From Food Trucks to Fashion Trucks: An Exploration of the Fashion Truck Phenomenon through the Eyes of the Entrepreneur

Abstract

<p>Recently, the food truck model has quickly become a phenomenon that's revolutionized the restaurant industry (Weber, 2012). Taking a cue from the food truck craze, many entrepreneurs are applying the food truck model to the apparel retail market by selling their merchandise through fashion trucks or mobile retailers (Feloni, 2014). While the notion of mobile retailers has recently gained popularity, no academic study to date has assessed this trend. Thus, the purpose of this study is to gain deeper understanding of the fashion truck phenomenon from a retail entrepreneur perspective. An exploratory study was conducted to address the lack of research concerning the fashion truck phenomenon. Using a qualitative research approach, primary data was collected by researchers via in-depth interviews with six fashion truck entrepreneurs. Four broad themes were identified from the interviews: (1) Mobile is Social, (2) Personal Touch, (3) A Taste of the Unique, and (4) Passion Project.</p>