Influence of appearance orientation, BI and purchase intention on customer expectations of service quality in Hong Kong intimate apparel retailing

Breasts are important to a woman's body image (BI). The preferred chest size continues to grow while thinness is idealised. This study took place in Hong Kong intimate apparel retail stores and explored the relationships between various aspects of female self-image and their purchase intentions for lingerie through expectations in customer service, measured by a modified SERVQUAL scale. The proposed model is verified by using structural equation modelling from a survey data of 204 Chinese females. Findings suggest that both appearance orientation (AO) and BI have significant effects on the expectations of service quality. A higher AO is associated with higher service expectations. BI is also positively correlated with service expectations, but to less extent than AO. Individual items of the modified SERVQUAL scale are compared. Theoretical and managerial implications of the results are also discussed.