Young Syrian Consumer Styles

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the decision-making styles of Syrian young adults, and to examine the cross-cultural applicability of the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) to an Arab population. Its aim is to advance understanding of contemporary consumer behaviour in the Arab world. Participants in the study described were undergraduate students at Damascus University and the results confirmed a six-factor consumer decision-making style. Social motivation was found to be an important factor for consumption. Syrians were more likely to relate to a brand or product to the extent where a cognitive match existed between an individual's self-concept and a positive value-expressive attribute. In addition, brand names formed cognitive reflections of product quality rather than formal assessments of quality in products. The results of this study could help in generalising theories developed in western societies to Arab populations, as well as in the better understanding of Arab consumer decision-making styles. Practical implications for practitioners and international marketers are also proposed.