“National Cultural Constructs and Consumer Socialization effects on Adolescent’s Influence on FamilyPersonal Computer’ Purchase Decision”

Abstract

The adolescent is considered an active element in family purchases, with an important participation in the decision phase. However, the study of technological products for family use have been neglected. The adolescent presents, in this category of products, generally, a higher knowledge than his parents, which can constitute an important resource in his participation in those purchases. Past literature also has evidenced the existence of important cultural dimensions, such as the distance of power and individualism-collectivism that need further investigation in its impact on family consumer behavior. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to study the influences of the national cultural constructs of individualism-collectivism and power distance, and consumer socialization effects on adolescent's influence on family personal computer' purchase decision. In the empirical phase, a quantitative research method is utilized in high schools in Lisbon district, Portugal. 1,800 questionnaires were delivered in classrooms during May 2018. Adolescents' students were instructed to deliver questionnaires to their mothers for response, and 726 validated questionnaires were returned. Logistic regression was used and the results pointed tosocio-oriented communication style, television influence, product knowledge, adolescent's gender, and family income as the relevant explanatory variables for computer for family use purchase. These results are innovative in the study of family purchases. Therefore, the present research provides several contributions to this area of knowledge. First, it reinforces the importance of including adolescents in the final decision of family purchases, which is innovative compared to past literature. The interest of the results is reinforced by the study of a more important technological product for family use, as is the case with the personal computer. Second, the results point to the importance of including the family communication style, television influence, product knowledge, adolescent's gender, and family income as explanatory variables in determining influence on family computer' purchases. This research offers a contribution to companies by providing evidence of adolescents' influence on the purchase decisions of family personal computer. Given the adolescents' importance within family decisions, marketers should consider adolescents as active and important members in family buying decisions, and look to the family as a whole and not just parents as the key decision makers in family purchases.