 0.84 for bracketing). However, none of the hypothesized generational differences in path coefficients (H1a–H3b) are significant, and the moderating effect of sustainability consciousness on attitude‑intention (H4a, H4b) is rejected. The only significant cohort difference is that Generation X scores higher on sustainability consciousness than Generation Z. Qualitatively, cohorts differ not in how strongly attitudes translate into intentions, but in the moral grammar underlying those attitudes: Generation Z emphasizes platform rules and consumer rights, Generation Y real‑need adequacy and consequences, and Generation X relational ethics and labor empathy. The study demonstrates that in the Chinese fashion e‑commerce context, generational effects operate primarily on construct meaning and antecedent‑belief content, not on belief‑intention translation. Practically, platforms should reduce information asymmetry for bracketing and strengthen risk management for wardrobing, rather than relying on blanket return restrictions.