Assistant Professor

Cathy Allen Faculty Fellow, Faculty Affiliate – Honors’ College

124 Stanley Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: (573) 882-2934
E-mail: ckopot@missouri.edu
Vita (PDF)

Education

PhD, University of Georgia; MBA, University of Southern California; PA, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; BS, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Bio

Dr. Caroline Kopot is an Assistant Professor in the Textile and Apparel Management Department at the University of Missouri. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration. She completed her PhD in Polymer, Fiber and Textile Sciences with an emphasis in International Merchandising. Dr. Kopot’s professional experience includes design experiences in the U.S. and management positions in the Brand Management industry in Indonesia with Metropolitan Retailmart, MAP Group, and MRC Group, for over 12 years. She brings in her management and strategy as well as buying experiences to the classroom to challenge her students to understand not only the course content but also how to apply them in real-world industry situation. Prior to TAM she taught Marketing Management, consumer Behavior, and Product Brand Management at BINUS Business School in Indonesia. At TAM, she teaches various courses including Retail Merchandising Analytics, Intro to Digital Merchandising Presentations, and Digital Merchandising to name a few. As a researcher and mentor, she enjoys working with her graduate and undergraduate students, and she earned her 2024 Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year award at the University of Missouri. 

Research Interests

Dr. Kopot’s primary research interest is in consumer behavior in the digital retail environment that creates challenges and opportunities for future development in the fashion industry. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on textile and apparel management, business studies, and fashion merchandising education. Her research topics include: 1) consumer experience in various digital channels; 2) diverse consumer cultures and generations in digital retail environments; and 3) digital fashion merchandising education in higher education. She is currently working on a number of research projects involving customer experiences in digital environments. Some of the projects include virtual technology in the beauty industry, as well as fashion brand and online game collaboration. Overall, her research goal is to improve customer experiences in the dynamic, digital, and omnichannel retail industry of various fashion goods.