The family and consumer decision making: A cultural view

An understanding of consumer behavior based on the traditional Western nuclear family (husband, wife, and unmarried children) model is inadequate to handle marketing on a global scale or to interpret changes at home. The number of relatives influencing purchase—and who they are—can vary as can the type of decision making, which may be allocative, stressing individual responsibility, or consensual. This article re-examines our basic assumptions and then considers marketing under alternative family scenarios—extended families, further familial shrinkage, and more participatory decision-making.