Abstract
Although marketers in South Africa are beginning to realise that the youth market is a segment that cannot be ignored, only a limited number of studies have thus far been conducted to examine the consumer behaviour of children. The relevance of this topic to South African marketers suggests the need for research in this field. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of an exploratory study conducted to determine the role or influence of consumer socialization agents in the buying behaviour of primary school children, 9-11 years of age. A broad overview of the nature and processes of consumer socialization is provided, as well as of research conducted in this field over the past few decades. Some important marketing implications are also suggested.
Highlights
Research examining the consumer behaviour of children dates back to the 1950s
John (1999) views consumer socialization as a process that occurs in the context of social and cognitive development as children move through three stages of consumer socialization, namely the perceptual stage (3-7 years), the analytical stage (7-11 years), and the reflective stage (11-16 years)
The value of consumer socialization in these cases was highlighted by the mothers who saw this as an opportunity to teach children consumer skills, for example looking at quality and price before buying
Summary
Research examining the consumer behaviour of children dates back to the 1950s. An interesting fact was that not one of the respondents in the two samples considered or referred to the fact that older brothers or sisters play a significant role in the consumer socialization of younger children Future research in this area may be of value to marketers. Some said that fathers should be involved, others expect the school to do the job, while others again (the majority) felt that it is a joint effort of both parents and the school This part of the discussion revealed clearly that different family types (husband-dominant, wife-dominant, joint/syncretic, individualized, or child-dominant), and even the size, age and family life cycle are factors that have an influence on the consumer socialization of children (Hawkins, Best & Coney, 1998). This contributes to the child's understanding that the store owns the goods and money is the medium of exchange
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