From court to catwalk: exploring consumer value expectancies in the evolution of sportswear to fashion wear

Purpose This research aims to investigate how consumer value expectancies influence the transition of sportswear into fashion wear through the lens of the jobs-to-be-done theory. Design/methodology/approach Taking the adoption of Tenniscore as an example, we gathered data from 3,681 Chinese respondents who have either purchased or are familiar with this fashion item. Using Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses, we uncovered some intriguing interactions among these factors. Findings Social-emotional jobs exert a significant yet negative influence on purchase intentions through subjective norms. This suggests that early adopters of fashion items may actively resist conforming to prevailing social expectations. Additionally, we discovered that functional jobs also have a significant but negative impact on purchase intentions via subjective norms. This indicates that the widespread popularity of a particular fashion style does not necessarily boost purchase intentions. Instead, consumers are likely to evaluate clothing based on how well it meets their individual functional needs and daily requirements. Originality/value First, this paper developed a comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates the extended theory of planned behavior and the jobs-to-be-done theory. Secondly, this study empirically investigated the weights from various expected value or “jobs” dimensions (personal emotional jobs, social emotional jobs and functional jobs) in shaping consumer fashion consumption. Thirdly, this paper explores the consumer’s adoption behavior for emerging trends in collectivistic culture, which can contribute to the refinement of existing theoretical frameworks developed in individualistic contexts.