Major influences on teen consumer socialization and their outcomes

Abstract

The study of family, their purchaseand consumption has been central to consumer behavior studies. Every househod consumes a large quantity of products and uses a number of services. Households or families have, therefore, been a subject of interest to marketers, academicians and researchers alike. It is an accepted fact that children, today not only form a lucrative market segment on their own but also have a significant influence on family purchases. Although the studies investigating the dynamics of family decision making date back to 1960s, however, most of these studies were based on the spousal dyad ignoring the role of children. It is only since 1980s that academic research started recognizing the role of children and several research pursuits followed which examined children's consumption behavior and their role in family decision making. A significant area of study which emerged around the same time was of consumer socialization of children i.e. how children develop consumer skills. However, the existing body of research suffers from some research limitations which lay grounds for the present research work. Primarily, it was felt that much of the past research is dated, is less inclusive i.e. concentrated on western nations, scant in east; and virtually absent for Indian families and children. Additionally, theoretical frameworks on consumer socialization need to be updated amidst contemporary societal changes. It is imperative to understand present day family dynamics in context to consumption behavior and it was felt that it is an area in need of further research. The theoretical overview of past literature provided the premises to develop a conceptual model for exploring the roles of traditional and contemporary influences on consumer socialization on teenage children and their outcomes on family purchases. It was proposed that socialization agents, children's characteristics and parents characteristics affect the teenage child's influence in family purchases.