An old model for a new age: Consumer decision making in participatory digital culture

Abstract

Both the trade press and academic research document the shift in consumption practices instigated by the rise of web-based 'participatory culture' where each user can be a producer, influencer and/or consumer of information (Han, 2011;Jenkins, 1992). Naturally, a growing stream of research is busy re-evaluating the applicability of long-established models and constructs in this new digital reality (Abstract The Engel, Kollatt, & Blackwell (EKB) decision-making model has long been a core theory of consumer behaviour. This paper conceptually unpicks it to explore if it can continue to be as relevant in today's participatory online culture, where shopping is increasingly a decision-making process that is driven by a powerful social collective. In order to illustrate the digital world in which the EKB model now operates, we present two fictional, yet realistic, scenarios that illustrate the effects of participatory culture. We conclude that the old EKB model, with some minor tweaks, still provides valuable insights into and explanations of consumer decision making. We conclude by setting a path for future research in this area.Rachel Ashman is a Lecturer in Marketing and early career researcher at the University of Liverpool, UK. She holds a BSc (hons) in Fashion and Textile Retailing, and a PhD in Digital Consumption from the University of Manchester, UK. Her research interests include fashion retailing, digital marketing and cultural aspects of consumption. And although she does not like to brag, she is also a fabulous baker, a culinary genius, an inspirational yoga teacher, an award-winning lecturer, a quiltmaking machine, a website designer and a proud vegan.

Impact of social media on consumer behaviour

“…Social media has brought on a 'participatory culture' where users network with other like-minded individuals to engage in an unending loop of sharing information, monitoring updates, and requesting opinions and ratings on all kinds of products, services and activities (Ashman et al, 2015). The quality of online product reviews, characterised by perceived informativeness and persuasiveness, together with the perceived quantity of reviews, are found to have a significant positive influence on consumers' purchase intentions (Zhou et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2014).…”

Predicting changing pattern: building model for consumer decision making in digital market

“…For sustainable business success, the service providers have the capability to predict consumer changing pattern properly for making the proper marketing strategy in the digital market (Ashman et al, 2015;Erevelles et al, 2016). This study has narrowed down this literature gap and developed a structural hierarchy model of factors, which are responsible for the changing pattern of consumer decision making in digital market as presented in Fig.4.…”

“…The trendiest productsAkhter et al (2005);Ashman et al (2015); Khare(2 2. Varieties of productsAshman et al (2015);Barrows and Ollivier (2018 Kumar andDash (2015); Mittelman et al (2017) 3. Standard and expectations for a product Kim et al (2010); Pappas (2016); Rezaei et al (201 4.…”

The consumer journey in the digital age: the challenges faced by destination and place marketing agencies

“…The much less complex and therefore lower involvement decision to purchase a bottle of milk would not be expected to require such a journey. Ashman, Solomon and Wolny (2015) have called for empirical research which considers the degree of involvement associated with the purchase and the CJM model could be tested accordingly. (Tamsin Scott, 2015) The following apocryphal account (Deciding where to take a city-break) is apposite in this context because although it is imaginary it is illustrative of how a high-involvement decision to take an international city break might be made.…”