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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1977

Fuat Firat

Investigates patterns of consumption in society and choices therein, citing the literature – in particular the 1964‐74 period. Examines the ‘consumption pattern’ both colloquially…

Abstract

Investigates patterns of consumption in society and choices therein, citing the literature – in particular the 1964‐74 period. Examines the ‘consumption pattern’ both colloquially and informally and the nature of consumption. Contends that such differences in the ways and means of satisfying needs in different consumption categories do indicate different consumption patterns. Looks at emerging consumption patterns in the USA and other advanced Western economies characterised by the private, individual and passive extremities of the dimensions and outlines these. Concludes that the issue of patterns of consumption is an important one, considering its impact on an individual's life – although consumption patterns are a major component of a consumer's life process as a whole.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 June 2020

Jungkeun Kim, Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui, Euejung Hwang, Drew Franklin and Yuri Seo

This paper aims to examine how consumers make choices when they are faced with a fixed set of available options, consisting of both preferred and less-preferred choices, in the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how consumers make choices when they are faced with a fixed set of available options, consisting of both preferred and less-preferred choices, in the domain of food consumption. Specifically, the paper offers a novel perspective to predict repeated choice decisions in food consumption, which is termed as “pattern-seeking” – a consumption choice pattern that involves a coherent repetitive sequence of sub-groupings or coherently concentrated sub-groupings of options.

Design/methodology/approach

Eight experimental studies that contrast the existing theoretical predictions regarding repeated choices (e.g. primacy effect, recency effect, variety vs consistency) against pattern-seeking were conducted using hypothetical and actual food choices.

Findings

The results of experimental studies show that an explicit decision pattern (i.e. pattern-seeking) emerges as the most significant predictor of repeated choice in the food consumption domain.

Research limitations/implications

This study offers a novel perspective on how consumers make repeated choices in the domain of food consumption.

Practical implications

The results show that consumers prefer food consumption with a pattern (vs non-pattern). Thus, it would be better to generate marketing activities that allow customers to satisfy their pattern-seeking more easily.

Originality/value

This study advances the literature on repeated food choices by demonstrating that people possess an inherent preference for patterns in food consumption.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 54 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 July 2021

Xiaofeng Li and Li Luo

The purpose of this paper is to exam the relationship between migration patterns and migrant workers' consumption and study how to upgrade the consumption of migrant workers.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to exam the relationship between migration patterns and migrant workers' consumption and study how to upgrade the consumption of migrant workers.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on survey data from 3,368 migrant workers in China, this paper employs the extended linear expenditure system (ELES) model to analyze the difference of migrant workers' consumption in different migration patterns. A consumption function containing migration patterns was constructed to examine the impact of migration patterns on the consumption of migrant workers.

Findings

The consumption structure of migrant workers is in accordance with the migration theory and life cycle theory; there is a significant difference in the consumption between migrant workers of different migration patterns. Migrant workers who move to the city separated from their family members have lower levels of consumption, and the consumption structure shows the characteristics of “survival consumption,” mainly based on “food, residence and traffic.” On the contrary, migrant workers who move to the city with all their family members have higher levels of consumption, and their consumption is well structured, showing a gradual trend of upgrading and transformation.

Originality/value

This paper enriches the empirical literature on analyzing the migration patterns and their impact on migrant workers' consumption, which can help policymakers design reasonable policies of adaptation for the consumption upgrading of migrant workers.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 July 2022

Julia Solovjova, Oksana Yuldasheva and Olga Konnikova

Beginning from the 1990s, the concept of sustainable development has been purposefully implemented by the most advanced economic actors including separate regions, countries…

Abstract

Beginning from the 1990s, the concept of sustainable development has been purposefully implemented by the most advanced economic actors including separate regions, countries, companies, and individuals. Consumer behaviour is also changing: the most advanced consumers who care about their own health and are aware of the environmental issues, change their behaviour to the conscious consumption patterns. However, most do so under the influence of companies promoting sustainable value propositions, or under the influence of government policy that encourages sustainable behaviour. Within the chapter ‘Dimensions of conscious consumption’, the authors consider consumption patterns evolution from traditional (patriarchal) consumption pattern through hedonic consumption to sustainable and conscious consumption patterns. The authors analyse transformation mechanisms of consumption patterns and how they affect changing consumer behaviour from traditional to conscious behaviour. As a result, a typology of sustainable value propositions for conscious consumers was formed, with the comparative analysis of four sustainable value proposition models: Driven by humanistic philosophy, Unique market position, Driven by government policy, and Leadership in sustainable innovations. Cases of Bouchee (Russian coffee shop and bakery chain) and Enjoy the Run (sport club for recreational running lovers) were analysed as the examples of companies implementing the considered models.

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2021

Raúl Compés, Samuel Faria, Tânia Gonçalves, João Rebelo, Vicente Pinilla and Katrin Simon Elorz

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of wine consumers in a completely new and unexpected setting, that is, a forced lockdown due to the COVID-19…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of wine consumers in a completely new and unexpected setting, that is, a forced lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It seeks to explain consumer decisions and the probability of changes occurring in wine expenditure compared to a normal situation.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis, conducted on a representative sample of Iberian consumers and based on the random utility theory, consists in the application of a multinomial logit model, setting the “usual” pattern of expenditure as a baseline category.

Findings

The results show that the coronavirus pandemic could have changed alcohol drinking habits. Consumers generally spent less on wine during the lockdown, maybe due to the uncertainty regarding their future income and professional situation. Those people more likely to spend more on wine were those who increased their wine consumption during the lockdown, those who drank for romantic purposes, those who purchased less wine in supermarkets but more online, those who used a wine app and those living in urban areas. The increased consumption of other alcoholic beverages also increases the probability of spending less than usual on wine. Additionally, the absence of certain reasons for drinking wine other than social purposes, such as wine and food pairing, its taste and relaxing effects, together with the previous consumption pattern leads to a decrease in the probability of spending less per bottle.

Originality/value

This paper makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the determinants of wine consumption in a very abnormal setting, an imposed lockdown and provides important policy implications. The findings show that managers and policymakers should pay attention to the different influence of variables related to behaviour and consumption patterns that may contribute to an increase in the demand for less expensive wines. Specifically, they should focus on new consumption patterns that may arise, adapting the supply chain and defining appropriate marketing strategies to fill new market segments.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 February 2021

Rahul Kumar and Md. Shahnawaz Abdin

The present world is crippled with the pandemic coronavirus (Covid-19). The pandemic that originated in Wuhan city of China has sent every country in the world in an unprecedented…

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Abstract

Purpose

The present world is crippled with the pandemic coronavirus (Covid-19). The pandemic that originated in Wuhan city of China has sent every country in the world in an unprecedented situation that has social and economic impacts. This paper aims to explore whether epidemics and pandemics have any impact on consumption patterns among rural and urban consumers in India. Taking pandemic Covid-19 as a case study, it was explored how this pandemic impacted the consumption pattern of consumers in India; what are the similarities and/or differences between rural and urban consumers that are found in their consumption habits in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The required data was collected through questionnaires sent to respondents. Approximately 500 respondents were contacted through the mail to fill in the survey questionnaire. Despite the sincere efforts, a total of 175 complete survey questionnaires were filled in by respondents. The study used SPSS Statistics version 25 software for the analysis of data.

Findings

It was found that epidemics and pandemics have a profound impact on the pattern of consumption in India. The study reveals that consumers resort to panic buying in the initial stages of epidemics and pandemics. It was found that consumption habits of consumers went a sea change and they were spending largely on essentials only. The study also reveals that the majority of consumers would like to continue in the same consumption habits as that of during COVID-19. The consumption pattern of urban consumers witnessed more change than the consumption pattern of rural consumers. It is due to the closure of eateries and restaurants, shopping malls, movie theatres, etc., in urban areas that forced the change in the consumption pattern of urban consumers.

Research limitations/implications

The research has a limitation of using a less sample size. For the generalizations, more robust studies can be conducted with more data.

Practical implications

The findings of the study will give marketers an insight for framing their policies in the wake of epidemics and pandemics.

Originality/value

The research adds to the existing body of knowledge. There are plenty of studies on the behaviour of consumers. However, there are no major studies that focus on the behaviour of consumers during the outbreak of a pandemic. So, this study fills this gap in the existing body of knowledge.

Details

Asian Journal of Economics and Banking, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2615-9821

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 August 2021

Archana Yashodip Chaudhari and Preeti Mulay

To reduce the electricity consumption in our homes, a first step is to make the user aware of it. Reading a meter once in a month is not enough, instead, it requires real-time…

Abstract

Purpose

To reduce the electricity consumption in our homes, a first step is to make the user aware of it. Reading a meter once in a month is not enough, instead, it requires real-time meter reading. Smart electricity meter (SEM) is capable of providing a quick and exact meter reading in real-time at regular time intervals. SEM generates a considerable amount of household electricity consumption data in an incremental manner. However, such data has embedded load patterns and hidden information to extract and learn consumer behavior. The extracted load patterns from data clustering should be updated because consumer behaviors may be changed over time. The purpose of this study is to update the new clustering results based on the old data rather than to re-cluster all of the data from scratch.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes an incremental clustering with nearness factor (ICNF) algorithm to update load patterns without overall daily load curve clustering.

Findings

Extensive experiments are implemented on real-world SEM data of Irish Social Science Data Archive (Ireland) data set. The results are evaluated by both accuracy measures and clustering validity indices, which indicate that proposed method is useful for using the enormous amount of smart meter data to understand customers’ electricity consumption behaviors.

Originality/value

ICNF can provide an efficient response for electricity consumption patterns analysis to end consumers via SEMs.

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1996

David E. Smith and Hans S. Solgaard

Consumer researchers are interested in the degree to which global convergence is occurring along with various consumer behaviour dimensions and to what extent the consumption…

Abstract

Consumer researchers are interested in the degree to which global convergence is occurring along with various consumer behaviour dimensions and to what extent the consumption patterns in different parts of the world are becoming similar. With increasing internationalisation and cultural cross‐fertilisation, the industrialised societies of the world are converging in many ways. Shifts in alcoholic beverage consumption patterns in Europe over the past 50 years may represent a case in point. As traditional cultural boundaries become blurred, consumer preferences for wine appears to be driven less by long‐standing local and regional traditions, and more by growing acceptance of a wider choice. The disparity of wine consumption among the 12 countries studied has also decreased. Other powerful forces are likely to accelerate the pace of convergence in the future.

Details

International Journal of Wine Marketing, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-7541

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 October 2019

Matthew Hanchard, Peter Merrington, Bridgette Wessels and Simeon Yates

This paper focuses on patterns of film consumption within cultural consumption more broadly to assess trends in consumerism such as eclectic consumption, individualised…

Abstract

This paper focuses on patterns of film consumption within cultural consumption more broadly to assess trends in consumerism such as eclectic consumption, individualised consumption and omnivorous/univorous consumption and whether economic background and status feature in shaping cultural consumption. We focus on film because it is widely consumed, online and offline, and has many genres that vary in terms of perceived artistic and entertainment value. In broad terms, film is differentiated between mainstream commercially driven film such as Hollywood blockbusters, middlebrow “feel good” movies and independent arthouse and foreign language film. Our empirical statistical analysis shows that film consumers watch a wide range of genres. However, films deemed to hold artistic value such as arthouse and foreign language feature as part of broad and wide-ranging pattern of consumption of film that attracts its own dedicated consumers. Though we found that social and economic factors remain predictors of cultural consumption the overall picture is more complex than a simple direct correspondence and perceptions of other cultural forms also play a role. Those likely to consume arthouse and foreign language film consume other film genres and other cultural forms genres and those who “prefer” arthouse and foreign language film have slightly more constrained socio-economic characteristics. Overall, we find that economic and cultural factors such income, education, and wider consumption of culture are significant in patterns of film consumption.

Details

Emerald Open Research, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3952

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 November 2013

Hanna Ehrnrooth and Christian Gronroos

– The article aims to explore hybrid consumption behaviour as an emergent consumption pattern that may make conventional consumer stereotypes outdated.

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Abstract

Purpose

The article aims to explore hybrid consumption behaviour as an emergent consumption pattern that may make conventional consumer stereotypes outdated.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is an exploratory study in urban environments using qualitative, semi-structured and semi-structured interviews.

Findings

It is found that a continuum of hybrid consumption types exists, which includes both omnivorous and polarised behaviour. Hybrid consumers opt for both premium and budget alternatives but ignore midrange alternatives. Both trading-up and trading-down categories and situations are identified. While in previous studies trading up and trading down have been considered product category specific, the results of this study imply that hybrid consumption transcends product category boundaries. Four key themes characterizing hybrid consumption are identified.

Research limitations/implications

The study is explorative. However, as the phenomenon of hybrid consumption behaviour is insufficiently studied in previous research, the article reveals underpinning drivers of such behaviour and suggests directions of further research into the phenomenon.

Practical implications

There are many practical implications of the study. As hybrid consumers do not fall into distinct and stable categories, traditional marketing and segmentation strategies may need to be rethought. Consumers cannot be categorised in such a straightforward manner as conventional segmentation practices suggest.

Originality/value

The authors are not aware of hybrid consumption having been studied and categorised in this way before in academic research. New approaches to studying consumer behaviour, segmentation and marketing are implied.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 51 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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