The Impact of Family Micro-Environments on Children's Consumer Socialization

We examine children’s consumption experiences within families in order to further investigate the role that the family environment plays in the consumer socialization of children. We identify how familial micro-environments, created by parents and siblings, work to create consumer micro-environments that exert differential types of influence on children’s socialization as consumers. An updated conceptualization of consumer socialization is presented, which recognises that children inhabit their own unique niche in the ecology of their family. A child’s unique familial micro-environment affects how influence is exerted in decision making in families, and the resistance children experience to their influence strategies.

Citation:

Ben Kerrane and Margaret K. Hogg (2009) ,"The Impact of Family Micro-Environments on Children's Consumer Socialization", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 36, eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 632-634.