Technology-induced Changes in Consumer Behaviour: A Study of the Impact of Emerging ICTs on the Consumer Behaviour of the Youth Market
Keywords:
Consumer behaviour, The Youth Market, Next Generation ICTsAbstract
Young adults are the consumer of the future. They have been described as ‘the engine of growth’ over
the next two decades and ‘agents of change’ in the world of marketing. Young adults inhabit an exciting and
ever-changing digital marketplace. They are early adopters and key influencers of new technology.
Although this group is still motivated by the same aspirations as previous generations, the key differences
today are the new communication channels that they use. Next generation information and communication
technologies (ICTs) may dramatically change the way the youth market makes buying decisions and could
redefine how marketers can reach consumers. T
his study examines if there is a new IT-enabled consumer that inhabits an interactive marketplace
characterised by high levels of heterogeneity. It assesses whether this new consumer will make traditional
approaches to marketing redundant. It critically evaluates the attributes of next generation ICTs and their
impact on the consumer behaviour of the youth market.
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