Shoppers of ultra-fast fashion companies, such as Shein and Temu, say despite being aware of environmental and ethical concerns other factors such as price, convenience and not feeling personally responsible keep them coming back.
A new study published in the Journal of Global Fashion Marketing this week found millennials, who frequently expressed concern about ethical and sustainability issues, often did not translate this concern into purchasing behaviour.
The study surveyed 20 Australian millennials who shopped on ultra-fast fashion sites about what informed their purchasing behaviours.
It found affordability, convenience, promotions, social media trends, novelty, variety and social validation were the biggest purchase drivers.
For some, affordability meant they were likely to purchase styles they may not usually try and make riskier choices.
You can get five things for the price of one at other places.
I can redo my wardrobe every season without hurting my bank account.
It's perfect when I need something quick and cheap for an event.
The study also found the purchases were usually not spontaneous, with many shoppers saying they saved carts and waited for a sale before purchasing.
When I see a 70 per cent off notification, it's almost impossible not to look. It feels like I'm losing money if I don't buy it.
Sales get me every time. I've bought outfits I didn't even wear just because they were on sale.
I add things to my cart and wait for payday or a discount notification.
Associate Professor in the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University and study co-author Carol Tan said this behaviour was known as "strategic spontaneity".
"You think it's impulsive, but it's actually planned," she said.
"So what people do is they save the items, they have a wish list, and then they monitor their sales and wait for payday.
"It could be sitting in their cart for a week or a month, and then a spur-of-the-moment decision is when they actually make the purchase and it happens in minutes."
While fast fashion has been around for some time, platforms such as Shein and Temu differ in their production and distribution methods.
Traditional fast-fashion brands release a new collection every two to four weeks that can range from hundreds to thousands of styles and sell primarily through physical stores.
Ultra-fast fashion stores produce 2,000 to 10,000 new styles daily and use digital-only, mobile app-dominant sales models.
Dr Tan said the rise of ultra-fast fashion has pushed some fast-fashion brands to change their strategy.
"They are trying to not compete with the Sheins of the world and they are trying to go a bit more upmarket. So they sell better-quality stuff and they have like $400 jackets," she said.
Outside of the price gap between fast fashion and ultra-fashion fashion, Dr Tan said these sites often sold items you could not buy in brick-and-mortar stores.
Despite participants expressing concerns about the environmental and ethical impacts of ultra-fast fashion brands, many still continued to purchase on Shein or Temu.
According to the latest figures from the Australia Institute, on average Australians purchase 56 items of clothing a year.
It also reports more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing end up in Australian landfills each year.
The study found participants were more influenced by social and economic drivers than long-term ethical concerns.
I know it's bad for the planet, but when I'm on a budget and need an outfit for Saturday, I just block that out.
I try to buy sustainable brands, but they are so expensive. Shein is just there and it's easy.
If the big brands are allowed to sell it, then it can't be all my fault for buying it.
I feel bad sometimes, but one small top isn't going to destroy the ocean.
The study also found buyers would draw on explanations such as reduced feelings of personal responsibility, affordability constraints, limited access to sustainable alternatives and the belief that the individual purchases had little impact.
In some countries, different taxes have been introduced to deter buyers from ultra-fast fashion brands.
France has banned advertising from ultra-fast fashion businesses and introduced a fee that will rise to €10 ($16) per item by 2030. New Zealand has a levy of NZ$2.21 ($1.80) per package.
Australia has a scheme called Seamless that businesses can voluntary opt into, where they pay a 4 per cent per garment levy to promote clothing repair, rental and recycling. However, the scheme does not cover overseas retailers such as Shein.
Dr Tan said she believed focusing on cost per wear would be more influential in changing consumer behaviour.
"So if you are going to buy a $200 jacket, you are going to wear a $200 jacket, I don't know, 20 times, 30 times, 40 times. Whereas if let's say, for example, you buy a $20 jacket from Shein and it falls apart, you're only going to wear it once," she said.
"talking about cost per wear is important to try to signal to customers.
"Thinking about durability and quality is going to be more convincing than trying to guilt a customer."