To address the volatile nature of the retail industry, retailers have adopted clothing subscription services (CSS) to meet the demanding needs of consumers. This study provides insights into consumers’ perceptions and attitudes toward different types of CSS (i.e., non-curated vs. partially curated vs. fully curated).

 

Our experimental study uncovered that consumers with high aesthetic perception experience more cognitive dissonance (i.e., psychological discomfort in a consumer’s mind resulting from contradictory cognitive elements) towards a fully compared to a partially curated CSS, thereby impacting their attitudes toward and intention to purchase CSS. Due to today’s rapidly evolving retail industry, retailers endeavoring to engage in this business model should develop strategies to turn visitors into subscribers and decrease hesitation in novice consumers. Based on the results, we suggested that retailers should ascertain consumers’ level of aesthetic perception as it plays an essential role in CSS adoption.