Relationships between consumer decision-making styles and lifestyle characteristics: Young fashion consumers in China

Abstract

This study explores the effects of lifestyle characteristics on consumer decision-making styles of young fashion consumers in China. Consumer Style Inventory (CSI), developed by Sproles and Kendall (1986) for examining different consumer decision-making styles, was adapted in this study. A questionnaire survey was employed as a tool to collect primary data and the research instrument was administered to university students in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taipei. The results identified seven consumer decision-making styles, including recreational and hedonistic consciousness, perfectionism consciousness, habitual and brand loyal, confused by overchoice, price and value consciousness, impulsive and careless, and brand and fashion consciousness. In addition, eight lifestyle characteristics were also identified in terms of activities, interests and opinions dimensions, including “working activities”, “shopping activities”, “interests related to home”, “interests related to family”, “interests related to fashion”, “fashion as self representation”, “opinion about themselves” and “opinion about products”. Except “interests related to home”, “interests related to family” and “opinion about themselves”, all lifestyle characteristics were found to be positively and/or negatively associated with some of the consumer decision-making styles for the young consumers in China.