Determinants of Online Apparel Purchase Intention in an Emerging Economy: An Empirical Study of University Students in Vietnam

Abstract

This study identifies the key determinants of online apparel purchase intention among university students in Vietnam’s rapidly growing e-commerce market. Based on a quantitative survey of 142 students, data was analyzed using multiple regression. The findings reveal that Trust is the most powerful predictor, followed by Influencer Endorsement and Fashion Involvement. In contrast, traditional drivers like Subjective Norm and Perceived Usefulness were non-significant. The results underscore the practical necessity for online retailers to build a trustworthy ecosystem and engage in strategic influencer collaborations. Theoretically, this study contributes to consumer behavior literature by highlighting the evolving nature of social influence for Gen Z and the contextual limitations of established technology acceptance models.