Comportamento do consumidor: um estudo das relações e influências no processo de compra de calçados infantis

Abstract

Social and economic changes in recent decades have brought legitimacy to the role of children in the family context. Children are no longer just observers and became active agents in the purchasing process. Regarding this perspective, this research aims at investigating and understanding consumer behavior, based on the relations between 2- to 4-year-old children old and their parents, in the process of selecting and buying children's shoes. However, the forces that influence decision making, whether internal or external, are taken into account. To do this, we studied five children and their families, living in the cities of Porto Alegre and others belonging to the region of Vale do Rio dos Sinos. The method used followed the interpretative approach and is inspired by the phenomenological paradigm (COLLIS; HUSSEY, 2005). The data collection techniques involved self-directed interviews with use of images, non-participant observation and photographsof the research field. The results show that the sources of influences on consumers of children’s shoes are based on three main pillars: a) the imaginary character, associated with the media; b) the group of influence, especially the family, friends and their partners; and c) the product, factors relating to quality, design and other physical characteristics. Thus, itwas possible to identify and to understand how the sources of influence act, allowing an analysis of consumer behavior and of the phenomenon under study. The main results were the effectiveness of the imaginary character as an attractive to children shoes, as well as its use as exponent in product marketing and the importance given by parents to firms quality investments and children shoes ergonomics. Besides these implications are determinants in management issues, also they are very important to target parents about the influences inchoices, making decisions and at the purchase time.