Consumers are increasingly recognising the adverse implications of fast fashion. Consequently, consumers’ enthusiasm for disposable fashion has decreased, with a growing shift towards second-hand clothing, especially among Generation Z. This conceptual paper reports the preliminary work of the research that aims to identify the characteristics that influence young consumers’ purchase of second-hand clothing via social commerce sites. Particular constructs of the conceptual framework are built based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Theory. Utilising electronic word of mouth (eWOM) as the Stimulus; attitude and online engagement as the Organism, and purchase intention as the Response, this study explores how these factors interact with each other. Additionally, purchase intention is hypothesised to be moderated by ego involvement and treasure-hunting fun. This empirical study focuses on Generation Z consumers in Malaysia by gathering data through survey questionnaire. The findings are expected to demonstrate the influence of the hypothesised criteria and their relevance to second-hand clothing consumption. Thus, the practical and theoretical implications in multiple fields such as retail, sustainable fashion, textile recycling and upcycling can be given as a potential contribution from this research.
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