chapter provides background information to the issue under research study as well as the research process. In this respect, the subject under investigation is the consumers’ perceptions of rental fashion in the UK. Similarly, the research question, as well as objectives, are also outlined in the chapter.
Background
In contemporary times, the sharing economy is evident in accommodation, travel, food, and, most recently, fashion. Apart from using cloth renting stores, consumers in the UK purchase most of their clothes through online shopping or e-commerce sites (Scuotto et al., 2017). For copious consumers, online shopping is viewed as convenient and time-saving. Moreover, these consumers can compare the products and prices of various suppliers to have the best offers. As a result of comparing the best products and prices, there is higher anticipation of fashionable clothes. It is apparent that clothe renting is currently changing the development of UK’s fashion industry because many people are accepting the notion of replacing buying with renting (Brydges et al., 2018). Presently, rental fashion in the country is dominated by the dance and wedding stores, which offer rental services to their customers when they need to participate in momentous occasions such as banquets. However, according to Scuotto et al. (2017), consumer trends tend to be dynamic because of the nature of the fashion industry, which is never static. Yang et al. (2017) point out that many consumers agree that renting offers the latest fashion at a price that is relatively low compared to buying, making it attractive. As such, the best mode of advertising to these consumers relative to rental fashion has been fashion-related websites and magazines. Therefore, the benefits of rental fashion, as seen above, are attributed to a variety of choices and affordable price.