The influence of and interaction between socialization agents in the child-consumers purchasing process.

Abstract: In several years researchers have focused on identifying different socialization agents that influence the child consumer in the purchasing process. These studies have identified parents, friends and peers, television, role models, and different virtual communities as socialization agents. However, there is still no understanding of how the socialization agents are integrated in the decision-making process. The purpose is therefore to identify how the child-consumers are influenced by different sources in their decision-making process, and recognise the socialization agents’ interaction as influencers. The authors have found that there is a continuous interaction between the socialization agents in the decision-making process. The socialization agents, such as parents, siblings, friends and peers, television, role models and virtual communities, separately influence the adolescents in the purchasing process, however, the adolescents do not only take into consideration the opinion of one socialization agent but rather they use all of them. The authors have also found that the socialization agents act as support systems to other socialization agents, this in both influence and credibility.