South African Generation Y students' global consumer orientation

Abstract

Purpose of the study: Global consumer orientation refers to the consumption preference for brands, products and services that are similarly perceived by consumer across the globe. Whilst several studies have endeavoured to measure the level of global consumer orientation in developed and developing economies, there is a void of studies on the topic in Africa, particularly in South Africa. Furthermore, despite Generation Y consumers' significance as a current and future market segment both globally and in South Africa, only limited research has attempted to ascertain this segment's level of global orientation. As such, this study sought to test a global acculturation measurement model and to determine the extent of Generation Y university students' global orientation in the South African market.Design/methodology/approach: The study followed a single cross-sectional descriptive research design, whereby data were gathered from a sample of 564 18-to 24-year-old students registered at the campuses of three South African registered public higher education institutions using a self-administered survey questionnaire. The seven global acculturation factors measured included English language usage, cosmopolitism, global mass-media exposure, exposure to global brand advertisements, openness to global consumer culture, exposure to global trends and global-human identification. Data analysis comprised exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, validity, reliability and model fit measures, descriptive statistics and a one-sample t-test. Findings:The seven-factor measurement model tested exhibited reliability, construct validity and acceptable model fit. South African Generation Y students were found to have a statistically significant orientation towards the global consumer culture. Recommendations/value:The findings of this study contribute to international marketing literature by providing insights into South African Generation Y consumers' level of global consumer orientation. Managerial implications:For managers of multi-national corporations, the findings of this study suggests that a global positioning strategy is suitable for targeting Generation Y consumers in South Africa.