Will modest fashion industry survive? Covid-19 puts fashion modest business to the test
List of Authors
  • Anizah Zainuddin , Sarah Irdina Ridzwan

Keyword
  • online and offline modest fashion business owners; strategic orientations; economic sustainability; thematic analysis

Abstract
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes to the retail world; this creates a challenge to businesses focusing on modest fashion. Many modest fashion business owners change their selling approach to online method. This creates challenges to the retail supply chain and online shopping activities because of the surge in online orders. This article examines how modest fashion business owners carry out their business activities during the pandemic situation. By adopting strategic orientations and economic sustainability theories in the content, 20 modest fashion business owners were interviewed using online or offline, and the interview questions are structured. The purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from the interview. The data was analysed by using thematic analysis. The results indicated that modest fashion business owners found that many of their customers converted to loyal customers since their business went online. This online thing gave a boost to their sales revenue denying the stigma of uncertainty about modest fashion business. Meanwhile, for the offline modest fashion business owners, they claim that they need to digitalize their business to stay relevant in the current business era. There was difficulty in getting information and support from the participants whom are both online and offline modest fashion business owners. It became the main weakness of this study. Nonetheless, this study was important for the modest fashion industry as it has discussed issues during the pandemic circumstance and business survival. The outcome of this study will assist the managers of the respective businesses whom may be in search of proactive strategies or value creation initiatives to benefit the future of their modest fashion business.

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