How The Household or Family Influences Consumer Behaviour
As discussed earlier, so social class is an important influen infl uence ce on the behav behaviour iour of consumers consumers withi within na household
However, some researchers argue that the household househo ld itself is the most important unit of analy ana lysis sis for consumer consumer behav behaviour iour beca because use households househo lds make m ake many more m ore acquisition, consumption, and disposition decisions than individuals do.
Types of Households
A family is usually de defined as as a group of of individuals living together who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption The most typical unit is the nuclear family, family, consisting of a father, mother, and children The extended family consists of cousins Although the family is important almost everywhere in the world, some countries and cultures exhibit a stronger family orientation than others In Japan and China, for example, the family is a focal point, and most people feel a very strong sense of obligation to it
Family in India is considered a social security blanket and the traditional mindset still follows the age old adage, µ the family which lives together, eats together together¶¶
Though conventional fa family structures are breaking down and joint families are few in the urban towns, yet values, traditions and norms laid down by the family are inherently visible in the family members, even while staying in nuclear households
The rural heartlands, however, pr present a contrasting picture of the family, where the cohesiveness and the intention to stay together is more visible
Contrastingly, in the urban households the fami milly is increasingly under pressure to disintegrate
Increasing opportunities in in urban metropolis and the lure of the amenities in the bigger towns are irrepressible for most m ost households households
A study conducted in 2003, by JWT shortlisted 24 families famili es from from all over IndiaIndia- DINKs (Dou (Double ble Income Income No Kids) in in Bangalore, Bangalore, afflue affluent nt Punjabs Punjabs in Lajpat Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, a middle class family from small town India (Bareilly), middle class family in Mumbai, an MNC executive family, an extended family in Warangal, and so on
The JWT focused on anthropology is issues and spent seven-days with the family to watch their
The key issues that came out of the surveyed families were; (i) The world in your home: The effects of consumerism and western lifestyle is beginning to take its toll on households (ii) The head of the family: Earlier the father was the unquestioned head of the family, a role which is now diluting and today the authoritarian approach is being replaced with managing of inter-personal relationships (iii) The importance of self: The aspect of ³We´ to ³Me´ is gradually becoming the norm today in most households (iv) Uncertainty: Retrenchment, lay-offs or a passing boom can affect confidence of
However, joint fami millies are still prevalent and wellsuited to modern Indian, life, especially for the 67% of Indians who are farmers or agricultural workers or worn in related activities As in most primarily agricultural so societies, few individuals individua ls can hope to achieve economic security without being a part of a cooperating group of kinsmen The joint family is also common in cities, where kinship ties can be crucial to obtaining scarce jobs or financial assistance Numerous prominent In Indian fa families, such as th the Tatas, Birlas, and Sarabhais, retain joint family arrangements even as they work together to control some of the country¶s largest financial empires
However, the joint family structures in the urban and the rural areas are very different
Most urban metropolis may have joint families, under a single roof, but they stay as separate households, contrast to rural and suburban joint families, where the cohesiveness and a concept of single household still exists
Household is a broader term that includes a single person living alone or a group of individuals who live together in a common dwelling, regardless of whether they are related
This term includes cohabiting couples (an unmarried male and female living togethe together), r), gay couples, and singles who are roommates
Marketers and researchers are increasingly thinking in terms of households rather than families
Trends such as, later marriages, cohabitation, divorce, dual careers, boomerang children, longer life, and a lower birth rate have greatly increased the proportion of nontraditional families
In India, co contrastingly, th the co concept of ho households is on the rise as joint families are crumbling crum bling and more so in bigger cities, where a large population migrates for job opportunities, higher studies, specialized coaching or for preparation of competitive examinatio examinations ns
Today, there are localities earmarked as a hub where such kind of households exists
For instance, Ber Sarai or Katwaria Sarai in South Delhi are small localities nestled behind India¶s finest engineering college, Indian Institute of Technolog echnologyy- Delhi, and and young young boys from the the remotest areas areas of India prepare for their Civil Services exams
Today as more and more girls are pursuing careers, they need to step out of their homes and at times even move m ove to different different cities
Paying Gu Guest accomm mmo odations, especially, su suited to the requirements of the working girls or women are being created.
Family Life Cycle Stages
The concept of household or family life cycle is important for marketers in segmenting the market In 1966, William Wells and George Gubar proposed eight stages to describe the family life cycle (³Life Cycle Concept in Marketing Research,´ Journal of marketing Research, November 1966) The following life cycle stages are typical of families: 1. The bachelor stage: Young, single persons under the age of 35 years. Incomes are generally low since they have started careers, but they may have few financial burdens and sufficient discretionary income
2.
Newly married: Young couples, c ouples, no children. If both spouses are employed, they will have high levels of discretionary income.
3.
Full nest I: Young married m arried couples c ouples with youngest child under 6 years of age. There would be greater squeeze on income because of increased expenses on childcare. However, if they are members of a joint family, the level of discretionary income is likely to be high
4.
Full nest II: Young married m arried couples with children from 6 years to 12 years of age. Better financial financial position because income of both parents parents is rising. Children spend more
5.
Full nest III: Older married couples with dependent teenage children living at home. Financial position of the family continues to improve. There There are increasing costs of college education for children
6.
Empty nest I: Older married couples with no children living with them, parents will still employed. Reduced expenses result in greater savings and highest discretionary income
7.
Empty nest II: Older married couples with no children living with them and parents retired. Drop in income and couple relies on savings and fixed income from retirement
8.
Solitary survivor I: Older single persons with low income and increasing medical needs (widow or widower)
Due to changes occurri occurring ng in demography after 1980, researchers have suggested more modernized family life cycle categories
In the Indian context, these changes are visible among urban educated families
Some types of households, such as unmarri unmarried ed couples living together are generally regarded with social disapproval, or married couples c ouples who decided not having children are just a negligible percentage.
Example of non-traditional household life cycle categories: Sequence I
Young married couples with children
Young divorced parent
Single parent with older children
lder,, Older
unm arried. unmarried.
Sequence II
Young divorced couple without children
Middle-aged married couple without children
Older
married couple without children
Sequence III
Young married couple with children
Middle-aged divorced parent
Middle-aged divorced parent with children and stepchildren
Sequence IV
Young unmarried couple without children
Middle-aged married couple without children
Older
Widow
married couple without children
In sequence I, a young married couple with children gets divorced and one of the spouse never marries
In sequence III, a couple gets di divorced in middle age and one of the spouses remarries and establishes a family with children and stepchildren It is certain that there would be difference in buying patterns if a divorced person is having children or not having children Similarly, there would be differences in buying patterns in case a person remarries or decides to stay single Since the cases of divorce are on the increase, the life cycle sequences proposed by Wells and Gubar are probably more important than the modernized family life cycle categories Research has revealed ma many differences in consumption patterns patterns across family life cycle
The concept of family life cycle can be usefully used to segment the market
It is significantly related to food and beverage consumption, purchase purchase of major m ajor and minor appliances and monetary value of family purchases of furniture, autos and entertainment electronics
Research indicates that household expenditures are systematically related to the stage of life cycle
It is believed th that family influence significantly affects af fects the the children¶ children¶s s consu consumer mer behavio behaviour ur late laterr as adults and children also have the opportunity to influence their parents¶ consumption decisions, particularly the ageing parents
The family is the primary socialization agent for each new generation and passes on attitudes, values valu es and and beha behaviou viourr to childre children n
This is often re referred to to as as µintergenerational transfer¶
In the process of socialization, the new generation acquires not only general social values and norms but also skills and knowledge that help them in becoming successful consumers in an increasingly complex market place
Family influence helps us learn attitudes and preferences towards products and brands, choice of stores, meaning of marketing m arketing communications and price-quality-value price-quality-value judgments
What is relevant to marketers is the extent to which this family influence passes over into cons co nsume umers¶ rs¶ be beha havi viou ourr as adu adult lts s
Such influences are likely to continue being exerted between parents and children as each generation ages, particularly among joint families.
Nature of Household or Family Purchases
Much depends on on in income limitations coupled wi with family responsibilities
These two factors influence many of the buying decisions of families
A already pointed out, young bachelors as well as newly married young couples (assuming that both are employed) are quite likely to have significant discretionary income
Young bachelors are more likely to spend money on clothes and entertainment etc., while newly married couples will spend more on furnishings, time-saving home appliances, appliances, TV and music m usic systems etc. as they
The pattern of purchases will ch change when they are blessed with children, wife may leave her job and their level of discretionary income will fall
During the next two stages (Full Nest II and Full Nest III), the household financial position improves because husband draws a higher salary and wife returns to work, the children and teens are in school and consumption patterns are heavily influenced by the requirements of children
The family replace many household it items and also buys new appliances
During the stage of Empty Nest, the discretionary income of parents increases and they can afford to spend money on themselves such as luxury items
In the later stages of Empty Nest and Solitary Survivor, parents are retired resulting in decreased income and increasing expenditures expenditures on medical bills
In case of non-traditional family lifecycle sequences, single parents are more likely to be females
In general, divorced women face significant decrease in their financial resources and this influences their buying patterns
Single parents ar are compelled to spend much less time with children and sure likely to spend more money on day-care services for children and toys.
Marketing
Implications
Marketers are recognizing the importance of nontraditional households and developing offerings that cater to their unique needs Products and services that offer convenience can be marketed specifically to dual-career and divorced households Because more husbands fr from du dual-career fa families and single or divorced men shop for groceries and other items, retailers are increasingly targetin targeting g men Wives in du dual-career ho households ha have mo more clout in expensive decisions, so marketers of costly products and services must appeal to both
Non-traditional fa fami millies are also being targeted: Hallmark has developed greeting cards that deal with stepfamily and cohabitation relationships
Single men and women, in particular, ar are an attractive target for many marketers
In Germany, Wal-Mart has had great success with ³Single Shopping´ nights
Unmarried men and women wheel their shopping carts down the aisles (alone or with their children) to meet other singles while passing displays of convenience convenien ce products such as frozen dinners and displays display s of items that foster romance, such as wine and candles
Wal-Mart reports that sales are up by 25% on
Nature of Family Decision Making
When two or more family members are directly of indirectly involved involved in the decision making process, it is called family decision making
Such family decisions differ from individual decisions in many ways
For example, if we consider the purchase of a bicycle ?
How a brand is selected?
What role the concerned child plays?
Some family purchases are inherently em emotional and affect the relationships between family
The decision to buy a new dress, a toy, or a bicycle for the child is more than simply a routine purchase It often might be an expression of love and commitment to the child The decision to buy a new stereo system or television set has emotional meaning m eaning to others in the family The root cause of many marital discords is often related to spending the money Joint decisions are more likely to operate in in the early stages of family life cycle when both spouses are relatively less experienced After gaining experience, they usually delegate responsibilities responsibilitie s concerning buying decisions to
When children enter the family scene, both husband and wife assume specific roles
The husband tends to be more influential in in the early stages of the life cycle, however, the wife is likely to become increasingly influential after a period of time, more so if she s he is employed and having some financial leverage over family buying decisions
The influence of children on on family decisions is more when they side with one of the parents
We have already seen the different purchase roles: the initiator, the gatekeeper or information gatherer,, the influencer gatherer i nfluencer,, the decider decider,, the buyer and the user (s)
In many situations of family buying de decisions, the primary product user is neither the decision maker nor the buyer For instance, in many families wives purchase most of the fragrances for their husbands Thus, marketers must be aw aware of of different ro roles played by family members that influence the family buying decision process Fisher-Price puts its ads in Reader¶ r¶s s Digest to influence parents for toys that they buy for their children The first ad shows different sets of toys me meant for children up to 1 Year Year plus pl us age Parents make the buying de decision and the actual users are very young children
The second ad of Fisher-Price shows an older child who can influence the parents¶ decision and may actually be present when the actual purchase is made
As mentioned earlier, so some family purchases, such as the toys for children are something more than the normal routine purchases and will most likely be laden with emotional overtones
Families are quite likely to vary in their buying decision making depending on their stage in the life cycle
Consider this example of of family decision making
Ramesh is a university teacher in a North Indian state capital
His wife expired two-years ago
The son Kunal is 16 and the daughter Sonam is 14
Ramesh is planning a fifteen-day holiday during summer vacations
He could make the decision on his own, but wants to involve his children in the decision making for three reasons 1.
The decision is important to all of them
2.
They have to consider the expenses and the importance of being together and having good time and finally
3.
There is ample time because it is Ma March an and they would go in the month of May
Ramesh informed the kids about the holiday
Both Kunal and Sonam were excited and started collecting information
In the process they became aware about various options such as Shimla, Mussorie, Goa, or Ooty
The real influences are children who specified the alternatives
The decision maker will be be the father because he is head of the family and will make travel and hotel arrangements and controls the finances
Ramesh contacts a friend who is a travel agent and easily makes the travel arrangements and hotel bookings
Kunal wanted to go to Goa and Sonam was keen on Ooty
Ramesh settled the conflict that they would go to Goa this year and Ooty th the e next next yea yearr.
Family Decision
Making
for Children¶s Products
Gatekeepers (Parents) Communications Initiators (Parents, Children) Communications targeting children Influencer (Children)
Decision M akers (Parents)
Buyers (Parents)
Users (Children)
Joint
Decision Roles
Initiator
Gatekeeper
Influencer
(Need recognition)
(Information Search)
(Evaluation of alternatives
Decision Maker (Decision to Buy)
Buyer
User
(Purchase)
(Consumption & Evaluation
Roles That Household Members Play
In a multi-person household, members may perform a variety of tasks or roles in acquiring and consuming a product or service:
Gatekeeper: Household members who collect and control information important to the decision
Influencer: Household members who try to express their opinions and influence the decision
Decider: The person or persons who actually determine which product or service
Buyer: The household member who physically acquires the product or service
User: The househol household d members members who consume the product. product.
According to Jagdish Jagdish N Seth, joint joint decision decision making is more likely under four conditions: 1. Whe When th the e le level of of pe perceived ri risk in bu buying is is high This This is lilikel kely y whe when n a wr wron ong g decis decisio ion n wil willl affec affectt the the whole family A jo join intt deci decisi sion on is is lik likel ely y to be be take taken n unde underr such such circumstances to reduce the uncertainty and the risk For For ex exam ampl ple, e, th the e pur purch chas ase e of of a ho hous use e for for th the e family will most likely be a joint decision, as it would involve financial, social and psychological risk
It is believed that joint decision making encourages the group to handle riskier decisions as every member of the group can share the blame if the decision made happens to be wrong
This suggests that when husband and wife discuss the purchase issue of a house, they probably would buy a more expensive house than if either of them were to make the decision alone
Arch G Woodside has reported that wives were more inclined to make riskier decisions for various products after joint discussion.
2. Whe When the buyin ing g de deci cisi sio on is im imp port rta ant to th the e household Purch Purchas ase e dec decis isio ion n for for low-i low-inv nvol olve vemen mentt produ products cts are mostly made m ade individually individually High High-i -inv nvol olve vemen mentt ite items ms su such ch as ex expe pens nsiv ive e appliances etc. are generally purchased in consultation with with other family members Impor Importa tanc nce e of of most most hig highh-in invo volv lveme ement nt deci decisio sions ns is is generally related to some kind of perceived risk How Howev ever er,, some some de decis cisio ions ns may be imp impor orta tant nt without there being a risk worth consideration, such as whether to go on a 15-day vacation to Goa and enjoy the beaches for the third time in a row
Ther There e is is a pos possib sibililit ity y that that ch chilildr dren en wou ould ld like like to go somewhere else for a change and may have ideas for some som e other vacation resort Cons Consid ider erat atio ion n of of thi this s asp aspec ectt is imp impor orta tant nt fo for r the parents but there is hardly any risk involved 3. Wh Whe en there are few or no time press ssu ures If th ther ere e are are time time con const stra rain ints ts,, as as is oft often en the the cas case e in in dual-income families, individual individual family fam ily members are inclined to make m ake purchase decisions alone For For exa exampl mple, e, sin since ce bot both h spou spouse ses s are are empl employ oyed ed they often experience time pressures and frequently purchase products that otherwise might be purchased on a joint decision basis.
4. Certain demo mog graphic fa fact cto ors enco cou urage decision making
Joint decisions are less likely among upper and lower socio-economic groups
However, jo joint decision making is quite likely among middle income families
Joint decisions are fairly common among younger families, particularly during the first few years of marriage
As long as the family does not have any children, joint decision making is more likely
Once
children arrive, roles of spouses become more divided and the need for joint decisions decreases
If only one parent is employed, there are few time pressures and joint decision-making is more likely.
The Roles of Spouses
Husbands and wives play different roles in making decisions, and the nature of their influence depends on the offering and the couple¶s relationship
In examining husband-wife influence, a landmark study conducted in Belgium (and replicated in the United States) identified identified four major decision categories: 1.
A Husband-dominant decision: is made primarily by the male head-of-household (e.g., the purchase of lawn mowers and hardware)
2.
A wife-dominant decision: is made primarily by the female head-of-household (e.g., children¶s clothing, women¶s clothing, groceries, and toiletries)
3.
An autonomic decision: is equally likely to be made by the husband or the wife but not by both (e.g., men¶s clothing, luggage, toys and games, sporting equipment, and cameras)
4.
A syncretic decision: is made jointly by the husband and wife (e.g., vacations, refrigerators, refrigerat ors, TVs, living room furniture, financial planning services, and the family car.
As spouses come closer to a final decision, the process proce ss tends tends to move tow toward ard syncratic syncratic decis decision ion making and away from the other three types, particularly for more important im portant decisions
These role structures are only generalities, however; the actual influence exerted depends on many factors
First, a spouse will have greater influence when he or she brings higher financial resources to the family and he or she has a high level of involvement in the decision
Second, demographic factors, such as total family income, occupation, and education, are also related to the degree of husband-wife influence
Combined, these factors provide a spouse with a perception of power in the decision-making situation
The higher the degree of perceived power, th the more likely the spouse will exert influence
When the family has strong traditional sex-role orientation, certain tasks are stereotypically considered either either masculine m asculine or feminine, and more decisions tend to be husband dominated then in less traditional families
For example, Me Mexican American families tend to have a strong traditional orientation and are characterized by more husband-wife decisions
Yet sex-role changes as noted earlier are
In Thailand, for instance, nearly half of the husbands surveyed said they decided what foods their households would eat and that they did the family food shopping, traditionally considered the wife¶s role In the United States, joint decision making is most common Anglo families; husband dominance is more likely in Japanese American families; and wife dominance is more prevalent in African American families Researchers have found support for the four major patterns of spousal decision roles in a number of countries, although the United States, France, and the Netherlands exhibited a higher level of joint decision making than Venezuela and Gabon, where autonomous decisions were more prevalent
Other
aspects of spousal decision making have also been studied For example, Through the processes of bargaining (which involves a fair exchange) or concession (in which a spouse gives in on some points to get what he or she wants in other areas), couples tend to make equitable decisions that result from compromises Couples do do not typically fo follow a formal, systematic process for making decisions; instead, they use an informal process in which they have limited awareness of each other¶s knowledge and decision strategy Husbands and wives are generally not good at estimating their spouse¶s influence and preferences, although each learns from the
outcome of previous decisions over time tim e and tends to adjust adjust decision decision beha behaviou viours rs accord according ingly ly
Alternatively, the ma man n¶s role of being a patriarch in the family who was considered the supreme guardian is now increasingly under pressure
As the woman of the house steps out to work, he is stepping in to help in household chores
Looking after the children, cooking, household shopping are some of the chores that the man in mats, the man¶s status was god like and he was therefo ther efore, re, referre referred d to as ³Pati Parmesh Parmeshwa war´ r´
Today, his role is more defined as a pati and not parmeshwar, which means he is a more humane character that the family can relate to.
Husband-wife Influences
Gender role preferences reflect culturally determined attitudes toward the role of husband/wife and father/mother in the household
The relative influence of husband/wife or or father/mother is likely to vary according to 1.
The Nature
Of
Product
2.
Nature Of Purchase Influence And
3.
Family Characteristics
1. Natu turre of of Pr Prod oduc uctt
Tra radi diti tion onal ally ly,, among among di difffe fere rent nt soc socie ieti ties es th thro roug ugho hout ut the the world, husbands are regarded as providers of material support and leadership authority within the family and wife is more likely to provide affection and moral support
Husban Husb and ds are are vi view ewed ed as as dom domin inan antt dec decis isio ionn-ma make kers rs for products such as financial services s ervices and automobiles automobile s etc.
Howev How ever er,, thes these e rol roles es ha have ve me merg rged ed as an in incr crea easi sing ng number of wives have started going into employment and changes in family norms, particularly in urban
Harry L Davis and Benny P Rigaux undertook a detailed study of husband/wife influences by product category and classified products into four categories: 1.
Products for which the influence of husband tends to dominate the decision making. m aking. Such products include hardware, sports equipment, financial financial services and men¶s m en¶s shaving products etc.
2.
Products for which th the influence of of wife tends to dominate the decision making. m aking. Examples of such products are women¶s clothing, toiletries, groceries, kitchenw kitchenware are and child clothing etc.
3.
Products for which de decisions are made by either the husband or the wife (autonomous decisions). These products may include women¶s jewellery, jewellery, toys and games, gam es, cameras and men¶s casual clothing etc. 4. Products for which hu husband and wife ma make joint decisions. Examples of such products are refrigerators, furniture, TV sets, carpets, financial planning and family car etc. Earlier, the decisions about these products were viewed as relatively more husband dominated; however, joint decision making now reflects a greater influence of working wives These findings ha have se several important implications for marketers
If a product is husband or wife-dominant, or or falls in a category where where joint decision making is more m ore likely,, or the product is in autonomous category likely category,, then the ad messages and media selection have to be tailored accordingly
The differences may require separate ad campaigns to appeals to both spouses may not prove to be as effective.
2.
Natur Na ture e of of Pur Purch chas ase e Infl Influe uenc nce e
The di The difffe fere rent ntia iati tion on of ro role les s is is bel belie ieve ved d to re resu sult lt fr from om small group interaction
Leaders th that eme emerrge ta take up ei either r instrumental instrumental roles or or expressive expressive roles
Leader Lead ers s taki taking ng up in inst stru rume ment ntal al ro role les s are are con conce cern rned ed with tasks that help the group take decisions about its basic purpose or goal (also called functional or task leaders)
For ex For exam ampl ple, e, de deci cisi sion ons s on on bud budge gets ts,, tim timin ing g an and d product specifications would be task-oriented
Lead Le ader ers s wit with h exp expre ressi ssive ve ro role les s fac facililit itat ate e exp expre ressi ssion on of
emotional support in order to maintain intra-group cohesion cohe sion such such as design design,, colour and style, style, reflect reflect group norms
Historically, the instrume men ntal role within fami milly has typically been associated with husband and expressive role with wife
Thus, men tend to be task-oriented leaders while women lead in social-emotional behaviour
Husbands tend to be more concerned with functional product attributes and are inclined to exert more influence on the purchase decision
The wife is more concerned with the aesthetic aspects of products and suggesting the purchase These historical roles are ndergoing so some degree
of change and instrumental as well as expressive roles are becoming increasingly intermingled between husband and wife as more wives are taking up employment Working wives tend to be less inclined to accept traditionall homemaking tasks associated with traditiona expressive roles Robert Ferber and Lucy Chao Lee (³Husband-Wife Influence in family Purchasing behavour,´ Journal of Consumer Research 1, June 1974) have suggested that wife may be just as likely as the husband to fulfill certain instrumental roles such as payment of bills and keeping track of other family expenditures This is an instrumental rather than expressive role as it concerns budgetary aspects
Family Characteristics
The third reason for variation in in relative in influence of husband/wife relates to family characteristics Though husband and wife tend to dominate decisions for certain product categories, the degree of their dominance may vary within different families In case of patriarchal fa families (father is is considered the dominant member), mem ber), husband husband dominates decisions irrespective of the product category under purchase consideration In matriarchal families (mother is the dominant member), wife plays the dominant role and tends to make most of the decisions
Research shows that the influence of husband will generally be more in making purchase decisions than wife when: 1. Husband¶s level of education is higher than his wife 2. Husband¶s income and occupation status are higher than wife¶s 3. His wife is not employed 4. The couple is young an and at an earlier stage of family life cycle 5. If the couple has a greater th than average number of children In case of these conditions favour the wife, that is, she is more educated, is employed with higher income and status etc., then the opposite would be
The husband-dominant family profile indicates a typical conservative family with traditional values and attitudes toward the roles of father and mother
In families where women are less educated and unemployed and husband has higher income giving him financial power, generally the family would be conservative and more traditional values prevail
Increasing levels of education among women, emphasis on equal opportunities and entry of more and more women in jobs is having an impact on shifts in husband/wife roles
Products and services, which were mostly considered the exclusive exclusive domain of male m ale family
Marketers are increasingly targeting wives for their instrumental roles in family decision making
The current trends strongly indicate that shift in husband/wife roles in family decision making will become widespread widespread in times tim es to come.
Parent-child Influences
Children are playing an an increasingly im important part in family decision making No sooner do they posses the basic communication skills needed to interact with parents and other family members, they start their ³I want this campaign´ In the context of consumer behaviour, pa parent-child relationship is viewed as a situation of influence and yield Children strive to influence parents to buy something and parents yield to their demand Older children with greater media exposure are more likely to directly influence decisions concerning purchase of food items, personal care and beauty products, TV, stereo and computer etc.
Dual-income households foster greater selfreliance among children
As a result of this, they are likely to influence decisions for products that the whole family consumes
It is generally believed th that children rely more on parents for norms and values as long as they are younger and, subsequently, on their peer group as they grow older.
