Introducing the Super Consumer

Who are our best consumers? One can imagine all sorts of businesses asking this question on a regular basis. The 80/20 rule, the heavy half, the high frequency and high spending consumers are traditionally the backbone of many successful brands or companies. Relationship marketing, a key element of modern marketing strategy, is the outgrowth of the interest in heavy users because of their importance in terms of revenue and potential word-of-mouth. However, who are these best consumers? The present study is motivated by a body of research on a constellation of consumer characteristics that reflect a unique consumption pattern we have come to think of as the “super consumer.” The theoretical background for the study first presents the three criteria variables used to segment the sample: materialism, status consumption, and brand engagement in selfconcept. We chose these three variables as the basis for the super consumer concept because they are consistently correlated across studies and conceptually are highly related. The study uses these three variables to classify consumers into two groups, potential heavy or “super consumers” and “regular” consumers and then contrasts these two types on gender, age, shopping, spending, and market mavenism. The goal is to begin to develop a behavioral, psychological, and demographic profile of the super consumer segment. Not only does this concept tie together several disparate concepts in consumer psychology, but it also has potential managerial application in that identifying these consumers could lead to greater profitability and long-term relationships with them. The data came from an online survey of 351 consumers. A cluster analysis using materialism, status consumption, and brand engagement in self-concept as criteria produced a two-cluster solution with 136 super consumers and 215 regular consumers. Comparing mean scores between these two groups of on measures of marketplace behavior: market mavenism, shopping frequency, amount of spending, age, and gender, showed that the super consumers were significantly more likely to be market mavens, to shop more frequently, and to spend more than the other consumers were. The super consumers were younger in age as well, but there were no gender differences between the two groups. From a theoretical perspective, describing the super consumer has the potential to contribute expanded understanding of how customers are differently motivated. A nuanced and quantitatively based description of the motivational underpinnings of important groups of consumers could be the basis for new models of consumer behavior. Currently, the individual based inputs to the consumer decision making process are atomistic and measured by an ever expanding list of scales. Grouping those inputs should clarify their importance and make them more useful in understanding and predicting the decision process. Marketers, especially those of status-conferring or self-concept related brands, could use this concept and the profile variables to identity buyers highly motived to purchase their brands and emphasize these themes to them in marketing promotions. They could develop and/or market new products targeted to this segment, and based on their insights into the motivations driving these consumers, they could build long term relationships with them. The enhanced spending and word-of-mouth characterizing super consumers should repay any investment in targeting them

Mavenism, Frugality, and Loyalty

Since Feick and Price (1987) introduced the concept of market mavenism almost 30 years ago, researchers have accumulated a large body of empirical findings describing market maven attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics. Mavenism can be defined briefly as a strong involvement in the marketplace. The purpose of the present study was to assess relationships between market mavenism and three aspects of consumption behavior largely ignored by previous research into market mavenism. Analysis of data from a sample of 351 adult U.S. consumers confirms that market mavenism is positively related to frugality and negatively related to brand loyalty. The results showed that as H1 hypothesized, mavenism is positively related to frugality (r = .27). H2 proposed that mavenism is negatively correlated with brand loyalty. The results (r = -.24, p \u3c .01) support this hypothesis as well. H3 posited that mavenism is positively correlated with shopping and spending. The correlations (.27 and .29) support this. These findings continue to develop our understanding of market mavenism and provide insights that marketing managers might use as they factor mavenism into their strategies

Generosity as an Individual Difference Variable: Preliminary Steps towards a New Measurement Scale

Generosity is giving more real value to another entity than the giver expects in return. It is seen as the height of humanity by philosophers, and as non-rational by economists, and is not only encouraged but also mandated by religious institutions. Altruism, the motivator of generosity is called the main problem in sociobiology (Ridley & Dawkins 1981). Interest has been shown in generosity and altruism for centuries. Marketers are primarily interested in generosity as it drives support of non-profit causes, but it also has potential value in understanding complaint behavior, service failures, and tipping of service workers. This paper represents an effort to explicate generosity through the eyes of the various disciplines that are concerned with it. The goal is to develop a comprehensive literature review on generosity and propose a measure of the tendency to behave in a generous manner. We look at how generosity regarded in Philosophy where it is a central theme, in Economics where it not possible, in Psychology, where generosity is part of helping behavior and in Marketing where tipping behavior and charitable giving are its logical, though not well-researched correlates. We develop a series of propositions upon which we will begin building a scalar measure of the tendency to be generous. These are: Humility will be positively related to self-reported generous tendencies. Empathetic concern will be positively related to self-reported generous tendencies. Materialism will be negatively related to self-reported generous tendencies It is our hope that we can create a measure useful in a number of disciplines but especially in marketing to help segment and communicate for giving and activism appeals and to better understand tipping behavior

“Money worlds” and Well-Being: An Empirical Test of Tatzel’s Model of Consumer Styles Based on Money Dispositions and Materialism with Extension to other Consumer Behavior Variables

Miriam Tatzel (2002) has proposed a comprehensive theory of “money worlds and well-being” comprised of four prototypes of consumer behaviors based on whether consumers are high or low on materialism and simultaneously tight or loose with money. These four prototypes (Value Seekers, Non-Spenders, Big Spenders, and Experiencers) are proposed to differ strikingly along a variety of values, attitudes, and behaviors. Three earlier studies have reported tests or the model, but none specifically tried to confirm empirically the four types of consumers. The present study uses data from 1016 U.S. student consumers to test empirically the proposed typology and the proposed differences across the prototypes. A cluster analysis confirmed that a four-cluster solution best represented the data, confirming Tatzel’s fundamental proposal. Subsequent ANOVAs showed that two of the four groups differed predictably in the hypothesized directions. Significant differences between Big Spenders and Non-spenders were found in levels of price sensitivity, status consumption, generosity, brand engagement, worry about debt, and spending. The other two groups, Value Seekers and Experiencers, fell between them. These findings provide partial confirmation for Tatzel’s theory and suggest several applications for decision makers

Brand Engagement and Consumer Innovativeness

Brand engagement describes the tendency of consumers to make the brands they buy part of their self- concept. This new insight into consumer behavior offers marketers many ways to create relationships with their customers. An unexplored aspect of brand engagement is how it is related to consumer innovativeness, the tendency to be among the first buyers of new products. The present study used survey data from 2399 adult U.S. consumers to show that brand engagement is positively related to consumer innovativeness. This finding suggests that in addition to promoting the features of new products likely to attract innovators, showing how the brand can express the self-concept of the innovator may also encourage its adoption

Why Do Shoppers Shop?

The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationships between three potential motivators of shopping behavior with a measure of attitude toward shopping. Data from 306 US student consumers were collected via an online survey. Reliable and valid scales operationalized the constructs. The results showed that shopping appears to be motivated in part by a desire for status, by materialism, and by brand engagement in self-concept. The results also showed women like to shop more than men do and that the relationships among the variables differed between men and women, suggesting that each gender is motivated to shop for different reasons

Antecedents and Consequences of Self-Congruity: Replication and Extension

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose and empirically test a framework encompassing self-congruity with its antecedents and consequences. This study also aims to test the mediating role of perceived value and its dimensions. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey was conducted using a purposive sampling technique. In total, 310 useable responses were collected and data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling. Findings A majority of hypotheses were supported. Avoidance of similarity and status consumption positively influenced self-congruity, replicating an earlier study. Self-congruity positively influenced overall perceived value and its dimensions, as well as revisit intention. Overall perceived value and its dimensions positively influenced revisit intention. Finally, overall perceived value and its dimensions were found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between self-congruity and revisit intention. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence for the antecedents and consequences of self-congruity with a service and expands understanding of the mediating role of overall perceived value and its dimensions in predicting intention

Self-Ambivalence and Materialism

Self-Ambivalence is a construct related to self-esteem but which reflects the extent to which a person holds both strong positive and negative feelings about themselves. It has been linked to compulsive hoarding behaviors and to materialism. Using a sample of 261 students from three universities, this study tests the concept’s relatedness to two measures of materialism and one measure of marketplace behavior, brand engagement with self-concept. Findings show that that the chain of influences from self-ambivalence through materialism to brand engagement holds only for men. The relationships between the concepts are more complicated for women. The study also revealed psychometric problems with the self-ambivalence scale