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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of a post hoc predictive segmentation procedure to find out the variables that are the most important predictors of investor's preference for specific financial investment products.

The study considers various demographic, socio‐economic and psychographic variables for the purpose of understanding the investor's preferences. Using a sample of individual investors (n=377), a classification and regression tree (CART) methodology was used to determine whether psychographic variables were better predictors than demographic and socio‐economic variables for understanding an individual investor's preference for the investment alternatives.

The results showed that psychographic variables emerged as the most important predictors in the case of investment products with greater degree of risk, and the demographic and socio‐economic variables emerged as the most important for the investment instruments with lesser degree of risk. However, when the sample was divided based on occupation profile (government and non‐government), for both the fixed returns based instruments and the non‐fixed instruments, psychographic variables emerged as the most important predictors.

These results show the need for financial service providers to consider the psychographic variables along with demographic and socio‐economic variables, so as to better understand and advise the financial consumers. This would enable the financial service institutions to target their audience more sharply, so as to develop appropriate marketing strategies and further build the investor's trust.

This paper is a first of its kind to empirically identify the most important variable that determines the financial consumer's preference for investment products in India, using CART technique. This study contributes to furthering the understanding of investor behavior.

A multi‐segmenting methodology is proposed for comparing the segmenting capabilities of segmentation variables and providing complete market segmentation information. Demographic and psychographic variables based on the differentiation of consumer brand preference were used to elicit the characteristics of market segments. In a comparative evaluation, the multi‐combination variables of demographic segmentation exhibited market‐segmenting capabilities equivalent to those of psychographic segmentation. The purpose of this research is utilizing multiple segmentation variables to identify smaller, better‐defined target sub‐markets for enhancing business competitive advantages.

The purpose of this paper is to find the niche segmentation of green consumers as a solution to psychographic or demographic predicament. Age cohort and generational cohort (Gen Y and Gen Z) of young consumers are studied for individualization and customization.

Age cohorts (Gen Z and Gen Y customers) have their unique needs. Both Gen Y (1981-1995) and Gen Z (post-1995) belong to the young consumer segment in the age group of 20-30 years but their generational cohorts are different. Strategic marketing advocates both generational marketing based on age cohorts and segmented marketing for young consumers. Strategic marketing faces cross-road between youth segmentation and generational cohort (Gen Z and Gen Y) due to intersection between the two during the 20-30 age group. Primary data using the ecological conscious consumer behavior (ECCB) scale was collected and analyzed for understanding the individual and relative importance of psychographic and demographic factors in influencing green behavior. The traditional youth segment is sliced into four sub-groups (Young Nest 1-4), and their interaction effect with post hoc analysis was done for the identification of sources of difference between different age cohorts. The findings of the study were compared with previous studies and unique contributions of this study were identified.

The findings indicate multiple niche young segments with demographic as the primary criterion and psychographic as the building block. Niche level and individual level segments emerge due to the interaction of various factors within a given age cohort. The findings confirm the identity development process which considered age as an important factor that affects varying choices throughout life from adolescence to adulthood.

The findings of this study may be used for effective targeting and positioning strategy of green marketing. In the time of analytics, age cohorts and generational cohort of young consumers can be approached differently for yielding better environmental results. The magnified niche level segmentation of young consumers may be used to develop individualized and customized promotions for young customers in Young Nest 1-4 for an enhanced ECCB.

Previous studies have focused more on consumer characteristics (demographic or psychographic) and their relative importance but niche level segmentation within given demographic segment was not attempted before. This study is unique in offering microscopic analysis of age cohorts of young consumers (Young Nest 1-4) and their interaction with other demographic variables (gender and income) for niche level segmentation.

Looking to the future of green marketing, examines the dynamic nature of ecologically conscious consumer behavior. The study also provides a method of profiling and segmenting college students based upon ecologically conscious consumer behavior. Findings indicate that, despite a significant amount of past research attention, demographic criteria are not as useful a profiling method as psychographic criteria. Consistent with past findings, the study indicates that perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) provides the greatest insight into ecologically conscious consumer behavior. Further, the inclusion of altruism to the profile appears to add significantly to past efforts. Additional constructs examined suggest that environmental segmentation alternatives are more stable than past profiles that have relied primarily on demographic criteria.

The purpose of this study is to discuss prevalent socio-psychological models which examine how tourists’ needs and motivations affect their destination choices by collectively considering Plog’s (1974) psychographic profiles, Cohen’s (1979) tourist typology and Peace’s (1988) travel career ladder. The current study argues that no single model can adequately explain tourists’ destination selection process as well as travel behaviors and introduces a new integrated perspective of existing psychological models.

Examining responses from 202 Hong Kong residents who have travel experience, this study divides the respondents’ psychographics into three types.

Using multinomial logit model (MNL) analysis, the study finds that tourists’ travel motivations and destination settings can be varied by their psychographics types. The findings also reveal that tourist’s psychographic types can be varied by demographics, travel type, frequencies, duration, purpose and destination setting.

The study provides implications for tourism marketers as well as the tourism literature by suggesting an integrative approach for a better understanding of tourist motivations.

This paper seeks to carry out a profile of the current buyer of store brands in Spain.

In the characterization of store brand consumer, the paper analyses socio‐demographic and psychographic variables. The psychographics considered are based on the study developed by Ailawadi, Neslin and Gedenk in the USA. A self‐administrated questionnaire was applied to a sample of 425 grocery shoppers.

The results of the study show that socio‐demographics are not powerful in identifying store brand consumers. However, psychographic traits are much more related to this behaviour. For example, these consumers are characterized by being market mavens, store loyal and price conscious; but they are not quality conscious.

The results of the present study have a practical interest and can be useful to both manufacturers and retailers. Manufacturers can develop strategies to retain no store brand prone consumers. Retailers should pay special attention to their brand management, in terms of quality, variety and price.

In view of the increasing relevance of store brands, this paper makes an updated assessment of variables considered in previous studies and contexts but not studied in Spain.

The purpose of this paper is to examine behavioral changes by consumers (i.e. changing time of day they contact a firm, requesting a domestic service provider, and ceasing doing business with the firm) when faced with being provided a service from abroad.

Data were collected from a pre‐recruited internet panel of 394 American consumers. Hierarchical regression analysis, including demographic and psychographic variables, was employed to determine which variables were instrumental in predicting behavioral changes among consumers when being provided a service from abroad.

The results suggest that American consumers are wary of services offshoring and that psychographic variables (boycott issue importance and negative word of mouth) are more instrumental than demographic variables in predicting behavioral changes by consumers.

Future research should examine consumer attitudes about services offshoring from populations in countries other than the US, and in relation to different types of services and the importance of those services to consumers.

Implications for firms include assessing their customer's perceptions of offshoring, proactively communicating with customers about offshoring practices, and providing customers with some control over their service interactions.

Previous researchers have highlighted the benefits of services offshoring to firms but also hypothesized that consumers may react negatively when provided services from abroad. In this research, it is found that consumers will change the way they interact with a firm when faced with being provided a service from abroad.

Analysis of British consumers′ actual usage of nutrition labels raises critical questions regarding public policy decisions to provide consumers with nutrition information. Multiple Discriminant Analysis reveals that consumers vary significantly in their use of nutrition labels in food choice. On the basis of psychographic and sociodemographic characteristics, three district consumer segments (i.e. heavy users, light users and non‐users) were identified. The results indicate that 55 per cent of British consumers are likely to be non‐users of nutrition labels. Non‐users are less educated, have lower family incomes and can be either younger or older than users. They are oriented to price and bargain rather than quality and nutrition. The implications of these findings for public policy are discussed.

One of the key drivers of competitiveness and growth of emerging countries is their ability to innovate. While India has successfully implemented innovative processes for software development, many Western nations have led in new product designs. The purpose of this paper is to examine the basic premise that the underlying ability of a country to innovate, while being constrained by other situational and structural factors, depends on the innate ability of especially younger individuals in a society to be innovative. Recognizing this trait, companies have recently begun considering consumers as co-creators of technological products and services.

Research has focused on the impact of innovativeness in the adoption and use of new technological products with limited research of its impact on the design and creation process. This basic study compares the technological innovativeness of young individuals between a developed country (USA) and an emerging economy (India) along several psychological and behavioral dimensions. Scale reliabilities, principal component analyses and regression analyses were conducted to find main influencers on technological innovativeness in both countries.

While hypothesis were derived that creativity, passion, expertise, thinking style and psychographics influence innovativeness, results reveal first impressions that expertise and psychographics are the main influencers on the technological innovativeness of young individuals in both countries. Moreover, a decomposition of thinking style does not add further predictive power to the model.

The paper helps to extend the understanding as well as to carve out main drivers of technological innovativeness of young individuals across countries. Implications on cross-cultural research and for managers as well as directions for further research are discussed.

Examination of Pro-Environmental Purchasing Behaviour (PPB) and its potential components. Investigation of the number and the size of relevant consumer segments. Determining the factors able to describe the segment of frequent pro-environmental purchasers. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

Investigation of PPB as a total multi-item variable. Disclosure of the PPB components. Examination of the Purchase component and disclosure of its clusters. Focus on the cluster of frequent purchasers. Estimation of the demographic, attitudinal and psychographic variables able to describe and predict these consumers.

Two components of PPB were found, namely Conservation (high consumer engagement in this) and Purchase (low consumer engagement in this). Inside the Purchase component of PPB three clusters were found, indicating, respectively, low, average and relatively high consumers’ involvement. Consumers in Cluster 3 (frequent pro-environmental purchasers) are fewer than in the past. They were found to be negatively influenced by environmental unconcern attitudes and Materialism, while they were positively affected by locus of control over politics and Universalism.

No demographic profile of frequent purchasers. Geographical area limited (a potential) generalisation of results. Social desirability effect. Future research with reference to evolutions in pro-environmental post-purchasing or non-purchasing behaviours during the years of economic crisis.

Fewer consumers would buy ecological products if these were not comparable enough with the conventional products in terms of price and efficacy.

First effort to explore the impact of the economic crisis on PPB in Greece. Encompassed new categories of ecological products. Revealed two components inside PPB (Purchase and Conservation) as well as number and size of consumer segments inside the Purchase component. Formulation of a partial profile of the frequent pro-environmental purchasers. Impact of Universalism on PPB was for the first time examined.