Clothing Purchasing Behavior of Elderly Women

Abstract

A rapidly aging Korean population highlights the importance of investigating the actual state and needs of clothing for the elderly to provide basic information for a future senior industry. This paper surveyed clothing purchasing behaviors. The sample of this survey consisted of 210 females aged 55 over who live in Dajeoun and Nonsan. The data were analyzed by using SPSS. The major findings are as follows. First, most elderly women have bought the ready-made clothes in local markets. Second, the major consideration of clothing purchasing behavior was the possibility of outdoor wearing and color. They were satisfied with ready-made clothes because of the convenience to buy, design, and the necessity of the clothing brands for aged people. Third, they preferred pure cotton or mixed cotton even though they possessed the mixed cotton or synthetic fiber in clothing materials. Respondents preferred the feeling, heat-retaining property, and absorptiveness in textiles. The result indicates the demand for various material applications of functional textiles for elderly women.