Family and Consumer Behaviour Literature review

Family and Consumer Behaviour - Literature review Example All of these factors contribute significantly in the decision-making process of a person. In this paper, we will discuss the impact of family on overall consumer behavior. â€Å"An individual’s immediate family members play an essential role in influencing his/her buying behaviour† (Management Study Guide n.d.). Family is the most important factor that affects consumer decisions (Yuvarani 2009). We will discuss different factors concerning family that may influence a person’s decision regarding purchase of a produce or a service. Different members of a family play a significant role in the purchase decision of a person. Therefore, we will discuss the role of each family representative in detail to know how he/she can make a person purchase or leave a product. The structure of the report will be such that we will start from the head of a family and will move downwards to the youngest member of the family to know the influence that each of they may have on the buyi ng decision of a person. 2. Roles To Be Discussed There is rarely any individual who does not discuss anything with any of his/her family members before purchasing something new. â€Å"The family is the most important consumer buying organization in society, and family members constitute the most influential primary reference group† (CiteMAN 2006). Family members sometimes support the decision to buy a particular product, sometimes stop him/her due to different reasons, and sometimes suggest better alternatives (Management Study Guide n.d.). The roles that will be discussed in this paper include parents, siblings, spouse, and grandparents. 2.1 Influence of Grandparents The influence of grandparents varies on an individual’s buying decision from product to product and age to age. In today’s world, people are getting more and more self-dependent and they hardly consult their grandparents when they have to buy some new product of any kind. The role of grandparents in buying decisions has been minimized to a large extent. For example, if someone has to buy a new cell phone, he/she may hardly consult his/her grandparents. Similarly, if someone has to buy a new t-shirt or a pair of shoes, there is hardly any evidence that one would consult it with grandparents because these are personal decisions which have nothing top do with the advice of grandparents. On the other hand, when a person makes some big decisions, such as, buying a property or selling a property owned by the grandparents, he/she has to consult it with the grandparents because big decisions always need consultation with experienced family members. In western part of the world, the role of grandparents is very little in the buying decision of a person. On the other hand, in eastern countries, their role is comparatively more influential. When a person is young and does not have any source of income, he/she has to rely on parents and grandparents to buy any desired product. For examp le, in third-world countries, parents usually make their children live with grandparents when they have to go out for work. In such cases, an emotional attachment between children and grandparents develops and children do everything with the approval of their grandparents. For example, if they have to buy a new pair of shoes, they may request their grandparents to make parents agree on this because they know that their