2. Family
• Two or more persons related by blood,
marriage or adoption who reside
together
• ‘Family’ is used synonymously with
‘Household’
3. Socialisation of Family Members
• Imparting of:
– Moral and religious principles
– Interpersonal skills
– Dress and grooming standards
– Mannerisms and speech
– Basic skills in education and extra-
curricular activities
– Selection of educational and career goals
4. Consumer Socialisation
• The process by which children acquire
the skills, knowledge, and attitudes
necessary to function as consumers.
– Parents and older siblings as role models
– Friends as models of consumption behavior
5. Socialisation Process Model
Influence More Basic
Values/Behavior
•Moral/religious principles
•Interpersonal skills
•Dress/grooming standards
•Manners and speech
•Educational motivation
•Occupational career goals
•Consumer behavior norms
Influence More Expressive
Attitudes/Behavior
•Style
•Fashion
•Fads
•“In/Out”
•Acceptable consumer
behavior
Other Family
Members
Friends
Young Person
Preadolescent Adolescent Teens Older
6. Other Functions of Family
• Economic well-being
• Emotional support
• Suitable family lifestyles
7. Family Decision Making Process Roles
– 1) The Initiator: The initiator is the family member who
proposes a suggestion or an idea related to purchases for
the family.
– 2) The Influencer: The Influencer establishes the decision
criteria by making comparison and tries to persuade other
family members during the process of decision-making. The
influencer might or might not be the same person as the
initiator.
– 3) The decision maker (Decider): This refers to the family
member with the power to unilaterally or jointly determine
whether to purchase a specific brand, product or service or
not.
– 4) The purchasing agent (Buyer): He/she carries out the
decision by purchasing the product for the family. The
purchasing agent might or might not be the same person as
the decision maker.
– 5) The final consumer (User): He/she is the one who uses
the product and evaluates it, giving some feedback to other
family members regarding the satisfaction with the chosen
brand and desirability to purchase the same brand or
product again.
8. Dynamics of Husband-Wife Decision Making
• Husband-Dominated
• Wife-Dominated
• Joint ( Furniture)
• Autonomic( Either husband or the wife
is the primary or only decision maker)
9. Conflict and resolution
• Conflict may arise within the family in
any purchase decision
• Conflicts usually arise in high
involvement products used by all family
members
• Family members use various influence
strategies to resolve conflicts
10. Influence strategies
• Expert influence strategy
– Family member with the most knowledge
about the product
• Bargaining purchase strategy
– Members bargain amongst themselves. Eg,
car chosen by husband, vacation chosen
by wife
• Legitimate influence strategy
– By virtue of the position one enjoys in the
household. Can be different for different
product categories
11. Influence strategies
• Emotional influence strategy
– Use emotions to get what is wanted.
• Reward influence strategy
– Purchase of products as reward for
family members
12. The FLC
• Traditional Family Life Cycle
– Stage I: Bachelorhood
– Stage II: Honeymooners
– Stage III: Parenthood
– Stage IV: Post-parenthood
– Stage V: Dissolution
13. Bachelorhood
• Young singles living apart from family
– Lot of disposable income
– Spend on rent and basic home furnishing
– Purchase and maintenance of automobiles
– Travel and entertainment
– Gadgets
– Health club / sport club
– Meeting, dating
14. Honeymooners
• Just married to first child
– Both working, more money
– Start up expenses for a new home
– eg. (New home with major and minor
appliances, bedroom and living room
furnitures, carpeting, dishes and accessory
items.)
15. Parenthood
• Full Nest I
– Youngest child under six
– Liquid assets low, one partner may have quit job
– Interested in new and advertised products
– Younger couples willing to spend more on branded goods
(clothes, toys, etc) for kids
• Full Nest II
– Youngest child over six
– Spend on food items and family entertainment
• Full Nest III
– Older couples with dependent children
– Some children (and maybe parent) get jobs
– Financial position better
– Spend on unnecessary appliances, cars, etc
16. Post Parenthood
• Empty Nest I
– Older couples with no dependent children
– Most satisfied with financial position and assets
– Interest in travel, leisure, self education, pursuit of
hobbies
– Spending on grandchildren
(Spend more on luxury goods, new automobiles,
expensive furnitures)
• Empty nest II
– Many already retired
– Drastic reduction in income
– Spend on medical bills
17. Dissolution
– Death of one spouse
– Adjustment easier if income is comfortable
– Special need for care and attention
– Old age homes
20. The Non-Traditional FLC
Childless couples It is increasingly acceptable for married
couples to elect not to have children.
Contributing forces are more career-
oriented married women and delayed
marriages.
Couples who marry later
in life (in their late 30s or
later)
More career-oriented men and women
and greater occurrence of couples living
together. Likely to have fewer or even no
children.
Couples who have first
child later in life (in their
late 30s or later)
Likely to have fewer children. Stress
quality lifestyle: “Only the best is good
enough”
Family Households Definition/Commentary
21. The Non-Traditional FLC
Single parents II Young man or woman who has one or
more children out of wedlock. Eg. Sana
Gurung
Single parents III A single person who adopts one or more
children.
Extended family Young single-adult children who return
home to avoid the expenses of living
alone while establishing their careers.
Divorced daughter or son and
grandchildren return home to parents.
Frail elderly parents who move in with
children. Newlyweds living with in-laws.
Family Households Definition/Commentary
Single parents I High divorce rates (about 50%) contribute
to a portion of single-parent households
22. The Non-Traditional FLC
Unmarried couples Increased acceptance of heterosexual
and homosexual couples.
Divorced persons (no
children)
High divorce rate contributes to
dissolution of households before
children are born.
Single persons (most are
young)
Primarily a result of delaying first
marriage; also, men and women who
never marry.
Non-family Households Definition/Commentary
Widowed persons (most
are elderly)
Longer life expectancy, especially for
women; means more over-75 single-
person households.
