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Book Review: Consumer Behavior: A Digital Native

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The internet, with its limitless possibilities, can be seen as the philosopher’s stone for marketers and communication managers in the 21st century. From tech-savvy to less-technical people, we have had… Click to show full abstract

The internet, with its limitless possibilities, can be seen as the philosopher’s stone for marketers and communication managers in the 21st century. From tech-savvy to less-technical people, we have had the whole enchilada singing paeans to the internet’s glory and its potential. Also, to show this is not merely an ecstatic hyperbole, we need to look at the galloping growth rate of internet users in emerging countries. Take the case of India. The internet user base there has grown quickly month after month across the country. Now, 687.6 million individuals are clocking a growth rate of 23% (2020, year-on-year), with internet penetration at 50% (Kemp 2020). These numbers show that in India, virtual platforms are the order of the day with the current pandemic and the situation of lockdown fueling the growth many times over. To show that the internet is here to stay, individuals extensively use their mobile, social, and digital media to connect with their friends, relatives, and brands of interest. The use of gadgets has led to many changes in social domains, which are random and unpredictable, leading to alterations in relationships, power structures, and even aspirations of users. For the common man, mobile internet can signify freedom, freedom to communicate anytime and anywhere, along with the right to information (Nielsen 2018). These freedoms also require changes in strategy. Therefore, marketers and communication managers have realized that the tech-savvy population will be more informed and vocal about their needs and wants. Thus, it becomes necessary to understand their uses and changes in behavior concerning the use of digital platforms, especially social media. Hence, the book, ‘Consumer Behavior A Digital Native,’ first edition, India, offers a comprehensive view of a field that is evolving at an unprecedented pace and is an attempt to capture and show how millennial consumers are responding to the advancements in technology. The book focuses on three fundamental forces influencing consumer behavior in the new millennium. The first force is the democratization of digital technology through smartphones and social media. At present, the rural-urban divide concerning the reachability of a product or service is rapidly blurring as both affordability and accessibility to products and services through online information has become easy and convenient. In fact, in some places, rural markets are growing faster than urban markets as the information highways have become unparalleled. The second force is the millennium consumer, who is a born-digital native. Since their childhood, they are digitally literate and have access to information and other products and services online with complete ease. They are more comfortable with technology rather than with pen and paper. The third and last force is the glocal approach used by digital natives. Digital natives have a local and global orientation, and they can now order products and services from across the globe virtually. Thus, the book presents an indigenous perspective on evolving consumer behavior by taking a worldview approach. The authors of this book are renowned researchers and professors in the area of marketing and consumer behavior, with a combined experience of more than 50 years, professors Varsha Jain, Jagdish Sheth, and Don. E. Shultz developed a new concept for digitally-savvy consumers – ‘digital natives’ – and described them as consumers who use and consume digital products and services. They also state that the digital natives are not only young individuals but also other consumers who use and buy from online platforms. As a result, the book focuses on delivering a combination of digital, customer behavior, and brand advertising, which is the fourth ‘p’ of marketing that is ‘promotion,’ which can be a company’s most significant investment. The book consists of four key sections: (1) understanding the basics of digital natives using contemporary concepts; (2) understanding the effect of internal factors such as perception, learning, motivation, values, lifestyles, attitudes, and personality on digital natives and how they use them to behave in a digitally activated world; (3) understanding the effect of external influences such as mobile, social media, reference groups, and community on the actions of digital natives; and finally, (4) understanding the pattern of purchase and consumption of digital natives by studying how they process information, make decisions through online and offline transactions in a digitally enabled environment. The first section and chapter 1 of the book focus on understanding how consumers and their behaviors have and will continue to be impacted and transformed by the growth and development of digital technology. Chapter 1 discusses the orientation and evolution of consumer behavior. It explains how consumers’ behavior has changed with technology, how digital natives evolved, and how they are distinct from physical natives. It also elucidates how technology has made digital Book Reviews

Keywords: book; consumer behavior; digital natives; technology

Journal Title: Journal of Macromarketing
Year Published: 2020

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