A Methodology for Profiling Consumers' Decision-Making Styles

Consumers use a variety of decision-making styles. This paper conceptualizes eight basic characteristics of these styles and develops a Consumer Styles Inventory to measure them empirically. Factor analysis of the Consumer Styles Inventory validates these eight consumer characteristics. A valid and reliable method for presenting a Profile of Consumer Style, based on measures of the eight style characteristics, is described. Unique findings of the research are discussed, and applications of the Consumer Styles Inventory in consumer education, consumer research, and family financial counseling are suggested.     

中国老年消费者购物决策风格的实证研究

本文首次将CSI量表用于测量中国老年消费者的购物决策风格。探索性因子分析与验证性因子分析发现,中国老年消费者具有四种购物决策风格,即品牌意识、娱乐享乐、眼花缭乱、追求完美的品质意识。ANOVA分析进一步揭示,中国老年消费者的购物决策风格因子在人口统计特征上具有统计显著性。     

Male Consumer Decision-Making Styles

The neglect of men in consumer decision-making research is lamentable given the clear evidence that they are an important shopping group and are likely to make shopping decisions differently from women. This study addresses the subject of male decision making using Sproles and Kendall's () Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI). All of the original eight traits and four new traits namely; store-loyal/low-price seeking, time-energy conserving, confused time-restricted and store-promiscuity were identified for men. The study also demonstrated the potential of the CSI for segmenting markets as meaningful and distinct groups of buyers with different decision-making styles were identified. The findings suggest that retailers should appeal to their buyers by improving the efficiency of the shopping process and value perceptions when dealing with male shoppers.     

Generation Y female and male decision-making styles in Iran: are they different?

In the early 2000s the Iranian government liberalized investment regulations and many foreign companies entered this high potential market where end-user consumers mainly comprise young people. Unfortunately, there are few studies of shopping behavior. This study compares Generation Y female and male consumer decision-making styles to offer guidelines to Iranian and overseas marketers. Sproles and Kendall's Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) was adopted. The results show some differences between female and male decision-making styles, suggesting that gender affects shopping behavior. Identification of new traits suggests that CSI cannot be applied without considering socio-cultural factors.     

Validation of Consumer Styles Inventory for consumer decision making styles

The Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) developed by Sproles and Kendall, Journal of Consumer Affairs, 1986, 20: 267–279, is one of the most widely used instruments to classify consumers by their decision making styles. With changes in consumption culture attributable to the coexistence of global and local consumer culture in the past few decades, it is essential to reaffirm that the CSI measurement instrument is valid for contemporary consumers and can be applied in various contexts. This study, therefore, aimed to present a set of CSI validation procedures using contemporaneous participants and targeting two groups of participants in the United States. Two sets of exploratory factor analysis using the main data set (n = 390) were performed and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the main data set and the cross-validation data set (n = 172). Results from both the exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses seem to validate the eight underlying consumer characteristics of CSI.     

Consumer Decision-Making Styles of Young-Adult Chinese

The dimensions and profiles of consumer decision-making styles of young-adult Chinese are investigated using a modified model of consumer decision-making styles and data recently collected from five Chinese universities. The results are then compared with those of similar studies using American and Korean data. While the dimensions of consumer decision-making styles are similar in these three countries, differences in consumer purchasing power and, maturity of the consumer market may contribute to the differences in consumer decision-making styles.     

UK Consumer Decision-Making Styles

The importance of market globalisation and the consequent interest in international marketing has prompted a surge of work examining cross-cultural consumer behaviour. As part of this trend, this paper examines the generalisability of Sproles and Kendall's (1986) Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) in an extension of their work in the UK. Most of the original US traits were found in the UK, with the addition of new store-loyalty and time-energy saving traits. However, some problems were encountered with the CSI's reliability and validity. Extending the original study, the research also identified meaningful and distinct decision-making groups which suggests a possible use of the CSI in segmentation. Implications for scale development, segmentation and cross-cultural research are discussed.     

Consumer Decision-Making Styles: Comparison Between United States and Korean Young Consumers

The purpose is to identify decision-making styles of young consumers in Korea and to find if these styles are similar to those of U.S. young consumers. An instrument, based on previous research in the United States, was administered to 310 college students in Korea. Data are factor analyzed and alpha coefficients are computed for scale reliability. Findings indicate the generality of some consumer decision-making styles. Similarities and differences between cultures are discussed, and implications are provided.     

Examining shopping mall consumer decision-making styles,satisfaction and purchase intention

Understanding consumer decision-making (CDM) styles is essential for market segmentation, positioning and crafting marketing strategies within a market. Few studies have examined the structural relationship among decision-making styles that consumers exhibit during mall shopping, level of satisfaction and purchase intention. The purpose of this study was to examine CDM styles as the antecedents and predictors of level of satisfaction and purchase intention. Based on the Consumer Styles Inventory, eight CDM styles that individual exhibit during shopping mall activities are proposed in terms of utilitarian and hedonic perspectives. We hypothesize these eight CDM styles as a set of predictors of customer satisfaction and purchase intention. A total of 327 valid paper-and-pencil questionnaires were collected from several shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Partial least squares (PLS) path modelling approach, a structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was performed to test the proposed structural relationships. The empirical assessment supports that hedonic shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of habitual, brand consciousness, fashion consciosness, recreational conscious style have lower levels of satisfaction and purchase intention during mall shopping while novelty and fashion conscious style consumers have lower level of satisfaction but do not unveil lower purchase intention. Utilitarian shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of price conscious, confused by overchoice and high-quality conscious style have higher levels of satisfaction while impulsive/careless shoppers do not; and while price conscious, impulsive/careless, confused by overchoice consumers have higher levels of purchase intention but the high-quality conscious consumers do not unveil higher purchase intention. Further, there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and purchase intention. The practical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Refinement and re-assessment of the consumer decision-making style instrument

This study examined the psychometric properties of a popular instrument used to measure consumer decision-making styles. The findings of this study were compared to previous studies. An examination of psychometric properties of the instrument revealed that the instrument is not a reliable or valid measure of decision-making styles in both Korea and the United States. New constructs were identified that were in contrast with previous studies. Recommendations for future research are offered.     

Consumer decision-making styles,involvement, and the intention to participate in online group buying

Recent studies have demonstrated the relevance of consumer decision-making styles and consumer involvement as crucial constructs in understanding online group buying, but none has analyzed their collective impact. This study tests consumer involvement as the mediator in the relationship between consumer intention to participate in online group buying and their decision-making styles. The results show that involvement significantly mediates the relationships between the recreational, hedonistic; price-conscious; habitual, brand loyal; and the confused by over-choice consumer decision-making styles and their intention to participate. Interestingly, the novelty-fashion conscious decision-making style shows a significant direct effect but no mediation through involvement. The study makes substantive contributions toward the online consumer behavior literature and website management. We suggest that website managers maintain consumer involvement at a high level and consider consumer decision-making styles when addressing potential visitors and converting them into buyers. The study describes limitations and implications for future research.     

Cross-Cultural Generalizability of a Scale for Profiling Consumers' Decision-Making Styles

Most studies that have developed and validated models and instruments in consumer affairs research have used U.S. samples. As a result, their cross-cultural generalizability remains unknown. This study reports a cross-cultural examination of a scale for profiling consumers' decision-making styles using a New Zealand sample. Examination of the scale's psychometric properties (i.e., dimensionality and reliability) offers general support for the scale's applicability to a different culture. Some differences were detected, however. The paper concludes with a discussion of these differences and the implications of the findings.     

An Investigation of Decision‐Making Styles of Consumers in China

This study investigates Chinese consumers' decision‐making styles. The Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) is administered to 387 adult consumers in China. Both an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis are adopted to validate the CSI inventory. This results in an eighteen‐item and seven‐factor solution. Findings indicate that five decision‐making styles are valid and reliable in Chinese culture: perfectionistic, novelty‐fashion conscious, recreational, price conscious, and confused by overchoice. Cluster analysis is employed to identify prominent market segments. Based on the findings, three segments are formed: trendy and perfectionistic consumer, traditional and pragmatic consumer, as well as confused by overchoice consumer. Marketing and management implications are discussed.     

The influence of consumer decision‐making styles on online apparel consumption by college students

Apparel purchases now constitute one of the fastest‐growing segments of e‐commerce. Thus, there are strong theoretical and managerial reasons to better understand consumer characteristics associated with buying apparel online. This paper investigates motivations for online apparel consumption using the Consumer Styles Inventory. Data from a sample of 357 US college students showed that quality consciousness, brand consciousness, fashion consciousness, hedonistic shopping, impulsiveness and brand loyalty were positively correlated with online apparel shopping. Price sensitivity was negatively correlated with online spending.     

Psychological associations with shopping: A moderator variable perspective

This article takes a moderator variable perspective on the relationships between two psychological variables: shopper decision-making styles from the consumer behavior literature and the concept of time perceptions as developed in the psychological literature, and shopping behavior, defined as shopping frequency and time spent shopping. Two hypotheses about potential types of moderation are examined to determine if time perceptions moderate relationships between shopper styles and shopping behavior. The finding show that time perceptions operate as a pure moderator for shopping frequency but as a quasimoderator for time spent shopping. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Learning Styles

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe an assessment instrument that college professors can use to identify their own teaching strategies as well as to help their students become more aware of their own learning strategies and motivation for learning. The learning styles of students in two different sections of business-economics courses at Marshall University (MU), Huntington, West Virginia, and Auckland Institute of Technology (AIT), Auckland, New Zealand are determined via the use of the VARK instrument. The information generated by the instrument informs about the general cognitive and motivational characteristics of their students. This information in turn can be used in course planning and teaching. The achievement of college students could be improved by providing instruction in a manner consistent with each student's learning style. The VARK instrument could provide both students and educators in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe with a stimulus for reflection and a change in both learning and teaching methods.     

The Interaction of Learning Styles and Teaching Methodologies in Accounting Ethical Instruction

Ethical instruction is critical for trainee accountants. Various teaching methods, both active and passive, are normally utilised when teaching accounting ethics. However, students’ learning styles are rarely assessed. This study evaluates the learning styles of accounting students and assesses the interaction of teaching methods and learning styles in an ethics instruction environment. The ethical attitudes and preferred learning styles of a cohort (137) of final year accounting students were evaluated pre-instruction. They were then subject to three different teaching methods while studying ethics during an auditing course. When ethical attitudes and preferred learning styles were re-assessed post-instruction, the teaching methods were found to have influenced active learners more than passive ones. Furthermore, when learning styles matched teaching methods used, usefulness was assessed as high but when learning styles and teaching methods differed, usefulness deteriorated significantly. Students displayed a preference for passive learning styles, despite being so advanced in their education. The implications are that instructors should consider learning styles before deciding on appropriate teaching methods, in accounting ethics environments.     

Adolescent consumer decision-making styles: The consumer socialization perspective

This study has attempted to conceptualize the distinct factors that may be said to characterize an adolescent's consumer decision-making style from the perspective of consumer socialization. Eight consumer decision-making styles were proposed to be associated with the influence of socialization agents and antecedent variables (e.g., social structural and developmental variables). Influence of socialization agents was also proposed to be associated with antecedent variables. Survey data (N = 1954) collected from 29 high schools in a southwestern state were examined with the use of a series of stepwise multiple regression analyses. Influence of socialization agents—peers, parents, printed media, TV commercials, and consumer education—clearly played an important role in influencing adolescent consumer decision-making styles. Antecedent variables, especially social structural variables such as gender, ethnicity, main reason for working, and the amount of parental allowance, demonstrated significant correlations with consumer decision-making styles. Antecedent variables, however, were in general found to be only distantly related to the influence of socialization agents. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Retail market segmentation: the use of consumer decision-making styles,overall satisfaction and demographics

The objective of the current study was to determine segments of younger and older retail shoppers on the basis of the use of decision-making styles, overall satisfaction and demographic factors. To collect data for this study a structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 894 urban shoppers residing in two cities in Botswana whose ages were between 18 and 64 years. The shoppers were intercepted in the shopping malls. The unique aspects of this study include the analysis of age differences in the factor structure of consumer decision-making styles as well as the investigation of hybrid segments of the general shopping public using consumer decision-making styles in conjunction with overall satisfaction and demographic factors. Eight decision-making styles emerged for both younger and older shoppers. However, only three styles being Time energy conserving, Perfectionism, and Habitual buying emerged in both age groups. The key findings also reflected that both younger and older shoppers were represented in three segments which were labelled as: uninhibited, functional and laid-back shoppers. Younger shoppers were also classified as recreational quality seekers whilst older shoppers were labelled as novelty–quality seekers. The use of decision-making styles varied significantly across the four segments in each age group. Further differences were observed based on overall satisfaction, education, marital status and income subject to the age group. These results represent a solid attempt to extend knowledge of shopping behaviour in a modern retail sector within a developing country, which is essential for retail mix development and positioning strategies.     

The Influence of Alternative Marketing Styles on Internal Competences in Small Manufacturing Firms: the Results of a UK Investigation

Increasingly firms are being encouraged to move away from traditional, transactional marketing and instead adopt a relationship marketing orientation. Concurrently another emerging academic concept is entrepreneurial marketing. Interest in this latter area has, in part, been stimulated by research on marketing processes within the SME sector. It is proposed that the merger of relationship and entrepreneurial marketing might result in 4 alternative marketing styles. To determine whether these styles exist, a mail survey of 300 small UK manufacturing firms was undertaken in the summer of 1996. The survey tool used the Covin/Slevin entrepreneurial measurement scale and a new scale developed specifically to measure relationship marketing style. Competence was measured by seeking managing directors' assessment of the current capability of their firm in the areas of positioning, innovation, H.R.M., employee productivity, quality and information management. Applying ANOVA to the responses from 104 firms suggests that respondent firms can be classified into 4 different marketing styles and that an orientation towards an entrepreneurial-transactional marketing style will generate the highest overall sales growth rate. Discriminant function analysis indicates that relationship orientated firms exhibit higher competences in areas such as the management of quality and the utilisation of information to enhance decision-making. The implications of these findings in relation to the future provision of support services to smaller firms are discussed, as is the need for further research.