How consumers process CSR and innovation: ELM dual route and gendered mechanisms in fast fashion branding

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects and relationships of corporate social responsibility transparency (CSRT) and product innovation (ProI) elements on brand image (BI) and purchase intention (PurI) in fast fashion brand communication strategies. Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), this study further investigates whether personal involvement (PI) moderates these relationships and whether differences in consumer motivational behavior emerge across gender groups within the research framework. Design/methodology/approach Online survey data were collected from 360 consumers in Taiwan who had prior purchase experience with UNIQLO. Structural equation modelling (SEM) based on the partial least squares (PLS) approach was used to test the proposed hypotheses, examine the moderating role of PI and test gender differences using PLS multi-group analysis (MGA). Findings Both CSRT and ProI exert significant positive effects on BI, which in turn strongly predicts PurI. BI fully mediates the effects of CSRT and ProI on PurI, while the direct effects of CSRT and ProI on PurI are not significant. PI variable significantly moderates the impact of ProI on BI, but does not significantly moderate the effect of CSRT on BI. The results of this study suggest that motivationally relevant PI amplifies sensitivity to ProI to BI path, which can be viewed as the central route (CR) in ELM, whereas PI does not significantly moderate CSRT to BI path, which can be viewed as the peripheral route (PR) in ELM. MGA further indicates that the ProI to BI effects (CR) are significantly stronger for male consumers, whereas the effect of CSRT to BI effects (PR) has no significant differences across genders. Originality/value This study contributes to sustainable branding research by integrating CSRT and ProI within its research framework and demonstrating that their effects on PurI operate primarily through the mediation of BI. By incorporating PI as a motivational variable, the findings highlight that consumer responses to heterogeneous brand signals are conditional rather than uniform. The results extend the ELM-based persuasion research by showing that PI amplifies responsiveness to ProI related information, while CSRT exerts a more stable influence. Furthermore, the gendered mechanism was confirmed by PLS-MGA, indicating that the effects of ProI on BI (CR) are significantly stronger for male consumers, whereas the effects of CSRT on BI (PR) have no significant differences across genders. From a managerial perspective, the findings suggest that CSR communication can be broadly leveraged across gender segments, whereas innovation-focused messaging may be particularly effective among male consumers.