중고거래 이용 동기에 따른 시장 세분화 -지속가능 패션 소비자 집단 규명-

초록

As the importance of the circular economy grows, the second-hand market continues to expand. However, consumers participate in second-hand transactions for various reasons, and participation itself does not necessarily imply sustainable consumption. This study aimed to segment consumers based on their motivations for engaging in second-hand transactions and identify the characteristics of sustainable fashion consumers. A survey was conducted with consumers aged 20’s to 50’s who had purchased or sold second-hand clothing within the six months. A total of 800 responses were analyzed. K-means cluster analysis was employed to identify consumer segments, while ANOVA and chisquare tests were used to examine differences among the groups. Four motivation factors were identified, economic, ethical, hedonic, and epistemic motives. Based on these factors, respondents were classified into four segments. The active group(22.1%) exhibited high environmental consciousness and actively participated in second-hand transaction, but also demonstrated strong fashion involvement and frequent purchases of new clothing, indicating overall high levels of clothing consumption. The sustainable group(29.5%) showed high environmental awareness and strong intentions to engage in secondhand transactions while displaying low interest in clothing and a slow clothing purchase cycle relatively. Their restrained consumption patterns and selective participation in second-hand transactions suggest that they represent the most sustainable consumer segment. The uniqueness-seeking group(29.4%) primarily used second-hand markets to discover distinctive fashion items rather than to pursue sustainability, whereas the economic-oriented group(19%) participated mainly for financial benefits and exhibited relatively low engagement in both fashion and environmental activities. This study extends the literature by demonstrating that participation in second-hand transactions alone should not be regarded as sustainable consumption. By identifying consumer segments based on motivations and clothing consumption behaviors, this study provides a foundation for understanding sustainable consumers within the circular fashion market.

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