Journal Archive

International Journal of Costume and Fashion - Vol. 23 , No. 1
[Paper List] [Go to Volume List]

[ Article ]
International Journal of Costume and Fashion - Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 1-15
Abbreviation: IJCF
ISSN: 2233-9051 (Print) 2288-7490 (Online)
Print publication date 30 Jun 2023
Received 18 Apr 2023 Revised 23 May 2023 Accepted 06 Jun 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7233/ijcf.2023.23.1.001

Weather-Related Complaints from Fashion Retailers : Environmental Scan from Korean Newspapers from 2000 to 2020
Jungmi Oh†
Research Professor, Research Center for Climate Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea

Correspondence to : †ohjungmi@pusan.ac.kr

Funding Information ▼

Citation Oh, J. (2023). Weather-related complaints from fashion retailers: Environmental scan from Korean newspapers from 2000 to 2020. International Journal of Costume and Fashion, 23(1), 1-15.

Abstract

In the seasonal fashion retail market, unexpected weather is cited as a significant factor in sluggish sales. The average temperatures of four seasons in Korea have risen as much as 1.3°C compared to 50 years ago. In addition, the season onset dates and duration of the seasons have shifted, with summer getting about 21 days longer and winter about eight days shorter. Through text frequency analysis of headlines of newspapers published from 2000 to 2020, this study aims to comprehend and outline weather-related complaints discussed in the fashion industry. The weather-related complaints include Changma, cold wave, delayed season, early season, heat wave, hot summer, seasonless, transition season, unseasonable weather, warm winter, wind, and wintry spring. According to weather effects on the fashion retail market, those complaints are classified into seasons-related, temperature-related, and non-temperature-related complaints. The impact of each classification on the industry was illustrated with historical events in the newspapers. In conclusion, this study proposes suggestions for the fashion industry to adapt and prepare for unexpected weather changes.

Keywords: Climate change-induced weather change, Fashion supply chain, Sales, Overstock, Weather-related complaint
Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2021S1A5B5A16077490).

References
1. Agnew, M. D., & Palutikof, J. P. (1999). The impact of climate on retailing in the UK with particular reference to the anomalously hot summer. International Journal of Climatology, 19(13), 1493-1507.
2. An, S.-I., Ha, K.-J., Seo, K.-H., Yeh, S.-W., Min, S.-K., & Ho, C.-H. (2011). A review of recent climate trends and causes over the Korean Peninsula. Journal of Climate Change Research, 2(4), 237-251.
3. Ansoff, H. I. (1975). Managing strategic surprise by response to weak signals. California Management Review, 18(2), 21-33.
4. Arnett, G. (2019, August 14). Fashion should not stop blaming the weather for poor sales. Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.voguebusiness.com/companies/fashion-brands-weather-sales-data-supply-chain
5. Arunraj, N. S., & Ahrens, D. (2016). Estimation of non-catastrophic weather impacts for retail industry. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 44(7), 731-753.
6. Bahng, Y., & Kincade, D. H. (2012) The relationship between temperature and sales: sales data analysis of retailer of branded women’s business wear. Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 40, 410-426.
7. Bang, Y. D. (2018, October 15). Department store autumn sales increased more than 10% in the early cold. Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.mk.co.kr/news/business/view/2018/10/641888/
8. Barbaro, M. (2017, December 2). Meteorologists shape fashion trends. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/business/02weather.html
9. Bertrand, J.-L., Brusset, X., & Fortin, M. (2015). Assessing and hedging the cost of unseasonal weather: Case of the apparel sector. European Journal of Operational Research, 244(1), 261-276.
10. Bertrand, J.-L., & Parnaudeau, M. (2019). Understanding the economic effects of abnormal weather to mitigate the risk of business failures. Journal of Business Research, 98, 391-402.
11. Cha, G. H., & Lee, H. G. (2006, October 17). The autumn heat goes on until the middle of next month: The fashion world is struggling because it doesn't sell autumn and winter clothes. Korea Economic Daily. Retrieved from https://www.hankyung.com/news/article/2006101786171
12. Changnon, S. A. (1999). Impacts of 1997-98 El Niño-generated weather in the United States. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 80(9), 1819-1827.
13. Changnon, S. A. (2005). Economic impacts of climate conditions in the United States: Past, present, and future. Climatic Change, 68, 1-9.
14. Cheong, S. G. (2019, January 21). Clothing company stocks weaken in warm winter. Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.mk.co.kr/news/stock/view/2019/01/43664/
15. Cheong, S. W., Im, Y. S., Lee, H. J., & Cho, J. H. (2011, July 29). Heavy rain, heat wave, heavy snow, and extreme cold. Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2011/07/494198/
16. Cho, H.-S. (2004, March 13). Department store spring new clothing sales dropped. Korea Herald. Retrieved from https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/016/0000129092?sid=101
17. Choi, G., Kwon, W.-T., & Robinson, D. A. (2006). Seasonal onset and duration in South Korea. Journal of the Korean Geographical Society, 41(4), 435-456.
18. Choi, G. C. (2010, December 1). Department stores in November made a profit because of the cold temperature. Financial News. Retrieved from https://www.fnnews.com/news/201012011837176503?t=y
19. Choi, G. Y., & Kwon, W. T. (2001). The shift of natural seasons and changes of life temperature indices in South Korea during the 20th century. Journal of Geography Education, 45, 14-25.
20. Choo, C. W. (2001). Environmental scanning as information seeking and organizational learning. Information Research, 7(1). Retrieved from http://informationr.net/ir/7-1/paper112.html
21. Chu, K., Kim, S., & Choi, C. (2013). A study on the impact of weather on sales and optimal budget allocation of weather marketing. Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society, 38(1), 153-181.
22. Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
23. Deshier, J. (1988). Working with our publics. In-service education for cooperative extension. Module 7: Techniques for future perspectives. North Carolina State University. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED321018.pdf
24. Doeringer, P., & Crean, S. (2006). Can fast fashion save the US apparel industry? Socio-Economic Review, 4(3), 353-377.
25. Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2012). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15-31.
26. Han, K. H. (2021). Prediction of women’s golf wear sales using machine learning: Focused on weather factors and days of the week. Journal of Korean Society Costume, 71(1), 17-33.
27. Harry, B., Sturges, K. L., & Klingner, J. K. (2005). Mapping the process: An exemplar of process and challenge in grounded theory analysis. Educational Researcher, 34(2), 3-13.
28. Hong, J., & Lee, H. (2013). A study on the sales forecast model of apparel products using meteorological factors. Journal of Commodity Science and Technology, 31(1), 109-122.
29. Hong, J.-H., Lee, H.-J., & Na, J.-H. (2012). Effects of meteorological factors on the sales of seasonal products. Journal of Distribution and Management Research (JDMR), 15(6), 5-15.
30. Hwangbo, H., Kim, E. H., & Chae, J. M. (2017). The influences of meteorological factors, discount rate, and weekend effect on the sales volume of apparel products. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 19(4), 434-447.
31. Jang, Y. E. (2014, August 28). The dry rainy season hit the retail sector. Edaily. Retrieved from https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01269366606191912&mediaCodeNo=257&OutLnkChk=Y
32. Ji, H. J.(2018, August 2). A ‘super heatwave’ after 111 year s…Older men also go to department stores. Asia Business Daily. Retrieved from http://view.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2018080208330062302
33. Jin, S. G., Kim, J. M., & Cheong, S. W. (2010, April 14) Winterly Spring…Spring products do not sell well. Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.mk.co.kr/news/business/view/2010/04/190662/
34. Kim, E. H., Hwangbo, H., & Chae, J. M. (2017). The effects of meteorological factors on the sales volume of apparel products: Focused on the fall/winter season. The Research Journal of the Costume Culture, 25(2), 117-129.
35. Kim, G. S. (2008, July 14). Sales increase due to dry rainy season in the department store industry. Financial News. Retrieved from https://www.fnnews.com/news/200807141447370716?t=y
36. Kim, H. N. (2012, September 7). As the chilly autumn approaches… Seasonal clothing sales ‘surge’. Korea Economic Daily. Retrieved from https://www.hankyung.com/news/article/201209078618g
37. Kim, M. G. (2013, May 6). Retailers cry over poor spring clothing sales. Edaily. Retrieved from https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01111926602806296&mediaCodeNo=257
38. Kim, T. J. (2001, January 10). Because of the heavy snow, decrease in department store sales and an increase in Internet shopping sales. JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved from https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/4020744#home
39. Korea Federation of Textile Industries. (2020). Korean fashion industry’s new deal implementation strategy. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Retrieved from https://www.motie.go.kr/common/download.do?fid=bbs&bbs_cd_n=81&bbs_seq_n=163489&file_seq_n=1
40. Korea Federation of Textile Industries. (2021). Sewing company fact sheet result report. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Retrieved from https://kostat.go.kr/portal/korea/kor_pi/8/7/index.board?bmode=download&bSeq=&aSeq=365712&ord=2
41. Korea Meteorological Administration. (2011). 2011 abnormal climate report. Retrieved from http://www.climate.go.kr/home/cc_data/2012/2011_abnormalclimate_report.pdf
42. Korea Meteorological Administration. (2017). 2016 El Niño white paper. Retrieved from http://www.climate.go.kr/home/download/2016_elnino.pdf
43. Korea Meteorological Administration. (2020). Korean climate change assessment report 2020: The physical science bases. Retrieved from http://www.climate.go.kr/home/cc_data/2020/Korean_Climate_Change_Assessment_Report_2020_2_eng_summary.pdf
44. Korea Meteorological Administration. (n.d.). Observation data. Retrieved from http://www.climate.go.kr/home/CCS/contents_2021/37_2_past_analysis_recent.php
45. Kowalski, R. M. (1996). Complaints and complaining: Functions, antecedents, and consequences. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 179-196.
46. Kwon, K. Y. (2020). Co-evolution of Korean sewing industry (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
47. Kwon, Y.-A., Kwon, W.-T., & Boo, K.-O. (2007). Future projections on the change of onset date and duration of natural seasons using SRES A1B data in South Korea. Journal of Korean Geographical Society, 42(6), 835-850.
48. Lee, J. (2017). Future trend in seasonal lengths and extreme temperature distributions over South Korea. Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 53, 31-41.
49. Lee, J. H. (2012, April 4). Snowy spring…Sluggish spring sales. Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved from https://biz.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/04/04/2012040402241.html
50. Lee, J. H., & Kim, M. H. (2010, January 8). Heavy snow is coming! Call for a special weather team. Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2010/01/13880/
51. Lee, J. W. (2015, December 16), Companies that build an antenna for ‘anomalous weather events’. Hankyoreh. Retrieved from https://m.hani.co.kr/arti/economy/economy_general/722235.html#cb
52. Lee, K.-K., Park, Y., Han, S.-P., & Kim, H. C. (2020). The alerting effect from rising public awareness of air quality on the outdoor activities of megacity residents. Sustainability, 12(3), 820.
53. Lee, M. H., Kwak, Y. S., Hwang, S.-J. (2014). A study on the dynamic purchase response function for fashion goods. Journal of the Korean Society of Costume, 64(2), 35-49.
54. Lee, S. B. (2016, January 24). The strongest cold wave impacted retailers…Sales of expensive padded jackets tripled. Korea Economic Daily. Retrieved from https://www.hankyung.com/news/article/2016012498761
55. Lee, S. H. (2014, October 3). ‘Fall’ disappears from department stores. Kyunghyang Shinmun. Retrieved from https://www.khan.co.kr/economy/markettrend/article/201410032147245
56. Lee, Y. M. (2016, January 23). Finally, it is cold outside: Retailers belated to sell winter clothes. Yonhap News. Retrieved from https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20160122178600030?input=1195m
57. Lim, D., & Lho, S. (2018). The economic impacts of weather on the textile and apparel industry and implications. Journal of Korean Data Analysis Society, 20(3), 1359-1367.
58. Martínez-de-Albéniz, V., & BelKaid, A. (2021). Here comes the sun: Fashion goods retailing under weather fluctuations. European Journal of Operational Research, 294(3), 820-830.
59. Min, S.-K., Son, S.-W., Seo, K.-H., Kug, J.-S., An, S.-I., Choi, Y.-S., … & Lee, M.-I. (2015). Changes in weather and climate extremes over Korea and possible causes: A review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 51, 103-121.
60. Oh, H. (2015). Measuring the weather risk in manufacturing and service sectors in Korea. Environmental and Resource Economics Review, 24(3), 551-572.
61. Oh, J., Ha, K.-J., & Jo, Y.-H. (2022a). A predictive model of seasonal clothing demand with weather factors. Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 58, 667-678.
62. Oh, J., Ha, K.-J., & Jo, Y.-H. (2022b). Use of weather factors in clothing studies in Korea and its implications: A review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 58, 729-741.
63. Oh, J., & Jo, Y.-H. (2011). Challenges for clothing retailers in an anomalous weather event. The Journal of the Korean Society of Knit Design, 9(2), 1-7.
64. Oh, J., Jo, Y.-H., & Ha, K.-J. (2021). The effect of anomalous weather on the seasonal clothing market in New York. Meteorological Application, 28(2), e1982.
65. Oh, J. H., Oh, H. S., & Choi, K. M. (2017). A study on clothes sales forecast system using weather information: Focused on S/S clothes. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 19(3), 289-295.
66. Park, J. H. (2017, May 7). Retailers’ sales are stagnant due to fine and yellow dust. Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved from https://biz.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2017/05/07/2017050700446.html
67. Park, M. J. (2018, July 17). The hottest in 24 years… ‘Economics of a heatwave’. Asia Business Daily. Retrieved from http://view.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2018071710213612979
68. Park, S. Y. (2008, March 6). Late cold pushed out spring clothing. Financial News. Retrieved from https://www.fnnews.com/news/200803061702243363?t=y
69. Park, S. Y. (2011, January 20). The cold wave boosted sales in the fashion industry. Asia Business Daily. Retrieved from http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2011012011021652786
70. Pasquarelli, A. (2015, November 23). Weather woes spell red for retailer. Advertising Age. Retrieved from https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/weather-woes-spell-red-retailers/301461
71. Rhyu, Y. M. (2009, October 7). ‘Department store autumn sale’ extended by 7 days.. Will it lead to Rising sales? Edaily. Retrieved from https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01095526589850624&mediaCodeNo=257&OuLnkChk=Y
72. Roth Tran, B. (2019). Sellin’ in the Rain: Adaptation to weather and climate in the retail sector. Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2019-067. Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system.
73. Song, T. H. (2011, December 1). Department store sales in November were the lowest since the end of 2008. Korea Economic Daily. Retrieved from https://www.hankyung.com/news/article/201112018519i
74. Starr-McCluer, M. (2000, January 12). The effects of weather on retail sales. SSRN. Retrieved from https://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2000/200008/200008pap.pdf
75. Statistics Korea. (2021). Fine dust (PM2.5) concentration. Retrieved from http://www.index.go.kr/unify/idx-info.do?idxCd=4275
76. Weigel, R. R., Fetsch, R. J., Jenson, G. O., Yang, R. K., & Rogers, D. L. (1992). Issues validation: A new environmental scanning technique for family life educators. Family Relations, 41(3), 251-255.
77. Zaczkiewicz, A. (2016, October 18). Is climate change killing the seasonality of fashion apparel retailing? Women’s Wear Daily. Retrieved from https://wwd.com/businessnews/business-features/climate-change-impact-fashion-apparel-10525390/
 

IJCF

The Korean Society of Costume

Hanshin Bldg. #1616, 12, Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea, zip code 04175
Phone: +82-2-324-1711 ⏐ Fax: +82-2-324-1511 ⏐ Homepage: http://ijcf.ksc.or.kr/ ⏐ E-mail: ijcf@ksc.or.kr