Kids Role in Family Buy Choices

Introduction

As indicated by research, the impact of children is more pronounced in larger and higher-income families. As children grow older, their influence and persuasive power increase, and their ability to understand and appreciate the content of marketing and undergo a qualitative process also increases with age. Moore (1979) found that a significant positive relationship exists between young people's financial background and the degree of brand preferences for various products. Age was related to the number of information sources preferred, and the tendency to rely on peers as a source of information also increases with age. Consequently, the tendency to rely on parents for information and guidance decreases with age.

Children's Role in Family Purchase Decisions

Churchill (1979) discovered positive relationships between the consumer capability of young people and their social class and age. Gender differences were also observed; male children demonstrated a more positive attitude towards stores, greater knowledge about consumer affairs and products, more money-oriented values, and more social motivations for consumption. Conversely, females showed more positive attitudes towards advertising and scored significantly higher on information-seeking and cognitive differentiation measures. In general, we can state that female children have more influential power in family purchase decisions, and they use different strategies to influence their parents, such as reasoning, asking, and persuading more frequently than boys. It is important to note that in some families, children are treated as equals to parents in decision-making, while in others, they are considered subordinate to parental authority. The family type—single parent, step-parent, or intact families—affects these dimensions of family authority. Family type is expected to be related to parental coalition formation and parent-child authoritarianism. These two factors are expected to affect children's influence in family- and child-related purchase decisions. According to research, teenagers in single-parent families have more influential power than in step and intact families, which may be due to differences in socialization regarding family authority relations (Moore, 1979; Churchill, 1979).

Gender and Cultural Differences in Decision-Making

It was reported that according to Indian girls' perceptions, Indian families are generally more cohesive, while Indian boys perceived them as less cohesive; however, the overall difference was not substantial. Gender differences in decision-making were also found to be stronger in India than in America. Dhobal (1999) noted that across stages of product adoption—awareness, knowledge, preference, conviction, and adoption—for durables, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs), and services, children were previously inactive in all stages of adoption except the actual adoption stage. However, today, children are active in all five stages of adoption of durables and FMCGs. He reported different situations in which children in new urban Indian families were influencers or co-deciders at the time of purchasing personal products, consumables, financial products, vacations, educational products, and family cars, while they were purchasers of family toiletries and initiators or gatekeepers for purchases of family durables (Dhobal, 1999).

Conclusion

In summary, as children mature, their role in family purchase decisions becomes more pronounced, influenced by factors such as age, gender, family structure, and cultural context. The insights provided by Moore (1979), Churchill (1979), and Dhobal (1999) highlight the complex dynamics of children's influence in consumer behavior, emphasizing the need for marketers and families to recognize and adapt to these evolving roles.

References:

• Churchill, G. A. (1979). Consumer Behavior: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives. New York: Random House.
• Dhobal, P. (1999). Children as Influencers in Family Purchase Decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(3), 343-355.
• Moore, R. L. (1979). The Influence of Children on Family Purchase Decisions. Journal of Consumer Research, 6(3), 177-189.