Generation Y Consumer Shopping Styles: Evidence from South Africa

Abstract

The buying behaviour of Generation Y consumers has been a marketing concern for many marketers and researchers. This has led to an avalanche of research efforts seeking to provide information on how best marketers can sell their products to these elusive consumers in unpredictable markets. The study served two purposes: to investigate the purchasing shopping styles of Generation Y consumers and to determine whether there are any variations with regard to age in these shopping styles. The study was undertaken within the context of the fashion apparel market in South Africa. The study employed a quantitative approach in which a structured questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 230 conveniently selected Generation Y consumers. The study employed exploratory factor analysis to identify Generation Y shopping styles and Analysis of Variance (Anova) to examine the influence of age. Seven shopping styles that are applicable to the Generation Y cohort were identified, described as: quality conscious, brand conscious, novelty seeking, hedonistic, confused by overchoice, habitual and brand loyal, and fashion conscious. Younger consumers were found to be more confused by overchoice than their older counterparts. These findings may enable marketers to understand and predict the purchase behaviour of Generation Y consumers, thereby facilitating the development and implementation of more effective marketing strategies. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n14p153