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Дугаар (550) 31, 2021
Монголын хүн амын сэтгүүл
● Fifth stage
: Making independent
purchases without parental supervision
Each member of the family has different
roles in purchasing, depending on the type of
product. Scholar Sheth (1971) identifies five
different roles of family members in household
purchasing, which is still the basis of studying
family purchasing decisions theory. These five
roles are:
1) The information gatherer (Gatekeeper) who
obtains and evaluates information from diverse
sources; 2) Influencer who establishes the
decision criteria by which products are compared
(price, quality, or design etc.); 3) The decision-
maker, who decides which brand or product
to purchase; 4) The buyer or implementer of
purchasing; 5) The consumer, who uses the
product or service and evaluates it, giving some
feedback for repurchase or not, regarding the
satisfaction with chosen goods.
A child can play any of these roles in the family-it
depends on the type of product, service, and the
relationships between family members as well as
family attitudes and authority structure. However,
researchers Shoham and Dalakas (2005) state
that children tend to have more influence in
the first two stages (problem recognition and
information search) of the family buying decision
process. Although Kaur and Singh (2006) noted
that family buying decisions are generally
decided by the husband and wife jointly, they are
significantly influenced by children who request a
specific product.
Previous research on the effects of socio-
economic variables such as household income
on children’s influence has been mixed.
Depending on household income, children’s
role and influence differ in the family purchase
decision-making process. For instance, Beatty
and Talpade (1994) found that children’s
influence increases in dual-income and high-
income families. A child tends to have more
influence on the family’s purchase decision if the
family’s income level is high.
Ferreira Pedro et al. (2008) also showed that
children whose parents have a high income are
most likely to have a strong influence on family
decision-making than low-income families.
Tinson et al. (2005) found that children’s influence
on family purchasing decisions differs depending
on the product type and found that children were
more likely to be involved in purchasing products
for themselves than shared products used by all
family members.
Based on the above theoretical background, we
hypothesize as follows:
H1: Children from high-income families
have more influence on their family decision
making.
Parents who have a higher education may
engage in family shopping to socialize
their children and prepare them for future
purchases. Therefore, children of parents
from lowor higheducationbackgrounds have
an equivalent influence and responsibility
in the family decision-making process. To
date, plenty of research has been done in
this field. For instance, a study from Slama
and Taschian (1985) showed that parents’
education is more positively related to the
purchase involvement of children.
Therefore, we would expect:
H2: Children from high educated families
have more influence on their family decision
making
.
The changes in the family structure have
been found to increase children’s decision-
making status (Flurry, 2007). Foxman et al.
(1989) reveal that children’s influence on
family purchasing decisions depends on
family structure. Moreover, Taylor, Moore
and Glynn (1984; 1985) found that children
in a single-parent household had the most
significant influence, as their parents were
often younger and had higher income
levels or higher educational levels. Taylor,
Moore, and Glynn (1985) found children
from single-parent families are much more
likely to buy food products on their own and
influence brand choices more than children
from the other family structures. An increase
in working women and delayed childbearing
has resulted inmothers tending to havemore
money to spend on their children (McNeal
1992). Therefore, they involve their children
more in their purchases and give them the
power to make choices and decisions.
In view of this and the above it is expected
that: