Segmenting Generation Y using the Big Five personality traits: understanding differences in fashion consciousness, status consumption and materialism

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify personality clusters among consumers of Generation Y in India using the Big Five personality traits and profile these clusters on the basis of their levels of fashion consciousness, inclination toward status consumption and materialistic tendencies.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-completion questionnaire was administered to 751 respondents from Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) using mall-intercept approach. The questionnaire included demographic items and measures of the Big Five personality traits, fashion consciousness, status consumption and materialism. A two-step cluster analysis, using hierarchical and nonhierarchical clustering, was conducted on each respondent’s factor scores on the five dimensions of the Big Five. Later, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied to identify differences in the levels of fashion consciousness, inclination toward status consumption and materialistic tendencies of the clusters.

Findings

Four personality clusters were identified, i.e. Conventionalists (N = 95, 12.64 per cent), Anxious Achievers (N = 207, 27.56 per cent), Introverts (N = 204, 27.16 per cent) and Positivists (N = 245, 33.82 per cent). MANOVA revealed significant differences among clusters pertaining to their levels of fashion consciousness, status consumption and materialistic tendencies.

Practical implications

Results suggest that the personality clusters are not homogeneous, and fashion marketers must bear in mind the differences within the cohort of Generation Y while planning their promotion and communication strategies.

Originality/value

The value of this study lies in integrating the widely researched constructs of the Big Five personality traits, fashion consciousness, status consumption and materialism into one holistic study, thereby offering useful insights into the fashion shopping behavior of young Indian adults.

Citation

Kaur, H. and Anand, S. (2018), "Segmenting Generation Y using the Big Five personality traits: understanding differences in fashion consciousness, status consumption and materialism", Young Consumers, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 382-401. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-03-2018-00788