Research in Consumer Behavior: Volume 10

The fact that young Hispanic consumers spend even more than others in their age category suggests the strategic importance of a deeper understanding of these consumers. To what extent do they resemble their U.S. non-Hispanic counterparts as opposed to those in Mexico? Has the acculturation process affected their cultural values? What role might watching television have played in that process? In the present study, we investigate these key questions across three segments – U.S. non-Hispanic, U.S. Hispanic, and Mexican college students. Hispanic students fall between the non-Hispanic and Mexican respondents in terms of self-reported levels of religiosity and materialism; they more closely mirror their Mexican peers in higher levels of life satisfaction. There are no significant differences between the groups in terms of quantity of television viewing. Overall, Hispanics seem to be slowly adopting American values, while the acculturation process does not seem to be affecting satisfaction with their lives.

The study is focused on exploring demographic characteristics of the target audience of retail grocery stores whose buyer behavior is most responsive to coupon promotions. The demographic variables considered in the paper are age, employment status, and household size. As a result of a statistical analysis of scanner data, the demographic profile is developed for the coupon-sensitive category of consumers. Managerial recommendations for grocery stores’ coupon-promotion tactics are discussed.

In order to emphasize in-depth analyses of individual life stories, seven informants were selected. Since breadth of experience will contribute to a more detailed contextualization of the consumer's use of products in identity negotiation, diversity across informants was emphasized. Interviews generally followed the format as suggested by Thompson, Locander, and Pollio (1989). A comfortable setting was chosen and pseudonyms were used to ensure anonymity. Interviews were audio-taped and lasted anywhere from one to just over two hours. Grand tour questions (McCracken, 1988) focused on the meaning of the tattoo design, the experience of being tattooed, perceptions of the body, words the informants used to describe themselves, and other biographical information important for understanding the informant's personal myth. Every effort was made to present a natural front, keep the informant on track without being too directive, demonstrate active listening, and prompt the informant as a way of probing for details (Spradley, 1979). To ensure accuracy, an experienced and trained transcriptionist transcribed each of the seven interviews. The final text totaled 450 typed double-spaced pages.

The purpose of this paper is to revitalize consumer socialization as a topic of study by presenting a critical review of the concept. The aim is to advance our current understanding of conceptual issues and to outline issues and directions for future research. Consumer socialization can be better understood by studying its multidisciplinary roots and by critically reviewing its definition and meanings. It is suggested that the scope of consumer socialization be expanded to encompass life-long consumer socialization, different life events and spheres of consumption, dialogs, negotiations, and translations, as well as the socio-cultural context in which socialization occurs. In order to capture the complexity of consumer socialization and to maintain the field of consumer socialization as a vital research area, there is a need to rethink both the theories and the methods used. Researchers are encouraged to expand the use of socio-cultural theories and ethnographic methods. Interdisciplinary research is also recommended, allowing a multifaceted pluralism in the study of consumer socialization.

This study examines subject and self-metaphors in Cantonese in order to understand the impact of self-conceptualization on self-giving in Hong Kong. The bifurcation of the individual in Hong Kong signals the importance of the subject and the relational self in Chinese culture. The word for person (rén) is written as two individuals interacting with each other, so communication between the subject and the relational self has a significant impact on self-giving as evidenced by the most prevalent type of gift – the puritanical one. The mental accounting in this instance reflects the importance given to the consideration of others prior to or simultaneously with rewarding oneself for the successful achievement of a personal goal. Both whimsical and therapeutic gifts are fairly rare and justified in a more elaborate fashion. Indulging oneself by purchasing consumer goods or services for special occasions is acceptable when they are not provided by relevant others, such as close friends or family. Purchasing clothes and shoes for Chinese New Year is not necessarily viewed as a self-gift because this occasion is an auspicious one, requiring the wearer to attire herself in new outfits in order to attract good fortune. Finally, the presence of self-gifts in Hong Kong justifies its inclusion in the gift continuum.

In this article, we examine how person–possession relations vary across three stages of the role-identity cultivation processes. We explore stage-related variation in the accumulation of role-related consumption stimuli and their self-relevance in a cross-sectional sample of two freely chosen athletic role-identities. Results show that as individuals cultivate an identity they accumulate more role-related possessions, social ties, and media commitments, and evaluation of those elements becomes more positive, yet the impact of those stimuli on self-conception declines. Ultimately, the results suggest that a full understanding of person–possession relations must include consideration of how role-identity cultivation stage moderates relations between people and consumption stimuli.

The cognitive composition process of attribute information plays a critical role in heuristic aspects of consumers’ multiattribute preferential decisions. This study examines the effects of attribute information order and attribute information amount on consumers’ multiattribute preferential decisions under the premise of consumers’ limited information processing capacity. An experiment with two separate designs is conducted for testing the different hypotheses. The results support the hypothesis that consumers’ multiattribute preferential decisions are influenced by the amount of attribute information received/processed. The attribute information order is found to affect not only the outcomes of consumer decisions but also the amount of attribute information processed. These findings further suggest that consumers may be more inclined to adopt strategies of a noncompensatory heuristic nature when making multiattribute preferential decisions.

There has been a long-standing concern and controversy in the consumer behavior and related literature about the accuracy of consumers’ self-reports of their mental processes. While some researchers have found such reports to be susceptible to a number of inaccuracies, others have found them to be reasonably accurate. This study contributes to the debate by comparing consumers’ self-reports of their information acquisition processes in decision making with process-tracing measures of the same processes, and doing so within the context of research design recommendations suggested by Ericsson and Simon (1980, 1984, 1993) for collecting valid retrospective self-reports. Data for the study were collected in a decision-making experiment in which a custom-made computer software was used to administer two decision tasks and to unobtrusively measure subjects’ information acquisition patterns (process-tracing measures). Self-report measures were collected by means of a questionnaire administered after subjects completed both tasks. Descriptive discriminant analysis (with self-report measures as dependent and scores on process-tracing measures as independent variables) shows that subjects were able to accurately report their information acquisition patterns. For both decision tasks, the majority of subjects who were classified by the discriminant functions as using a particular information acquisition strategy actually reported using such a strategy. Implications of the findings are outlined and discussed.

This paper explores the symbolic meanings that children of elementary school age attach to souvenirs from different types of vacation destinations. Data from interviews and pictorial projectives illustrate the meaning of souvenirs for children, including how children skillfully use souvenirs in their everyday lives and how they interpret souvenirs as symbols of people, places, and experiences. More specifically, the interview data reveal the meanings attached to souvenirs which are possessed, including how souvenirs are clearly distinguished from other objects which are possessed and how they are used for their contemplation and action value, for their communicative properties, and to provide continuity across time and place. In addition, the data from pictorial projectives reveal the latent motives of souvenir acquisition as well as how different types of places lead to different types of souvenir choices. Thus, the paper demonstrates the many layers of meaning associated with souvenirs in both acquisition and consumption processes and provides evidence that the meanings between children, places, and objects are inextricably linked.

Through an analysis of data from depth interviews with modern American consumers, we examine whether and how individuals quest for life's meaning through consumption. Our analysis identifies three worldviews that are differently related to the experience of transcendence through consumption. A rationalist worldview is revealed as being unrelated to such a pursuit. It contrasts two magical worldviews held by most informants in which consumption objects are infused with supernatural and metaphysical beliefs that animate life's meaning for them. Our discussion highlights how recognition of magical worldviews contributes to consumer theory, methods, and concepts of investigation.