Instructor’s forewords
Young adults are active consumers as well as attractive customers who are constantly exposed to commercial messages. This article is based upon Khanh Trinh’s thesis “Escaping Consumer Behavior Shaping Mechanism for the Young Generation”, where she examines the mechanisms behind young people’s consumption as well as the process of finding different types of consumers.
Introduction
It can be observed that young people who are between 20 to 30 years old are struggling with financial difficulties to satisfy their basic demands, increasing the rate of debt collection in this group. Some people believe the rising cost of necessities, household expenses, and other payments are the main cause of the debt increase. Nonetheless, young people were reported to overconsume products, which means there must be some different reasons urging them to buy such unnecessary items. At the same time, through “Torches of Freedom,” which was launched by Edward Bernays, it became evident that a smart and sophisticated marketing strategy can have a strong impact on both customer perceptions and purchasing behavior regarding a product.
As a result, research was carried out to find out the mechanism that shapes the consumer behavior of young customers. This article discusses key factors contributing to this behavioral shaping mechanism and presents the practical impact of these elements. The research carried out allows proposing feasible recommendations to prevent or minimize the influence of this mechanism.
Research methodology and applied theories
In addition to the definition and characteristics of consumer behavior, the study applied four theories, which are Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the Elaboration of Likelihood Model, the Theory of Reasoned Action, and Veblen’s Theory of Conspicuous Consumption, to explain what consumers prioritize when performing consumer behavior, how they decide to perform purchasing behavior, and what motivates them to consume unnecessary items as well as to explain the results of the research. In addition, this study applied to qualitative research integrating with open-ended questions and in-depth interviews to reflect the actual consumption patterns of the research subject. It should be noted that in this research, terms such as “non-essential goods”, “wasteful spending”, “luxury/ affordable products” are subjectively defined by the participants instead of the researcher.
Main findings
Based on the theoretical framework and literature review, marketing, social media, psychology, and social norms are the key factors that shape behavior among young people. Particularly, marketing refers to smart strategies and campaigns for promoting a product that influences customer perceptions and consumption patterns regarding that product, while social media is considered a means of promoting advertising and launching effective marketing campaigns targeting consumers. Moreover, psychology emphasizes the motivations that encourage consumers to buy unnecessary items, encompassing a sense of belonging as a main factor and integration of society as well as seeking for social appreciation as a minor one. As for social norms, it refers not only to social appreciation but also to social status and prestige.
The results of the survey and interviews revealed that there are four groups among young people: the Conscious Consumer, the Semi-conscious Consumer, the Influenced Consumer, and the Highly Influenced Consumer. These groups are in more detail as follows:
- Conscious Consumer: In this group, consumer behavior is performed logically and based on consideration of customers’ practical demand and products’ functions. In other words, this kind of consumption is not affected by any element of manipulative behavioral mechanism.
- Semi-conscious Consumer: Analogously, purchasing behavior in this group is usually based on consideration of customers’ needs and items’ functions. However, consumers sometimes buy unnecessary items because of being influenced by marketing campaigns and social media.
- Influenced Consumer: When performing consumer behavior, people in this group have quick and shallow considerations because they are often affected by marketing and social media. They also buy non-essential products to satisfy their temporary interest and hobbies, resulting in the tendency of shopping addiction and overconsumption of affordable items. Besides marketing and social media, psychology also drives consumers’ behavior since people in this group often seek integration and belonging in their surroundings.
- Highly Influenced Consumer: Customers in this group have similar characteristics to the Influenced Consumer, but the impacts of marketing, social media, and psychology are more influential. This group also shows clear signs of shopping addiction and overconsumption. Besides affordable products, consumers in this group also purchase luxury items to demonstrate and maintain their social status, which is an evident consequence of the social norms.
Furthermore, the research also indicated that young people today are influenced by this consumer behavior shaping mechanism, which is essential to finding feasible recommendations to prevent or minimize this mechanism’s impact. Based on the in-depth interviews, it is highly recommended that young consumers should be autonomous in their purchasing decisions, including considering their demands thoroughly to avoid repulsive consumption, proactively searching for product information to minimize the influence of marketing and social media. It is also important to build a thorough financial management plan and personal value system to navigate their consumer behavior effectively.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are four factors driving consumer behavior shaping mechanism for the young generation. Based on the results of the research, there are four groups of consumers among young people. The study also showed that the manipulative mechanism has an impact on young people’s consumption, thereby suggesting some feasible solutions to preventing or minimizing the impact of manipulation.
