The development of a child into a consumer

This paper presents a descriptive model of the development of children's co nsumer behavior from infancy to 12 years of age. Although there is no singl e definition of consumer behavior in the literature, those that have been e mployed seem to entail at least four characteristics. A consumer is able to ll) feel wants and preferences, (2) search to fulfill them, (3) make a choi ce and a purchase, and (4) evaluate the product and its alternatives. The a uthors argue that the development of consumer behavior occurs in four phase s, and that in each phase, one of the four characteristics of consumer beha vior emerges. By drawing together a number of theories and ideas currently in the literature, the authors discuss each of the phases of consumer behav ior and explain why particular characteristics of consumer behavior emerge at particular ages. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.