This document discusses group consumption modes. It analyzes factors that impact group consumption, including external environmental factors like technological developments enabling new forms of online and offline interactions, as well as internal motivational factors at both the group and individual level. The document then proposes that group consumption modes can be divided into four types based on two dimensions: vertical (group relationship intensity) and horizontal (consumption action period). These four types are instrument-oriented, information-oriented, enjoyment-oriented, and relationship-oriented consumption modes. Finally, the document notes that consumption modes are dynamic and can evolve over time.
Consumers’ Information Source Horizon in a Decision-Making Process – A Europe...inventionjournals
The aim of this paper is to compare the information source horizon of consumers looking for products in a decision-making process in select countries of the European Union. An additional purpose is to verify the role of word of mouth (WOM) and e-WOM in the process of obtaining information about the product. The article is a reinterpretation of the results of the Consumer Barometer survey, which was carried out by research agency TNS on behalf of Google in 56 countries, including the EU countries, for three years, for a sample of at least 1,000 consumers 16 years of age and older randomly selected from each country.The majority of consumers from EU countries behave quite similarly. The largest difference in behaviour can be observed in the case of advertising. Although WOM is the most reliable source of information [Nielsen, 2015], it is not a primary chosen source in the EU. Considering only informal communication (WOM) in the process of finding information, consumers prefer personal contact. The value of the study is in the fact, that the answers to research questions can help marketers to better planning of marketing communications activities, particularly aimed at EU markets
International Journal of Business and Management Invention (IJBMI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Business and Management. IJBMI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Business and Management, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online
Consumers’ Information Source Horizon in a Decision-Making Process – A Europe...inventionjournals
The aim of this paper is to compare the information source horizon of consumers looking for products in a decision-making process in select countries of the European Union. An additional purpose is to verify the role of word of mouth (WOM) and e-WOM in the process of obtaining information about the product. The article is a reinterpretation of the results of the Consumer Barometer survey, which was carried out by research agency TNS on behalf of Google in 56 countries, including the EU countries, for three years, for a sample of at least 1,000 consumers 16 years of age and older randomly selected from each country.The majority of consumers from EU countries behave quite similarly. The largest difference in behaviour can be observed in the case of advertising. Although WOM is the most reliable source of information [Nielsen, 2015], it is not a primary chosen source in the EU. Considering only informal communication (WOM) in the process of finding information, consumers prefer personal contact. The value of the study is in the fact, that the answers to research questions can help marketers to better planning of marketing communications activities, particularly aimed at EU markets
International Journal of Business and Management Invention (IJBMI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Business and Management. IJBMI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Business and Management, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online
IOSR Journal of Mathematics(IOSR-JM) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of mathemetics and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in mathematics. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering(IOSR-JECE) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of electronics and communication engineering and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in electronics and communication engineering. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Thorny Issues of Stakeholder Identification and Prioritization in Requirement...IOSR Journals
Abstract: Identifying the stakeholder in requirement engineering process is one of the critical issues. It
performs a remarkable part for successful project completion. The software project largely depends on several
stakeholders. Stakeholder identification and prioritization is still a challenging part in the software development
life cycle. Most of the time, the stakeholders are treated with less importance during the software deployment.
Additionally, there is a lack of attempt to think about the right project stakeholder by the development team. In
maximum cases, the stakeholder identification technique is performed incorrectly and there is a lack of attempt
to mark out them with priority. Besides, there are so many limitations on the existing processes which are used
for identifying stakeholders and setting their priority. These limitations pose a negative impact on the
development of software project, which should be pointed out by giving deep concern on it. We are aiming to
focus on this typical fact, so that we can figure out the actual problem and current work on identifying
stakeholders and setting their priority.
Keywords: Stakeholders, Stakeholder Identification, Stakeholder Selection, Stakeholder
Prioritization, Stakeholder Value, Software Development
IOSR Journal of Mathematics(IOSR-JM) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of mathemetics and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in mathematics. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering(IOSR-JECE) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of electronics and communication engineering and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in electronics and communication engineering. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Thorny Issues of Stakeholder Identification and Prioritization in Requirement...IOSR Journals
Abstract: Identifying the stakeholder in requirement engineering process is one of the critical issues. It
performs a remarkable part for successful project completion. The software project largely depends on several
stakeholders. Stakeholder identification and prioritization is still a challenging part in the software development
life cycle. Most of the time, the stakeholders are treated with less importance during the software deployment.
Additionally, there is a lack of attempt to think about the right project stakeholder by the development team. In
maximum cases, the stakeholder identification technique is performed incorrectly and there is a lack of attempt
to mark out them with priority. Besides, there are so many limitations on the existing processes which are used
for identifying stakeholders and setting their priority. These limitations pose a negative impact on the
development of software project, which should be pointed out by giving deep concern on it. We are aiming to
focus on this typical fact, so that we can figure out the actual problem and current work on identifying
stakeholders and setting their priority.
Keywords: Stakeholders, Stakeholder Identification, Stakeholder Selection, Stakeholder
Prioritization, Stakeholder Value, Software Development
Social influences within virtual consumer communitiesStephan ten Kate
This study investigates the social influence effects of social capital within virtual consumer communities on members’ attitudes towards the products that are being discussed within these communities. Since previous offline and online marketing studies primarily focused on consumer
attitude changes from an individual perspective, instead of integrating a view related to the social context, it examines the social influence processes of compliance, identification and internalization, and investigates how these influences emerge from the communities’ social system.
Data of 622 respondents gathered from five communities indicate that the communities’ social context can explain the development of these three social influences, and these interpersonal persuasion processes affect members’ product attitudes directly or indirectly in their turn. Internalization had the strongest effect on members’ product attitude changes, followed by compliance processes. Identification did not have a direct effect, but showed to have an indirect effect via compliance and internalization. Social capital proved to be a significant antecedent of all three influences. The community’s structural character only
influenced identification processes. The relations between the community members partly determined the emergence of identification and internalization processes, while a trusting relational setting negatively affected compliance processes. Cognitive social capital was an important antecedent for all three influence processes.
Social factors in user perceptions and responses to advertising in online soc...Andrey Markin
http://personal.cb.cityu.edu.hk/mkwydou/social%20factors%20in%20user%20perceptions%20and%20responses%20to%20advertising%20in%20online%20social%20networking%20communities.pdf
ABSTRACT: With the advent of popular Web destinations such as MySpace and Facebook, online social networking
communities now occupy the center stage of e-commerce. Yet these online social networking communities must balance the
trade-off between advertising revenue and user experience. Drawing on the sociology and advertising literature, this study
investigates the impacts of social identity and group norms on community users' group intentions to accept advertising in online
social networking communities. By outlining how this type of group intention could influence community members' perceptions
and value judgments of such advertising, this study delineates possible mechanisms by which community members may respond
positively to community advertising. The authors test the proposed theoretical framework on a sample of 327 popular online
community users in China and obtain general support. Implications for the prospect of advertising in online social networking
communities are discussed.
Interest in the world’s four billion subsistence consumers is growing. Not only are the world’s poor an important market in their own right, but some two billion subsistence consumers are transiting from rural subsistence to urban consumer lifestyles in the span of a generation. Subsistence consumers make purchase and consumption decisions within complex, interconnected social environments that represent dramatic departures from the contexts of prior research. The author conducted semi-structured depth interviews with 54 subsistence consumers in the important subsistence marketplace of Batoke village, exploring consumer decision-making and its influences during five stages in the consumer decision process. The findings provide new insights into the subsistence consumer decision process and its individual, social, and situational influences for food and consumer packaged goods categories. The author suggests topics for future research.
Literature Review of Information Behaviour on Social MediaDavid Thompson
Using your knowledge about information resource and skills in searching and evaluating information achieved in the first half of the semester, now you are required to choose a specific topic in the area of information research, explore the exisiting literature within this domain and write a literature review.
The Effects of Social Media Marketing In the Hotel Industry: Conceptual Model...inventionjournals
Hotel industry can use social media to engage customers and clients in dialogue and recognize their needs. Through these networking sites, hotel industry can interact with consumers before, during, and after the vacation experience. Social media is relatively new and the advantages are abundance such as it is affordable, it is viral and has the potential to spread brand awareness quickly and far and it is said to be able to develop link baits, attention and massive amounts of traffic. The purpose of this study was to investigate benefit factors of member participation and the relationships between community participation and brand commitment in hotel online communities. The present study identified five benefit factors (functional, hedonic, monetary, and social and psychological benefits) as the predictors of member participation in hotel Facebook fan pages. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the conceptual model. Based on the results of SEM, the results indicated that four benefit factors (functional, hedonic, social and psychological benefits) positively influenced member's community participation. The findings of this study provide significant insights for the researchers and marketers. From the theoretical perspective, this is the first empirical research that investigated consumer benefits and responses (i.e., community participation and brand commitment) in online communities managed by hotel sector. Thus, the study contributes to the understanding of consumer behavior in social media. From the practical perspective, the study suggests some strategies to effectively design hotel Face book fan pages, which can strengthen the relationships with current consumers and attract potential consumers.
The Effects of Social Media Marketing In the Hotel Industry: Conceptual Model...Samaan Al-Msallam
Hotel industry can use social media to engage customers and clients in dialogue and recognize their needs. Through these networking sites, hotel industry can interact with consumers before, during, and after the vacation experience. Social media is relatively new and the advantages are abundance such as it is affordable, it is viral and has the potential to spread brand awareness quickly and far and it is said to be able to develop link baits, attention and massive amounts of traffic. The purpose of this study was to investigate benefit factors of member participation and the relationships between community participation and brand commitment in hotel online communities. The present study identified five benefit factors (functional, hedonic, monetary, and social and psychological benefits) as the predictors of member participation in hotel Facebook fan pages. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the conceptual model. Based on the results of SEM, the results indicated that four benefit factors (functional, hedonic, social and psychological benefits) positively influenced member's community participation. The findings of this study provide significant insights for the researchers and marketers. From the theoretical perspective, this is the first empirical research that investigated consumer benefits and responses (i.e., community participation and brand commitment) in online communities managed by hotel sector. Thus, the study contributes to the understanding of consumer behavior in social media. From the practical perspective, the study suggests some strategies to effectively design hotel Face book
Notes in Psychology: The Digital MarketplaceAhmad Hamdan
Social interactions and the sociological dynamics of social networks have many contributions that lead to many developments to our daily lives, it shaped the ways we interact, share and achieve.
Influences of consumer_behavior_research_about_beverage_brands_of_pakistan1Waqar Nisar
Abstract:
Consumer behavior plays an important part for the success of any organization. Without study
of consumers and their behavior organization and marketers can’t achieve their goals and sale
the products. Purpose of present study to explore the relationship between consumer behavior
and beverage brands (Coca cola and Pepsi cola). Frequency and regression analysis use in
present study. The data for present study has been collected from 3 major cities of Pakistan
namely Lahore, Multan and Layyah. Results from present study explore that Majority of
Pakistani prefer Coca cola and results further suggest that the consumer behavior can
significantly influence the beverage brands of Pakistan. We can say that if the beverage industry
of Pakistan put their focus upon the consumer behavior and produce their products according
to their customer Demand and satisfy their needs then it wills leaders towards a positive
increase in purchasing of beverage brands.
Key words: Consumer Behavior, Beverage Brands and Factors of Consumer Behavior.
1.
Marketing to Segmented Consumers as per their Behaviours Based on their Socia...AI Publications
Social class is not a novel concept, however, the connotation of social class has varied over the periods and countries. Various authors and scholars have stratified social class based upon occupation, income, and education. India is ethnically rich because of the diverse cultures practiced within it. Hence, this empirical research paper hypothesizes that the population of India would perceive social class with a different connotation compared to other countries. There was a survey conducted to look upon this hypothesis, and it validated that there is a difference in the inference of social class perceived by people, and it includes culture/caste/traditional practices or beliefs as a determining factor of social class. Hence, it is argued in this paper that marketing strategy developers, while considering social class as a factor of analyzing consumer behavior must look into the connotation of 'social class' and then stratify the consumers based upon it.
Understanding Online Consumer Purchase Behaviour for Varied Consumer Clusters...inventionjournals
: We are living in a digital age. The wave of digitalisation is in full swing to make its presence felt
in every sphere of life. It has not just challenged the geographical limitations narrowing the gaps between the
places that are situated faraway from each other and made the life easier with huge number of facilities but has
also influenced our attitudes and values. In such a situation, online shopping has started emerging as a popular
shopping option among urban and modernised consumers. Not all the consumers show similar trends while
using ecommerce. People of different clusters have different comfort zones as far as online shopping behaviour
is concerned. Product preferences vary with a change in demographics. Level of satisfaction is also different for
different set of consumers. Though window shopping is no longer an alien concept even for the internet
immigrants, purpose of use is certainly different for every age group. Literatures reveal that the attractive
features of the medium have tempted many researchers from time to time to throw light on lesser known areas
but there is still much to be explored. This paper is an endeavour to study about the potential of the medium to
market consumer electronics analysing in details the electronic shopping behaviour of different age groups. A
random survey has been conducted among the people of the age group of 19 – 35 (n – 100) and the samples
have been divided into four groups 19 – 22, 23 -26, 27 – 30 and 30 – 35. Reactions have been studied through
a questionnaire containing close ended questions. Analysis of data has been done through data graphs
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4
B011130918
1. IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering (IOSR-JECE)
e-ISSN: 2278-2834,p- ISSN: 2278-8735.Volume 11, Issue 1, Ver. III (Jan. - Feb .2016), PP 09-18
www.iosrjournals.org
DOI: 10.9790/2834-11120918 www.iosrjournals.org 9 | Page
A Study of Group Consumption Mode
ZHANG Di1
, DONG Da-hai1
, Zulfiqar Haider2
School of Management, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
University of Sindh, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Administration, 71000, Pakistan.
Abstract:The comprehension of group consumption is the foundation of the grasping the future community-
basedmarketing. In this paper, external environmental factors and internal motivational factorsthat impact
group consumptionare analyzed and the nine characteristic dimensions of the group consumption behaviors are
summarized. Vertical and horizontal coordinates, group relationship intensity and consumption action period to
construct a 2x2 mode that divides, group consumption mode into four types, including instrument-oriented,
information-oriented, enjoyment-oriented and relationship-oriented. The relationship-oriented consumption
mode reflects the ideal form of the group loyalty and demonstrates out that consumption mode is dynamic, as it
can evolve into two approaches, including the product identification and relationship identification. Finally, the
marketing practice-enlightenment is given.
Keywords:Group, consumption mode, dynamics, group loyalty
I. Introduction
No academic circle or business circle has focused on group consumption behaviors. For instance, the
study and operation of consumption community, brand community. (Muñiz & O’guinn, 2001; McAlexander et
al. 2002; Zhou Zhimin, 2005; Schau et al., 2009; Tsai et al., 2012; Thomas et al. 2013). However, many
enterprises are trying to establish communities to offer benefits to consumers such as membership services,
discounts. However, fail to be stuck to consumers, for instance, the membership system of the department store,
anauto club of some auto brands, and so forth. Many members only join the community for temporarily, and it
cannot form the constant actions. It seems that most enterprises do not understand the group consumption mode.
On the other hand, the rapid development of social media gets consumers closer. The consumer power
has already developed to be the group resource-based power from the individual, resource-based power
(Labrecque, 2013), and consumers would take consumption activities in the group. Form, which has already
become one of the daily uses of the modern people, such as group purchase, relaxation, catering, business,
tourism, crowd-funding, etc. No matter in the online or offline market, consumers have presented the group
trend. These connected consumers are changing the pattern of the commercial world, and more and more
scholars have pointed out. That the marketing focus of the new age is to break the analysis unit of individual
study and study the consumption behavior at the group level (Cova, 1997; Bagozzi, 2000; Kuenzel & Musters,
2007; Jafari et al. 2013).
Consumers in the new age have surpassed the role of consumers and developed towards the more
complete “human” with,the more spiritual pursuit. They are no longer the “hunting object” of marketing
strategy, but the leading role in consumption market, creating unique consumption experience. Consumers no
longer accept the market or the community or identity set up by the enterprise passively. New types of
consumers are more positive and active, with abundant knowledge and they love to gather in the circles or
communities formed by people of their kind, and create unique consumption experience (Prahalad &
Ramaswamy, 2005; Kolter, 2011). Kolter (2011) pointed out that the consumer circle / community was the
footstone of future marketing. Godin (2008) thought that consumers are more willing to stand with other
consumers, instead of being connected to the enterprise. Therefore, the support from consumer circle is the
necessary condition for the success of marketing. That is to say, the loyalty of group is a significant topic for the
sustainable development of new consumer age.
Therefore, how to gain the support from the consumption circle and the loyalty of a group, the
comprehension of group consumption mode is the key to this problem. The consumption mode is “a general
summary of the standards and criterions followed by individual consumers in principles social form, as well as
the consumption, features determined” (Li Baoku, 2005). The group consumption mode shall be the standards
followed by the panelconsumption and the characteristics of group consumption determined. At present, there
are few studies on the group consumption mode. In this paper, based on the previous studies, agents influencing
the group consumption mode shall be sorted out at first, and then, the division of group consumption mode shall
be discussed, and what are the consumption features in different group consumption modes. The consumption
mode may change due to the influence factors, how different consumption model would evolve. Eventually, the
marketing revelations and future study expectations are given.
2. A Study of Group Consumption Mode
DOI: 10.9790/2834-11120918 www.iosrjournals.org 10 | Page
II. Control factors in the formation of group consumption mode
American scholar Boorstin paid attention to the problem of group consumption mode at first, and he
discovered that consumers would get together in the process of determining what to consume and how to
consume, and develop the relationship between individuals by the groups in geographic. This consumption
group may hold the same consumption ideology or focus on the same products and service, and it was called the
“consumption community” by Boorstin. Afterward, scholars proposed different types of consumption
communities, for instance, consumption sub-culture (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995), brand communities
(Muñiz & O’guinn, 2001), consumption tribe (Cova & Cova, 2002). With the progress of the internet and social
media, the connection of consumers develops from online to offline, and as a result, a series of studies on the
virtual consumption community emerge (Hamilton & Hewer, 2010; O’Sullivan, 2010). Meanwhile, the
occurrence of new business mode endows the group consumption mode with new expressive style, for instance,
group purchasing (Jing & Xie, 2011), crowd-funding (Seog & Hyun, 2009), etc. These accumulated consumers
gain the abilities of gathering, transferring and planning all kinds of resources, and benefit the individuals and
distinct groups (Labrecque, 2013). Meanwhile, consumers have more executing power, being faster in the
information transmission and consumption actions, for instance, the flash mob (Barnes, 2006). It can be seen
that there are all kinds of forms of group consumption, as well as different factors impacting the formation of
group consumption mode. In this paper, investigations are mainly conducted from two aspects, including the
internal factor and external factor.
2.1 External factor
The development of industrial technology offers material support to the group consumption. In an
agricultural society, the clustering of consumers is mainly reflected by the upper class. Drinking and tea-tasting
are a significant part of the noble class and celebrities in China. People would gather to drink, taste thetas and
make poems, which has a far-reaching impact on the wine culture and tea culture in Chinese consumer culture.
The medieval European nobility was fond of gambling, drinking and fighting due to the effects of hedonism,
and many public consumption facilities occurred, such as the pit, opera house, etc. In the industrial society, the
convenience of traffic instrument made the tourism as the primary mode of group leisure consumption. Thomas
Cook organized the members of alcoholic prohibition association to take trains for sight-seeing in 1841 for the
first time, and then assembled people in joining several domestic or overseas traveling. After the 20th
century,
the global economy developed rapidly, which turned the leisure consumption to be the fashion of society and
cultural trend, such as the bowling, skating, KTV, swimming, etc. Family members and friends took part in the
group consumption activities in more ways, and many consumers are sharing the same interest and hobbies got
together and formed the consumption community (Boorstin, 1974; Sun Chengzhi, 1999).
In the 21st
century, the expansion of the internet and social media technology turns the original linear
interaction among consumers to the network and socialization interaction. They become the cooperators of
enterprises in creating the value and consumption significance, and sometimes even the United resistors
(Kozinets et al. 2010). The two technological factors change the interactive means of consumers: (1)
Development of source code in the openness and interaction of hardware; (2) Software support reflecting the
social exchange process (Labrecque et al., 2013). It offers diversified group activities and communication
platforms for consumers, such as Wechat group, virtual community, etc. Consequently, group consumption is no
longer limited to the offline, and it develops the online group interaction platforms, such as the virtual brand
community, game community, etc. Meanwhile, the boundary of the online interaction and offline interaction is
circulating and can be transformed mutually. Therefore, the group consumption activities also evolve to be the
multi-channel interaction mode from the single offline activities, such as online communication, offline
interaction, and different interaction, as shown in Fig. 1. The mixed interaction consists of two routes, namely
the online-to-offline interaction, such as the self-driving activities of Auto home club, and the offline-to-online
interaction, for instance, the WeChat agent-purchasing.
Fig. 1 multi-channel interaction of group consumption
The social environment is another significant factor driving the clustering of consumers. Maffesoli
(1995) pointed out that at the end of the 20th
century. Western human society entered the post-modernity from
the modernity, and people are reflecting on the social separation and sociality deficiency of individual life
caused by the excessive individuality, and as a result, the social aggregation actions began reversely with the
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tribe as the foundation. The postmodern tribe consumers prefer achieving the significance of life through the
social connection formed by one or several groups, instead of through the consuming behavior (Cova, 1997). In
Chinese society, the circle culture provides fruitful soil for the group consumption activities. As long as there are
people, there would be consumption, and as long as there are Chinese people, there would be circles. The
establishment, maintenance and reinforcement of social relationship and operation of circles through
consumption shall be a significant constituent part of the social life of each Chinese people. Many consumption
activities of Chinese people are carried out in circles, and the dinner party and entertainment, etc. are the
common social contact means of the circles.
2.2Internal factor
According to the sociology, two main agents are forming the social group. One is that the group can
satisfy the instrumental demand, and finish the work that cannot be accomplished by individuals, so that
individuals can gain more interest, for instance, a project team. The other is that the group can satisfy the
emotional demand, and members can gain the emotional support and opportunities for self-expression, for
instance, the circle of friends (Poptun, 2007). Bagozzi (2002) investigated the determinants driving the members
participating in the virtual community. Based on the mode of goal-directed behavior, two social influence
factors, namely the social identity and group norm, are added. Ellemers et al. (1999) pointed out the three
dimensions included in social identity, namely the cognition aspect, which is the cognition awareness of
membership in the social group, and it is a kind of self-classification, emphasizing on the similarity of
individuals. Moreover, group members, and the difference between non-group members; emotion dimension,
namely individual’s perception of group emotion relationship, and it is a kind of affective commitment, in which
individuals may produce intimacy and belonging sense with the group and group members. Evaluation
dimension, namely the assessment of membership value and significance, is the self-esteem out of the group
identity. Bagozzi et al. (2002) summarized with anempirical study that the three dimensions of social identity
may impact the intention of group participation. Subjective norm is the individual’s consideration of doing or
not doing something, and an individual’s subjective norm is determined by the perception of others’ expectation
and the following of others’ opinions (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). People with personal
norm care about others’ views and concepts, especially the important ones, as a result, they usually want to gain
the support and praise from others. When individuals take part in the group behavior, it aims to follow other
members’ expectation of obtaining awards or avoiding punishment; there may be the impact of subjective norm
(Lascu & Zinkhan, 1999).
Dholakia et al. (2004) divided the motivation for joining the virtual communityat the group level and
individual level based on the studies conducted by Bagozzi, et al. (2002). The motivation of level group consists
of the social identity and group norm, while the motivation of individual level includes: (1) Information
motivation, it refers that participants would gain and share information in the community. When obtaining
information value from the community, the members would contribute what they know to the community, for
instance, sharing the experience. (2) Instrumental motivation, it refers that participants would finish the specific
tasks through thegroup, for example, solving a certain problem, impacting other members to get them focus on a
certain problem or product. (3) Social connection, it refers that participants can establish and maintain the social
relationship with others and gain social benefits by joining the community, for instance, dispatching the sense of
loneliness, gaining the feeling of intimacy, looking for like-minded partners, achieving friendship and social
support (McKenna, 1999). (4) Social intensification, it refers that participants would make contributions to the
group and gain the recognition from other members, so as to intensify and improve the status in the community,
for instance, the labeling the star level of members with the contribution degree in the virtual community. (5)
Entertainment, it refers that participants would gain the pleasure by playing new roles in the virtual
community.Wang and Fesenmaier (2004) proposed four kinds of participation profit with the virtual tourism
community as the research object, namely the functional profit, which mainly refer to the transaction,
information collection, resource exchange, etc. The social profit, which primarily refers to the relationship and
communication, sharing of knowledge and experience, the offering of assistance and support, etc. among
members; psychological profit. Which mainly refers to the sense of belonging in the society, sense of identity
and intimacy among members; entertainment benefit, for instance, the internal enjoyment brought by the
entertainment new field, role playing.
Studies on the group participation motivation offer theoretical support to the excavation of domestic
factors formed by the group consumption mode. The internal factors also cover two levels, namely the group
level and individual level. The group norm and social identity are the motivation in the two group levels. Whyte
(2012) discovered in the study of a street gang in Italy that the group norm and traditional practices nearly
control all group behaviors, for instance, group members would gather in the same bar, and they would take the
same seat of the same desk. The impact of social identity on the consumer cluster is reflected by the distinct
cognition, affection and evaluation of individuals to the group. Muñiz and O’Guinn (2001) found out that
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consumers of the same brand community share the same values, which allow members to produce a strong sense
of belonging to the brand community, and even a kind of kinship. Seen from the individual level, the
consumption activities in-group satisfy the consumers with the profit that cannot be gained from
individualconsumption. In this paper, by referring to the views of Dholakia et al. (2004), four kinds of individual
motivation factors formed by the group consumption are put forward, including the information motivation,
namely the product information, application experience, etc. Gained from the sharing among consumers;
instrumental motivation, participating in the price discount that is exclusive to the group consumption or
consumption activity that can only be finished with other consumers, such as crowdfunding, team game, sports.
The social motivation, which refers to the establishment or maintenance of social relationship with other
consumers in the group consumption, and the intensification of friendship and emotional relationship;
enjoyment motivation, which refers to the joyful experience gained from the joint consumption with other group
members.
III. Types of group consumption mode
3.1 Characteristic dimension of group consumption
The study on the consumption behaviors at the group level is mainly concentrated in the brand
community, consumption sub-culture, consumption tribe, etc. and these group consumption forms are
summarized into the category of consumption communities (Thomas, 2013). However currently, scholars regard
different consumption communities as independent entities for study, without considering the differences and
relations between these group consumption entities (Canniford, 2011). In this paper, it is considered that the
analysis of group consumption mode shall clarify the characteristics of these consumption entities, and nine
kinds of characteristic dimensions are extractedfrom the study of domestic and foreignliterature about the group
consumption.
Table 1: Characteristic dimension of group consumption
Characteristic dimension Type and living examples
Focus: if it is centered on the brand,
consumption action, concept, emotion
Brand-centered: Saab community(Muñiz & O’Guinn, 2001)
Action-centered: surfing community(Canniford, 2011)
Concept – centered: The Burning Man community(Kozinets, 2002)
Emotion-centered: Circle of friends
Action cycle: time span of the action
Temporary: flash mob (Barnes, 2006); crowd-funding, group purchasing
Persistent: Apple Newton community, the product has already exited the market, but
the community is still active(Muñiz & Schau, 2005)
Group attraction: does the mode
attract small amount of consumers or
the masses
Small-crowd: simplicity communities, requiring consumers to give up many luxuries
(Cherrier, 2009)
Broad-crowd: The Tom Petty and Heartbreaker brand community are a large group of
consumers(Schau &Muñiz, 2007)
Barriers to entry: minimum condition
of participation (Von Hippel, 2005)
and group greeting behavior (Schau
et al., 2009)
Low-threshold: only through online registration (Mathwick et al., 2008)
High-threshold: Harley-Davidson Motor Club, requiring substantial fund input
(Schouten & McAlexander, 1995)
Exclusive: Porsche club, boasting rareness, making it difficult for new members to gain
official status in the club(Avery, 2007)
Appealing: develop the consumption group actively and encourage the join of new
members (Schau et al., 2009)
Communication channels: participant
interaction is small offline clustering
or scattered online or the combination
of the two (Wind et al., 2002)
Aggregating type: circle of friends, interpersonal gathering
Dispersing type: crowdfunding, only interacting in network environment
Mixed type: Hummer club, with offline gathering and online network interaction
(Luedicke et al., 2010)
Marketorientation: the relation with
enterprise is cooperative, neutral or
opposite
Collaborative type: Harley-Davidson Motor Club and enterprise launched all kinds of
cooperation by focusing on the goals (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995); the group
purchasing shall cooperate with target enterprise or the third party service of the group
purchasing website
Neutral type: Book club, members purchase the books of enterprise, but enterprise
seldom joins the book purchasing activities of the club (Long, 2003)
Opposite type: The Community Supported Agriculture, opposing all kinds of business
of the mainstream business entities (Thompson & CoskunerBalli, 2007)
Resource flow structure: how the
information resource, social resource,
cultural resource and economic
resource flow to the group, and in the
group
One-way flow: consumers of association from the organization similar to fans by
focusing a certain particular people, led by a leader, the resource would flow to the
center, and few resources are flowing among members. It is also called the star
structure community(Fournier, 2009)
No-structural type: Fournier (2009) think that consumers sharing the same attitude
towards a certain consumption value or brand may be like a party, with the same beliefs
but few interactions. Therefore, the resource flow is scattering, without structure.
Network flow: there is a strong interaction between the members of the community, and
members may influence each other in different ways.
Collective sense of belonging: the
group regards the group sense of
Low sense of belonging: much professional association has a low sense of belonging
(Fournier, 2009)
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belonging as a part of the group
recognition to a great extent
High sense of belonging: the groupis devoted to reinforcing the cohesion and sense of
belonging among members, such as drifting club (Arnould & Price, 1993)
Heterogeneity: changes of groups in
the role of members and resource
creation
Homogeneous type: gangdom stands for the homogeneous group, it suppresses and
rejects the differentiation (Venkatesh, 1997)
Heterogeneous type: in ethnic Chinese circle, from the member role to symbol
significance to the brand, differences are presented in different forms (Dong & Tian,
2009)
(Data source: Thomas T C, Price L L, Schau H J. When differences unite: Resource dependence in
heterogeneous consumption communities [J]. Journal of Consumer Research, 2013, 39(5): 1010-1033. With
modifications)
3.2 Classification of group consumption mode
It can be discovered from the study of the formation motivation and characteristics of all kinds of group
consumption that consumers may gather out of the instrumental demand or emotional demand. On that basis, it
presents the differences in different dimensions, such as the action cycle, group attraction, barriers to entry,
interaction channel, market orientation, resource flow structure, sense of belonging, heterogeneity, etc.
However, the distinctions in each group consumption entity cannot display the differences in the group
consumption mode systematically, and there are no explicit paths for the analysis of group consumption mode.
Various group consumption entities are also the collection of therelationship between members. In these groups,
there are intimate friends and acquaintances, and even a fellow traveler finishing one task. The current studies
neglect the role of interpersonal relationships in the group consumption. On the other hand, the group
consumption activities are formed by individuals, and the individual behavior is the foundation of the formation
of group behaviors. Current studies on the group consumption fail to investigate the characteristic dimension
from the motivation of the group formation. In this paper, dimensions are selected from two perspectives of the
group consumption. Firstly, it is the group relationship strength reflecting the social characteristic; secondly, it is
the action cycle reflecting the features of the consumption behavior. It divides the group consumption mode into
four quadrants, which stand for the group consumption mode guided by four different group formation
motivations.
Fig.2 Types of group consumption mode
3.2.1 Instrument-oriented
The short-term consumption behavior of weak-ties group is represented by the temporary gathering for
accomplishing a certain consumption target, for instance, the tourist group, online group purchasing, crowd-
funding, etc. Such group consumption can usually gain the profit that cannot be gained in individual actions, for
instance, the favorable price, risk diversification, etc. With the online group purchasing as an example, the group
purchasing shall be the purchasing behaviors conducted by individuals or groups sharing the same purchasing
objects (Webster & Wind, 1972). The group purchasing consists of two factors, namely the purchasing behaviors
and action groups. The online group purchasing may call on buyers with the same walls of purchasing the same
products through the internet, and gain the bargaining capacity with merchants in two ways, namely the
negotiation before calling up and negotiation after calling up (Tsvetovat et al. 2000). Kauffman (2001) studied
the impact of the dynamic pricing mechanism of group purchasing website on the consumers’ behaviors. To gain
more favorable price, consumers may expand the group purchasing scale as much as possible. In the network
group purchase based on the weak ties group, the internal social interaction in the group is relatively low. Jing et
al. (2011) studied the social interactive behaviors in the network group purchase. Group purchase merchants
offer more discounts to opinion leaders for encouraging them to call on more participants, and these consumers
may have interpersonal interactions with other consumers through the sharing of information and knowledge.
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3.2.2 Information-oriented
The long-term consumption activities conducted by weak-ties group is the information-based group
consumption mode, in which, the group consumption activities mainly gain or share the information,
knowledge, experience, etc. related to the consumption. It is pointed out in the strength of weak ties theory that
the weak ties and strong ties may play the role of information transmission. In the strongties group, due to the
high homogenization of group, the information transferring is usually limited and repeated. However, in the
weak-ties group, the high homogenization of group may directly result in the diversified information and
knowledge, and the interaction of group members is also represented by the transfer process of information and
knowledge (Granovetter, 1973). For the weak-ties consumption group, the interaction between members is
concentrated in the sharing of consumption experience and brand knowledge, for instance, the member sharing
activities of cosmetic brand, car club forum, etc. Meanwhile, compared to the consumption group, in reality, the
consumption group relationship in the network environment is not close, and most network members only
interact on the internet, without contacting in reality, which is a kind of weak-ties group. The internet
technology and mobile interconnection technique offer support for the information coordination of network
group. Network members may accomplish the information coordination by various means, such as the
characters, pictures, voice, etc. The information coordination gets online consumption groups discuss and solve
the same problem and members in joint actions would form reciprocal relations and undertake risks together.
Meanwhile, they would share the action results (Gray, 1989). The information communication is the basis of the
continuous action of the weak-ties consumption groups. The emotion relationship between members and the
cognition of groups is based on the information communication. For the information communication of network
group may turn the reciprocal relations among members from “one to one” to “many to many”, and the
reciprocity is just the necessary means of creating, maintaining and strengthening the social relationship
(Kollock, 1999; Ding Daoqun et al. 2005).
3.2.3 c. Enjoyment - oriented
The short-term consumption behavior of strong-ties group is represented by a joint participation of
family members, friends, etc. in a certain consumption activity, and there is no long-term repetition. It may be
the common try of new products or a vacation. In this paper, it is called the enjoyment-oriented group
consumption mode. Caprariello et al. (2013) discovered in studies that the experience with others may bring
more happiness than individual experience, for it is easier to share the experience with others, but it may be
difficult to share tangible materials. Tynan and McKenzie (2009) discovered that the consumption experience is
not enjoyed along by individual consumers, but other consumers experience it, and it may produce the common
group creativity in the social interaction and experience sharing of collective consumption process. Arnould and
Price (1993) found out in the common experience of groups in the study on drifting travel that high emotional
connections and enjoyment experience may be produced in the overcoming of difficulties and mutual assistance,
and the identity and sense of belonging may be produced. It can be said that interpersonal interaction is a
significant trigger of the creation of extraordinary experience.
3.2.4 Relationship-oriented
The long-term consumption of the strongties group is usually manifested as the routine / ritual
consumption carried out among family members, friends, and students. Durkheim (1912) considered that the
durability of social entity exists in the rites. Just like the durability of social relationship maintained with rites,
the group consumption entity mainly maintains the group durability with the routine/ ritual consumption, and
such group consumption mode is called the relationship-oriented mode. The group consumption activity in the
relationship-guided mode pays more attention to the establishment and maintenance of a relationship with other
consumers.Such strong-ties group is also the circle in Chinese life. The group consumption ritual usually refers
to the internal consumption activities of the circle and these activities may endow the consumers with the
meaning of life just like these activities (Rook, 1985). According to the different source of consumption
behaviors, the group consumption rate / routine is divided into six categories, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2 Types of group consumption ritual
Behavior source Rite / convention type Example
Cosmology
Incredible magic
Aesthetic
Gamble, online game
Artistic performance, film
Cultural value
Rite of passage
Culture
Graduation celebration, birthday
celebration
Thanksgiving, mid-autumn festival
Group study
Small group
Family
Office dinner party, sodality
Dinner party, festival celebration
(Data source: Rook D W. The ritual dimension of consumer behavior[J]. Journal of Consumer Research, 1985:
251-264. With modifications)
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Wallendorf et al. (1991) conducted studies on the routine consumption of Thanksgiving, finding out
that consumers may enhance the relationship with relatives or friends after the prevailing dinner party. Gainer
(1995) took consumers with the appreciation of art performance as rites as the research object and found out that
consumers may enhance the understanding of each other during the experience sharing with family members
and church members, and they would establish more social connections. McKechnie and Tynan (2006) studied
the social significance created by consumers in the consumption rates of Christmas and pointed out that social,
cultural factors may be transmitted to the consumption individuals from the commodity consumption. Jafari et
al. (2013) pointed out the social value generated in the interpersonal interaction of family members during the
visiting of the museum, as well as its impact on the consumption experience. Meanwhile, it is pointed out that
the symbolic meaning of consumption creates the connections between human, and the social relationship
between individuals and others is developed and maintained through emotion stimulation.
IV. Evolution of group consumption mode
The four types of group consumption reflect different degrees of cohesion. According to Festinger,
cohesion is the resultant force of all factors remained by individuals in the group (Liu Jingxiao et al. 2006).
These factors include the interpersonal attraction, task commitment, group honor (Beal et al., 2003). When
elements interact with each other, change, and develop with the group, the cohesion will also change. Carron et
al. pointed out the dynamic features of cohesion, and it shall investigate the development stages in dynamic
view (Carron et al., 2005). As for the group consumption mode, the strength of group relationship reflects the
interpersonal attraction of group, and the continuous circle of consumption actions reflects the commitment of
the group to the consumption target. In the four kinds of consumption mode, the relationship-oriented mode has
high cohesion, and it mainly conducts long-term consumption activities in strong-ties group, realizing the
loyalty of group relationship and consumption target, and it is the ideal state of binding the group loyalty. When
the interpersonal attraction of group increases or the commitment of the group to the target consumption
increases, the cohesion of the group consumption will also increase, and it can also be considered that the group
consumption mode further evolves. In Fig. 3, it is reflected the evolution of four group consumption modes
realized in two paths, including the relationship identification and product identification.
Strong ties
Enjoyment-oriented Relationship-oriented
Weak ties
Instrument-oriented Information-oriented
Fig. 3 Evolution path of group consumption mode
As for the instrument-oriented consumption mode, when a group approves a certain product, brand or
concept, the weak-ties group may be turned to be the existing social relationship focusing on a certain
consumption object. The consumption object amounts to the spiritual carrier of the group members, who have
maintained the continuous attention and purchase of consumption object, and the instrument-oriented mode
develops to be the information-oriented mode. When the group members establish the friendship and emotion in
the consumption process, the interpersonal attraction of the group is enhanced, and at this moment, the
interpersonal interaction may give rise to the enjoyment experience (Arnould& Price, 1993). The instrument-
oriented mode may develop to be the enjoyment-oriented mode, for instance, the establishment of friendship
with other visitors in the tour group may change the experience of traveling. The tour group formed for the
convenience of traveling and favorable price may allow people to gain the joy of interpersonal interaction due to
the strengthening of therelationshipbetween tourists.
As for the information-oriented consumption mode, when group members gain the ties identity through
participating in various activities and interpersonal interaction, the weak ties among consumption group, may
turn to be the strong ties. The long-term consumption actions of the group may turn to be the rites of the group,
which may maintain the group relationship. As a result, the information-oriented mode develops to be the
Product identification
Product identification
Relationship identification
Relationship identification
Short-term action Long-term action
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relationship-oriented mode, for instance, the brand community is of the information-oriented group consumption
mode based on the weak ties, with low cohesion.
While some brand communities may gain high cohesion through the relationship development of
members, and the group consumption activities may become the rites or ceremonies of the community, for
instance, the Harley-Davidson Motor Club.
As for the enjoyment-oriented consumption mode, when the strong ties produce common positive
attitude towards the consumption experience in the consumption process, the common attitude of the group may
amplify the satisfaction degree (Bohlmann et al. 2006), and reinforce the repeated consumption behaviors of the
group. When the group forms long-term repeated consumption actions, the consumption activity may become
the routine of group members, and members may carry out the interpersonal interaction in the consumption of
the focus resource. The consumption activity is usually the emotion symbolization of a group, for instance, it is
recognized in the circle of friends that the bar would become the “old place” for the gathering of members.
V. Marketing enlightenment and research prospect
The division of group consumption mode may show different starting point of the collection of
consumers, and group consumption may gather the consumers with products as the center or select products
based on the group relationship. Different consumption modes may show the differences in group relationship
strength and product loyalty, and it can divide the four types of group consumption modes, including the
instrument-oriented mode, information-oriented mode, enjoyment-oriented mode and relationship-oriented
mode. The relationship-oriented mode displays the highest cohesion of consumption group and the strong
interpersonal attraction and group consumption commitment forms the customer loyalty at agroup level, and
other three modes may accomplish the evolution of consumption mode in two paths, namely the relationship
identification and product identification. In this research, there are several revelations for the marketing practice:
Firstly, previously the attention to the group consumption mainly stays in the overall operation of the
brand community and virtual community, neglecting the differences in theexistinggroup and group relationship
in the community. Especially, the circle consumption conducted under the impact of the circle culture of
Chinese consumers is the most common social interaction activities of Chinese people. The circle consumption
is the group consumption carried out by the strong ties, which can be enjoyment-oriented mode and relationship-
oriented mode, and the circle marketing is the key to future group consumption.
Secondly, consumers can gain multi-values by participating in the group consumption activities,
including the information value, instrument valve, enjoyment value and social value, etc. different consumption
modes reflect the attention to the various values from the consumption group. In other words, the division of
consumption mode stands for the group segmentation market directed by four various types of value.
Correspondingly, the marketing plan shall be adjusted with various group value orientations.
Thirdly, the relationship-oriented consumption mode is the final form of the group customer loyalty,
revealing many differences between the successful consumption communities and other consumption
communities. The relationship identification and product identification is the two paths of the evolution of the
relationship-oriented mode. As for the enterprise, besides making strategies for strengthening the attitude of
consumers towards the consumption objects like the product/ brand, it shall provide chances and space for the
social interaction and emotion promotion of consumers as much as possible. When consumers develop the
loyalty in the form of group, the group norms may have a huge constraining force on the consumers, that is to
say, thehuge interpersonal cost may confront consumers during the product transfer.
The group consumption mode proposed in this research is a conceptual model, which can be further
verified through data analysis. Also, in the strong-ties group consumption activities, the interpersonal interaction
is a significant variable. So, for the instrument-oriented and information-oriented group use, how would
interpersonal interaction impact the strong-ties group consumption, will it reflect different consumption
characteristics? These problems shall be further studied in the future.
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Authors Information
ZHANG Di is pursuing her Ph.D. at School of Management, Dalian University of Technology, China. Her
research interests are the theory of consumer groups’ behavior and marketing localization.
She has published several articles focus on the consumption characteristics of groups both in
Chinese and English.
DONG Da-hai is a professor at the School of Management, Dalian University of Technology, China. He is the
executive director and deputy secretary-general of China Marketing Association. His
research is to focus on those rooted in the cultural, institutional and economic growth stage
of China's problems, and to form a real "Chinese marketing theory ' by these accumulated
research.
Zulfiqar Haider (Syed Zaidi) is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public
Administration, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan. He earned bachelor degree in
1999, master degree in 2001 from the University of Sindh. MS (Master) degree obtained in
2011 from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Recently, completed his Ph.D. (2016), from
the Dalian University of Technology, China. His research interests include e-Government,
new public management, marketing management and public policy.