This article examines the temporal dynamics in 11 consumer traits in a broad sample of 1,411 Dutch consumers followed for 12 years. The traits encompass consumer-specific expressions of all Big Five personality dimensions and map responses to the 4 Ps. The authors examine measurement stability and individual and population trajectories over time, as well as test–retest correlations, profile stability, and structural stability. They find that consumer traits are almost as stable as Big Five personality traits, even when measured with only a few items. Yet stability does not preclude change. The authors report notable trends that reflect the process of aging and/or changing attitudes in society over time. They disentangle both effects and find that society's changes in consumer traits are largely consistent with dynamic cultural theory. In paying special attention to the effects of the Great Recession, they find that price consciousness is most susceptible to changes in environmental conditions. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings conclude.
AilawadiKusum L., NeslinScott A., and GedenkKaren (2001), “Pursuing the Value-Conscious Consumer: Store Brands Versus National Brand Promotions,”Journal of Marketing, 65(January), 71–89.
2.
AilawadiKusum L., PauwelsKoen, and SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (2008), “Private Label Use and Store Loyalty,”Journal of Marketing, 72(November), 19–30.
3.
BaumgartnerHans, and SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (1996), “Exploratory Consumer Buying Behavior: Conceptualization and Measurement,”International Journal of Research in Marketing, 13(2), 121–37.
4.
BaumgartnerHans, and SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (2006), “An Extended Paradigm for Measurement Analysis Applicable to Panel Data,”Journal of Marketing Research, 43(August), 431–42.
5.
BeardenWilliam O., NetemeyerRichard G., and HawsKelly L. (2011), Handbook of Marketing Scales, 3rd ed.Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
6.
BeardenWilliam O., NetemeyerRichard G., and TeelJesse E. (1989), “Measurement of Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence,”Journal of Consumer Research, 15(March), 473–81.
7.
BlattbergRobert, BuesingThomas, PeacockPeter, and SenSubrata (1978), “Identifying the Deal Prone Segment,”Journal of Marketing Research, 15(August), 369–77.
8.
BollenKenneth A., and CurranPatrick J. (2006), Latent Curve Models: A Structural Equation Perspective.Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
9.
BoormanNeil (2007), Bonfire of Brands.New York: Canongate.
10.
BronnenbergBart J., DubéJean-Pierre H., and GentzkowMatthew (2012), “The Evolution of Brand Preferences: Evidence from Consumer Migration,”American Economic Review, 102(6), 2472–2508.
11.
BurgessSteven M., and SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (2006), “Marketing Renaissance: How Research in Emerging Consumer Markets Advances Marketing Science and Practice,”International Journal of Research in Marketing, 23(December), 337–56.
12.
ClarkRonald A., and GoldsmithRonald E. (2005), “Market Mavens: Psychological Influences,”Psychology & Marketing, 22(4), 289–312.
13.
CohenJacob (1988), Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed.Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
14.
CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (2009), The Credit Crisis and the Dutch Economy 2009-2010.The Hague: CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
15.
CronbachLee J., and GleserGoldine C. (1953), “Assessing Similarity Between Profiles,”Psychological Bulletin, 50(6), 456–73.
16.
De JongMartijn G., SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and VeldkampBernard P. (2009), “A Model for the Construction of Country-Specific, Yet Internationally Comparable Short-Form Marketing Scales,”Marketing Science, 28(4), 674–89.
17.
DeleersnyderBarbara, DekimpeMarnik G., SarvaryMiklos, and ParkerPhilip M. (2004), “Weathering Tight Economic Times: The Sales Evolution of Consumer Durables over the Business-Cycle,”Quantitative Marketing and Economics, 2(4), 347–83.
18.
FeickLawrence F., and PriceLinda L. (1987), “The Market Maven: A Diffuser of Marketplace Information,”Journal of Marketing, 51(January), 83–97.
19.
FergusonChristopher J. (2010), “A Meta-Analysis of Normal and Disordered Personality Across the Life Span,”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(4), 659–67.
20.
FischerMarc, VölcknerFranziska, and SattlerHenrik (2010), “How Important Are Brands? A Cross-Category, Cross-Country Study,”Journal of Marketing Research, 47(October), 823–39.
21.
GaskiJohn F., and EtzelMichael J. (1986), “The Index of Consumer Sentiment Toward Marketing,”Journal of Marketing, 56(July), 71–81.
22.
HuLi-Tze, and BentlerPeter M. (1999), “Cutoff Criteria for Fit Indexes in Covariance Structure Analysis: Conventional Criteria Versus New Alternatives,”Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
23.
InglehartRonald, and WelzelChristian (2005), Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy.New York: Cambridge University Press.
24.
JacobsonNeil S., and TruaxPaula (1991), “Clinical Significance: A Statistical Approach to Defining Meaningful Change in Psychotherapy Research,”Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(1), 12–19.
25.
JoachimsthalerErich A., and LastovickaJohn L. (1984), “Optimal Stimulation Level-Exploratory Behavior Models,”Journal of Consumer Research, 11(3), 830–35.
26.
JohnOliver P., NaumannLaura P., and SotoChristopher J. (2008), “Paradigm Shift to the Integrative Big Five Taxonomy,” in Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 3rd ed., OliverP. John, RobinsRichard W., and PervinLawrence A., eds. New York: Guilford Press, 114–58.
27.
KumarNirmalya, and SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (2007), Private Label Strategy.Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
28.
LameyLien, DeleersnyderBarbara, DekimpeMarnik G., and SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (2007), “How Business Cycles Contribute to Private Label Success: Evidence from the United States and Europe,”Journal of Marketing, 71(January), 1–15.
29.
LastovickaJohn L. (1982), “On the Validation of Lifestyle Traits: A Review and Illustration,”Journal of Marketing Research, 19(February), 126–38.
30.
LichtensteinDonald R., NetemeyerRichard G., and BurtonScot (1995), “Assessing the Domain Specificity of Deal Proneness: A Field Study,”Journal of Consumer Research, 22(3), 314–26.
31.
LichtensteinDonald R., RidgwayNancy M., and NetemeyerRichard G. (1993), “Price Perceptions and Consumer Shopping Behavior: A Field Study,”Journal of Marketing Research, 30(May), 234–45.
32.
LucasRichard E., and Brent DonnellanM. (2011), “Personality Development Across the Life Span: Longitudinal Analyses with a National Sample from Germany,”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 841–61.
33.
Maydeu-OlivaresAlberto, and CoffmanDonna L. (2006), “Random Intercept Item Factor Analysis,”Psychological Methods, 11(4), 344–62.
34.
McCraeRobert R., and CostaPaul T. (1997), “Conceptions and Correlates of Openness to Experience,” in Handbook of Personality Psychology, HoganRobert, JohnsonJohn, and BriggsStephen eds. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 767–93.
35.
McCraeRobert R., and CostaPaul T. (2008), “The Five-Factor Theory of Personality,” in Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 3rd ed.OliverP. John, RobinsRichard W., and PervinLawrence A., eds. New York: Guilford Press, 159–81.
36.
MuthénLinda K., and MuthénBengt (2012), Mplus User's Guide.Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.
37.
NunnallyJum C., and BernsteinIra H. (1994), Psychometric Theory, 3rd ed.New York: McGraw-Hill.
38.
ObermillerCarl, and SpangenbergEric R. (1998), “Development of a Scale to Measure Consumer Skepticism Toward Advertising,”Journal of Consumer Psychology, 7(2), 159–86.
39.
ParkC. Whan, MacInnisDeborah J., PriesterJoseph, EisingerichAndreas B., and IacobucciDawn (2010), “Brand Attachment and Brand Attitude Strength: Conceptual and Empirical Differentiation of Two Critical Brand Equity Drivers,”Journal of Marketing, 74(November), 1–17.
40.
RajuP.S. (1980), “Optimum Stimulation Level: Its Relationship to Personality, Demographics, and Exploratory Behavior,”Journal of Consumer Research, 7(3), 272–82.
41.
RitzerGeorge (2007), The Globalization of Nothing 2.Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
42.
RobertsBrent W., and DelVecchioWendy F. (2000), “The Rank-Order Consistency of Personality Traits from Childhood to Old Age: A Quantitative Review of Longitudinal Studies,”Psychological Bulletin, 126(1), 3–25.
43.
RobertsBrent W., WaltonKate E., and ViechtbauerWolfgang (2006), “Patterns of Mean-Level Change in Personality Traits Across the Life Course: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies,”Psychological Bulletin, 132(1), 1–25.
44.
RobertsBrent W., WoodDustin, and CaspiAvshalom (2008), “The Development of Personality Traits in Adulthood,” in Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 3rd ed.OliverP. John, RobinsRichard W., and PervinLawrence A., eds. New York: Guilford, 375–98.
45.
RobinsRichard W., Chris FraleyR., RobertsBrent W., and TrzesniewskiKali H. (2001), “A Longitudinal Study of Personality Change in Young Adulthood,”Journal of Personality, 69(4), 617–40.
46.
RookDennis W. (1987), “The Buying Impulse,”Journal of Consumer Research, 14(2), 189–99.
47.
RookDennis W., and FisherRobert J. (1995), “Normative Influences on Impulsive Buying Behavior,”Journal of Consumer Research, 22(3), 305–313.
SpechtJule, EgloffBoris, and SchmukleStefan C. (2011), “Stability and Change of Personality Across the Life Course: The Impact of Age and Major Life Events on Mean-Level and Rank-Order Stability of the Big Five,”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 862–82.
50.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M. (1989), Product Quality.Assen, NL: Van Gorcum.
51.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and BaumgartnerHans (1998), “Assessing Measurement Invariance in Cross-National Consumer Research,”Journal of Consumer Research, 25(1), 78–90.
52.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and de JongMartijn G. (2010), “A Global Investigation into the Constellation of Consumer Attitudes Toward Global and Local Products,”Journal of Marketing, 74(November), 18–40.
53.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and GeyskensInge (2012), “Cultural Boundedness of Transaction Costs Economics: A Test of Hypotheses Based on Inglehart and Hofstede,”Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(March), 252–70.
54.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and GeyskensInge (2014), “Manufacturer and Retailer Strategies to Impact Store Brand Share: Global Integration, Local Adaptation, and Worldwide Learning,”Marketing Science, 33(1), 6–26.
55.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and GielensKatrijn (2003), “Consumer and Market Drivers of the Trial Rate of New Consumer Products,”Journal of Consumer Research, 30(3), 368–84.
56.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and HofstedeFrenkel ter (2002), “International Market Segmentation: Issues and Perspectives,”International Journal of Research in Marketing, 19(3), 185–213.
57.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., and HofstedeFrenkel ter, and WedelMichel (1999), “A Cross-National Investigation into the Individual and National Cultural Antecedents of Consumer Innovativeness,”Journal of Marketing, 63(April), 55–69.
58.
Van HeerdeHarald J., GijsbrechtsEls, and PauwelsKoen (2008), “Winners and Losers in a Major Price War,”Journal of Marketing Research, 45(October), 499–518.
59.
WatsonDavid, and ClarkLee A. (1997), “Extraversion and Its Positive Emotional Core,” in Handbook of Personality Psychology, HoganRobert, JohnsonJohn, and BriggsStephen eds. San Diego: Academic Press, 767–93.
60.
ZuckermanMarvin D. (1994), Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking.New York: Cambridge University Press.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
