Adolescents’ Market Segmentation: Using CSI as a Tool

Abstract

Purpose of this article: The study aims to examine the adolescents’ decision-making style and shopping orientation using consumer style inventory (CSI) as a segmentation tool. It proposes that adolescents’ decision-making styles are quite different from the adult consumers. Here, the researchers develop a typology that is based on the dimensions of CSI and its ability to predict the homogeneous cluster. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on the clustering of adolescents on the basis of their decision-making styles. The study was carried out in India. A sample of 215 students has been taken. Factor analysis, cluster analysis which is followed by discriminant analysis, has been used in the study. Findings: The article provides a significant segmentation of adolescents’ market on the basis of their decision-making style. And at last in this article, we conclude that the adolescents have different decision-making styles than the adult consumers. Six out of eight dimensions of the Sproles and Kendall (1986) are relevant to the Indian adolescents. On the basis of these traits/styles, the adolescents are grouped into three different clusters, which are homogeneous and identifiable in nature. Originality/value: This article fulfils an identified need to study about the adolescents and how they have been clustered into different segments. The CSI is used as segmentation tool. This is the first study to segment the Indian adolescents market on the basis of their decision-making styles.