Focus Group Guide

Brief Synopsis of the Research/Introductory section:

1) Why are we doing our research?

Okay so we are conducting this focus group for our research on ‘ What factors effect the purchase
intention of customers in the apparel industry of Pakistan’ and it is for our course ,Methods In
Business Research and not for the sales purposes.
2) Topic introduction:
Okay so our topic for this research is ‘Factors such as quality, price, merchandise mix, affecting
purchase intention of customers in the apparel industry’.

Rules of the focus group:

1) Be respectful, take turns

2) Eating, drinking, and leaving the room is not allowed
3) This focus group will last for maximum 60 minutes.
4) Phones and calls during the meeting aren’t allowed.

Explanation of Confidentiality:

1) This meeting will be recorded, only for convenience and accuracy and for educational purposes.
2) Identities will be kept confidential; no names will be used, or any personal information would be
kept confidential.

Introductions:

1) Okay so my name is Abdul Wasay, and I will be moderating today’s focus group.
2) Okay so we have 7 participants here, Respondent 3, Respondent 5, Respondent 6, Respondent 1,
Respondent 7, Respondent 4 and Respondent 2.

Focus Group Questions:

Okay, so let’s begin our focus group.

1) Please think about clothes. What comes to your mind?

Respondent 2: Clothes reflect who you are, and how you feel at the moment and when I buy
clothes, I go for trendy clothes.
Respondent 1: Clothes represent your personality; how confident you are.
 Respondent 3: When I think of clothes, I consider it a basic necessity that everyone needs
whether he is rich or poor, but what type of clothes you buy, it depends on your budget, some
people wear it for fashion, some wear to carry their personality and some people just wear it
because it is a basic necessity.

2) Talking about buying clothes, what has been your practice about buying clothes?
Respondent 1: So, if I talk about buying it online, I have faced a lot of difficulties but if I talk
about doing in-store shopping so I would prefer that over online.
Respondent 3: So, if I had two option to decide between online and in-store, just like
Respondent 1 mentioned, I would prefer in-store shopping.
Respondent 5: I also have faced a lot of difficulties buying it online, so I would prefer in-store
too.

3) How many of you have bought clothes in the last month? Show of hands.
So, 6 out of 7 respondents have bought clothes in the last month.

4) How many of you bought it online? Show of hands. Can you tell me the reasons why you
bought it online?
So, 3 out of 7 respondents have bought clothes online.
Respondent 6: I prefer online because you can not always go out to buy clothes, sometimes you
need clothes but you don’t have time so I would prefer online.
Respondent 2: I would also prefer online as it is more feasible.

5) How many of you did in-store shopping? Show of hands. Can you tell me the reasons why
you bought it in-store?
4 out of 7 respondents have bought clothes in store.
Respondent 1: You can try clothes when you do in-store shopping and you can try different
items, you get to see different variety of clothes and can make alteration, so that’s why I prefer
buying clothes in-store.
Respondent 3: As Respondent 1 mentioned when you go to mall, you don’t face size issues and
you can try clothes too and you can also check the quality of clothes.
Respondent 5: I also have similar reasons for buying it in store as you can try clothes also you
get to interact with different people, you enjoy shopping it instore, you feel as if you are part of a
 community, whereas in online you cannot experience all these things you are just sitting at your
home, so it seems boring to me.
Moderator: So, you guys think that you don’t get that many varieties in clothes when you buy
online also you can check the quality of clothes buy shopping instore and can make alterations.
So, how many of you think that quality is the main factor that makes you do instore shopping.
Raise your hands.
So, 3 out of 7 respondents believe that quality inspires you to do instore shopping.

6) If you had an option to choose between online or instore shopping, which one would you
prefer?
4 out of 7 respondents say that they will prefer buying clothes instore, while other 3 mentioned
that they would buy it online.

7) What you look in a brand while shopping, is it the quality of clothes, brands’ social image,
prices, variety of clothes, what is it that makes you buy from a particular brand?
Respondent 1: So, I think that price and quality are the main factors that persuade me to buy
clothes from a particular brand. Like the price should be bearable and also as we are shopping
from a brand so quality should be good.
Respondent 2: I think me as a consumer would prefer satisfaction, like I would prefer a brand
that would give me satisfaction and make me feel confident and a brands’ positive image also
influences me to buy clothes from a particular brand.
Moderator: So, you are saying that a brands’ social image impacts your purchase intention.
Respondent 2: Yes, mostly it does

8) Which brands did you shop from? Reasons for shopping from that particular brand?
Respondent 1: I have shopped from Outfitters and reason was that I had already bought some
shirts from outfitters and their quality was really good, so that’s why I shopped from Outfitters
again also there was another factor that was that their was an ongoing sales on all products so that
also influenced my decision to buy from Outfitters.
Moderator: So, that means that there were three main factors, one was the brand loyalty that
made you buy from the same brand again, the other was quality and the third factor was price.
Okay moving to the next person, yes Respondent 3.
Respondent 3: So, last time I bought these shorts, I needed them as they make me feel more
comfortable.
 Moderator: Which brand you bought it from?
Respondent 3: I bought these shorts from Outfitters
Moderator: So why outfitters?
Respondent 3: So, there are very less brands in Pakistan that sell good quality shorts, so I think
the variety they provide and quality they provide, makes me buy shorts from them.
Moderator: So, basically merchandise mix and quality of clothes makes you buy clothes from
Outfitters.
Respondent 3: Yes
Moderator: Respondent 4 you want to add on it.
Respondent 4: So, I bought clothes from Cougar and Ideas, and it was basically because some
friends suggested me to buy from these brands and other than that as Respondent 1 mentioned,
sales were the other factor that made me buy from these brands.
Moderator: So, friend referrals and price of the clothes made you buy clothes from Cougar and
Ideas.
Respondent 4: Yes
Moderator: Okay Respondent 6 what do you think?
Respondent 6: So, I bought these two three shirts from breakout and the main reason that I think
was the social or brand image of Breakout, then the other factor was size, because all brands do
not have accurate sizes that fits you, so their size variety is really good that’s why I prefer
Breakout.
Moderator: Okay, Respondent 5 what about you?
Respondent 5: So, I bought shorts from Metro.
Moderator: Why Metro?
Respondent 5: It is close to my apartment, so its feasible and convenient for me to buy from
Metro.
Moderator: So, feasibility is the factor that makes you buy clothes from Metro.

9) Please help me understand why didn’t you shop from this particular brand? Please give me
an example of a negative experience you had while shopping from this brand.
Respondent 2: I bought a trouser from Furor, as you know trousers are made for tough and rough
use, so the very next day, I was riding a bike and I fell and the trouser immediately teared up, I
was expecting that its quality would be good enough to bear the fall, but it didn’t, so that was one
negative experience that I had with Furor.
 Moderator: Okay!

10) How much more money would you be willing to pay for a shirt from Outfitters than that of
Cougar, ONE or Breakout?
Respondent 7: So, firstly I will compare with other brands that whether they have increased the
prices or not then I will decide.
Moderator: Okay, but if other brands have different prices that are less than that of Outfitters,
how much more money will you be willing to pay for buying a shirt from Outfitters.
Respondent 7: So, I will be willing to pay Rs.1000-Rs.1500 more.
Moderator: Okay, Respondent 1!
Respondent 1: So, I think that if the quality of clothes is good, I can pay up to Rs.1000
Moderator: Respondent 3, what about you?
Respondent 3: I think the same, that if the quality of clothes is good enough and worth it, so I
can pay Rs.1000-1500
Moderator: Okay!

11) What was your experience while shopping from Outfitters? What makes Outfitters worth
the buying?
Respondent 1: So, Outfitters have a really good atmosphere and setup, and you feel kind of
young and energetic while shopping from there, so they know what youth wants to wear.
Moderator: Okay Respondent 4, what about you?
Respondent 4: Quality is what I think makes Outfitters worth the buying.
Moderator: Okay!

12) What do you guys think about merchandise mix? Does it attract your or confuse you more?
Respondent 2: I think it Is very confusing for me and when I see a lot of variety in stores it gets
so difficult and exhausting for me and as a result, I leave the store. Hence brand should rather
than having so much variety have products that are in fashion and are liked by majority of
customers
Respondent 1 : I think merchandise mix is the variety and variation within a similar type of
products. Merchandise mix does attract me since its easier for me to decide considering the fact
that there is so much variety of process, quality, and designs. However, there is confusion
sometimes but if I know what to buy then I am clear and I can take a decision.
Respondent 6: It is definitely not confusing since when there will be more variety and when
 there is more variety ill have more options to choose from. It is a good thing to have greater
merchandise mix and I always choose brands that have more variety

13) The two pictures show the variety of products each brand offers. If you want to buy a
specific product for example a pant, will you prefer Brand A or Brand B.

Brand A:

Brand B:

Respondent 1: What I notice is the aesthetics of the page. Another major important factor that
will help be decided between both brand is the variety they have. Like limelight has limited
variety whereas charcoal has a lot hence if I am not going to buy a specific product and rather
going for a shopping haul, I’ll obviously choose charcoal since it has more options
 Respondent 3: Ill prefer charcoal since it has a good range of variety and since I have no issue
with more options therefore, I am more attracted towards charcoal.
Respondent 2: As I mentioned before I get confused with options hence if for exp I want to buy
a kurta then I’ll go to the limelight instead of confusing myself and going to charcoal.

14) If I tell you to brand A is cheaper as compared to Brand B will you still choose brand B and
why?
Respondent 1: Hmm this will be a tough decision and it will be highly dependent on other
factors like the price change and the need of the product. For exp if I want to try different
products and see what will suit me then I’ll still choose brand B as the experience will be worth
the price difference.
Respondent 2: Ill choose brand A since at the end of the day what matters is that it is cheap and
it will save me money.
Respondent 6: ill always choose variety and quality over price hence for me ill choose brand B
since at the end of the day I’ll be much more satisfied being the customer of brand B

15) Do you think this brand can be your go to brand and why is that?

Respondent 3: I think I cant just decide by the list of items. For me to decide my favourite brand,
it is essential to also consider the price and quality. Although on basis of merchandise mix ill go
for this brand.
Respondent 1: for me merchandise mix is the most important and all pakistani brands have more
or less same prices hence this brand can be my go-to brand
Respondent 2: I don’t think so because it does not have the products which I wear for exp shalwar
 kameez
Respondent 4: I think for me price is the most important factor hence without considering the
price I can not decide like this

16) What are the top 3(positioned priority wise) factors that affect your purchase decision?
 Merchandise mix
 Quality
 Price
 Multichannel

Respondent 3: 1. Quality, 2. Price, 3.Merchandise mix, 4.Multichannel

Respondent 1: 1.Merchandise Mix, 2.Price, 3.Quality, 4.Multichannel
Respondent 4: 1.Price, 2.Merchandise, 3.Quality, 4. Multichannel
Respondent 6: 1.Price, 2.Multichannel, 3.Quality, 4. Merchandise mix

17) How many of you buy only branded clothes and don’t go to the local market? Raise your
hand
4 out of 7 respondents raised their hand.

Moderator: Those of you who buy only branded products, tell us the one reason behind this?
Respondent 1: Quality is the main factor behind this because there is always some fault in
products which we buy from the local market. Another reason is their return policy, means if we
see any fault in branded products, they always have their return policy with which we can go to
certain brands for exchange or we can also take our money back.
Respondent 2: Reliability is the one factor that takes me to buy clothes from brands instead of
going to the local market. Another main reason is their customer service which attracts me like
they always respect their customer and give him good service and protocol.
Respondent 3: Although branded clothes and accessories are expensive, they have a long life
like you can wear that thing much more times and you will see very little any change in their
texture or color. But local market clothes have very short life, due to which I don’t buy clothes
from local market. I bought shoes from a very famous brand six years back; I still use those shoes
and they are like they were six years back.
 Respondent 5: Quality and texture are the main thing due to which I buy clothes only from
famous brands. Also wearing branded clothes gives me confidence and I feel energetic, and
society also needs this. I think that if I wear clothes from local brands, I will lose confidence.

18) How many of you feel personal satisfaction after buying clothes from your favorite brands?
2 out of 7 respondents raised their hand
Respondent 1: Most of the time I feel satisfaction. Because my favorite brand always gives me
confidence whenever I wear that. Plus, whenever I go for shopping, I always go to outfitters first
because I know that if I get what I am looking for, from outfitters then there is not any brand
which takes over that or gives me that much satisfaction, and I will buy that from outfitters
without going to any other brand. And I would know that everything is going to be perfect if I
bought this from my favorite brand.
Respondent 2: I feel satisfied after purchasing from my favorite brand because I would know
that there is going to be not any fault in this product as I trust this brand and If I give you the
example, whenever I buy polo shirt from Giordano, I feel happiness and feel confident while
wearing that. So yeah, your favorite brand gives you satisfaction.
Respondent 3: The main reason behind satisfaction is social pressure, which is a good thing in
this though, because it motivates us to wear good clothes and look good all the time. So, this
satisfaction comes from there.

19) How likely are you to stick with your brand if your brand increases prices of their
products? Raise your hand
3 out of 7 respondents raised their hand
Respondent 4: If the prices increase a lot like which are not bearable then obviously you will
look for some other good alternate brands and if the price increases overall in all brands, then I
will go with my brand in which I have trust at least.

20) How much will you be willing to pay extra for a shirt of your favorite brand?
Respondent 1: If there is difference in price which ranges from 1k to 1.5k, I will stick to my
brand instead of wasting money on new brands or trying alternatives. Money is the main factor in
this, which will make me decide upon this.
Respondent 2: I will stick to my favorite brand if the prices are increasing overall in all brands
and even though when other brands have low rate than my favorite brand, I will stick to my
 personal brand and pay more money for a shirt because that at least that will give me confidence
while wearing in society and reliable it will be.
Respondent 3: I may not be able to stick to it if they increase price and the difference between
the old and new rice is a lot that I can’t bear then I may switch to brand which will be affordable
for me in that price range.

21) On the scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the price of your favorite brand? (1 being
the least and 5 being the most)
4 respondents: 4
3 respondents: 5
The majority was satisfied with the price of their brand on the other hand some respondents also
had some issues with the price, but they were still buying from them.

22) Whenever you think of your favorite brand what comes to your mind? Or what do you guys
like most about your favorite brand?
Respondent 1: I like breakout (clothing brand) just because their physical stores are way more
beautiful than others plus the quality and variety of products, they give to their customers are just
outstanding. This makes one brand in customers mind and makes customers loyal.
Respondent 2: The reason behind liking my favorite brand the most is their online store, in
which everything is perfectly arranged.
Moderator: So, you are loyal to your favorite brand just because their online store is perfectly
arranged?
Respondent 2: I believe that now a days no one has enough time after a hectic daily routine to go
to shopping malls and visit different outlets for the sake of shopping and to make his day more
hectic. A sensible brand should provide every service online like if you have any size issue, you
can contact them online and they resolve your issue plus if you want to exchange something after
buying, they should have a good and customer friendly return policy. And these are the things
which make customers loyal to their brand and create a good image in the consumer’s mind.
And these are reasons due which I like my brand so much that I trust them blindly and I always
prefer to shop from it online and If I have time I go in store.
23) When buying clothes how you decide the pricing is fair?

Moderator: A fair and reasonable price is the price point for a good or service that is fair to both parties
involved one customer and the seller.
Respondent 6: For me fair pricing comes in with fair product. Whenever someone buys a new shirt in
my university, I usually ask them details like pricing, brand, and quality. This gives me prior knowledge
of the product and experience of the customer already using brand.

Respondent 2: As I am doing fashion stuff on social media, so I use the right power with my clicks on
my screen. I go to the websites and social media handles of the brands following the new arrivals and
then reading comments and reviews give me the better understanding of product being fairly priced.

Respondent 4: I go for how the apparel fits my body. If checking room mirror gives me a good selfie, I
am good with any price.

24)Do these sales and discounts really attract you to go and buy?

Respondent 7: Obviously, who don’t want to buy good clothes at a discounted price. I keep saving
money and use them to buy my favorite clothes and apparels when they are on sales and are discounted.
This helps me to buy expensive clothes. For example, one of my friends bought this jacket in winters for
8k from cougar and the same jacket I bought for 4k in season end sales to use it whenever needed.

Moderator: I had a same experience.

Respondent 5: Yes, less prices attracts me more to buy unless the quality is not being compromised. I
had a good experience with special days and discounts these brands celebrate like Pakistan Day Sale, Eid
Sales, and all.

Respondent 3: I usually buy clothes from local market but whenever sale season starts, I usually go and
buy a few polos for me.

What do you prefer when buying clothes? Please vote by raising hands

Voting
Respondent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
s
Quality Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pricing Yes Yes Yes
Customer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
reviews
Friends Yes Yes Yes Yes
Suggestion
Ending: Okay, so this is the end of the focus group, I would like to thank everyone for their time, it was a
really insightful and fun session, I hope all of you enjoyed it too, I hope we have further interactions too
and I would again like to thank you for your time and cooperation. Take care!

Appendix:

Screener:

Screener that we designed to screen the participants; all the respondents first filled it that helped us ensure
that we have selected the right people for this focus group

https://forms.gle/BKPxvGurvBT4o1n8A

Recording of the meeting:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MzIbc_l23oRG_4ZymmUiJQTvOgCcyTOy?
usp=share_link