Children's Influence Over Parents Purchase Decision

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 The Problem (4-6)............................................................................................... 2
1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Statement of the problem – Purpose of the Study.................................................3
1.3 Significance of the study...........................................................................................3
1.4 Research Questions................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Research Objectives (clear: are the statement clear? well defined? original,
inclusive))........................................................................................................................ 5
1.6 Limitations................................................................................................................ 5
1.7 Delimitations............................................................................................................. 6
1.8 Definition of terms..................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2 Literature Review (20-24)...................................................................................8
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Family communication............................................................................................... 9
2.3 Children’s influence over family decisions...............................................................13
2.3.1 Modern perspectives over parent-child relations..............................................14
2.3.2 Factors explaining the increasing influence of children on family decision-

making....................................................................................................................... 16
2.4 Parent-child shopping experience in retail stores....................................................19
2.4.1 Marketing strategies for stimulating children’ demands...................................20
2.4.2 Tactics used by children for influencing their parents.......................................23
2.4.3 Strategies used by parents when shopping with children.................................26
2.5 Literature review conclusions..................................................................................28
Chapter 3 Methodology (10)............................................................................................. 29
3.1 Research problem and research questions..............................................................29
3.2 Methodology........................................................................................................... 30
3.3 The questionnaire.................................................................................................... 31
3.7 Pilot study............................................................................................................... 35
3.4 Data analysis methods............................................................................................ 35
3.5 Limitations of the methodology...............................................................................36
References........................................................................................................................ 37
1
Chapter 1 The Problem (4-6)
1.1 Introduction
Over the past decades, the structure of traditional families changed due to
demographic changes such as the following: older parents, delayed
marriages, families with a single parent, an increasing number of women
having a job, and so on. (Flurry, 2007) These social changes impacted in
different ways the life of children. One example in this sense refers to the
fact that children gained more influence in family decisions. As a matter of
fact, this aspect became relevant for companies as they understood that
the market for children has a large potential of which they can take
advantage. Children represent three markets in one. Firstly, they exert
influence over the purchase decisions of their parents. Secondly, children
receive money from parents to spend on products they would like to have,
therefore they are consumers with rights and responsibilities. Thirdly,
children represent future consumers, which means that businesses are
interested in shaping their consumer behavior. (Hsieh et al, 2006)
The shift from traditional families to new/modern families is not the only
variable worth mentioning in assessing the changes that occurred in
children’ lives. Arul and Vasudevan (2016) remind as well about the
development of digital media. Digital media enabled children to have more
knowledge than their parents, or to be informed about new products
before they are brought in stores. Thaichon (2017), affirms that the
presence of digital media in families’ lives caused an increased influence
of children on family purchase decisions, even when it comes to products
used by the entire family.
Overall, children became an important consumer group and businesses

took advantage of this fact by targeting them with specific commercials.
(Verdoodt et al, 2016) Many studies performed on this topic, analyzed the
influence of children over parents when shopping in retail stores, because
these stores are characterized by many factors enhancing the desire of
2
children to make requests: variety of product categories, diversity in
promotional tools, special areas with products for children, etc. (Ebster et
al, 2009)
1.2 Statement of the problem – Purpose of the Study
In order to ensure the success of this study, a research plan will be

constructed through the alignment of problem statement, research
questions and research objectives. (Bryman, 2007) A research plan is
required in order to guideline the progress achieved at each level of this
study, therefore the following subchapters will attempt to illustrate the
connection between the aforementioned parts.
The research problem or the area of concern in this paper relates to the
behavior of children in retail stores. As mentioned previously, there are a
series of factors leading to an increased attention offered to children
opinions, especially when it comes to buying decisions, and retailers seem
to take advantage of this trend. The case of Romanian retailing is less
debated in scientific papers, therefore the way children succeed in
influencing their parents’ buying decisions represents a topic that points to
a need for investigation. The selection of this topic is sustained not only by
the lack of research in this area, but also by the feasibility of conducting
such a study through quantitative research. The use of a questionnaire will
lead to effectively gathered, synthesized and interpreted data on the
selected variables.
To summarize the problem statement, the key concepts guiding this study
are the following: children influence over family decisions, children
behavior in retail stores, parents’ response to children requests, and
practices of retail stores for enhancing children requests.
1.3 Significance of the study
The purchase experience inside retail stores is constantly improved in

order to attract buyers’ attention and to influence their decisions. Children
make no exception and retailers take advantage of their spontaneity in
3
decisions. These observations stay at the basis of the current paper, which
aims to develop the knowledge on children influence over parents
purchase decisions. The research contributes to a larger investigation of
parents and children behavior in stores performed by researchers from
Western countries of Europe.
Given the existence of knowledge in this field, an applied research is

performed that shows how the previous findings can be applied to
Romanian retail stores. There are three areas where this study could bring
a contribution. Firstly, the results obtained fill gaps of the existent
knowledge on the way parents are influenced by children in purchase
decisions when shopping from Romanian retail stores. Secondly, this study
represents an opportunity for Romanian retailers to make efficient changes
in the way employees do their jobs or take decisions for the stores. Thirdly,
the research contains information that helps parents to understand
manipulation tactics of their children, such that they can make decisions
about improving the shopping experience with children.
1.4 Research Questions
Developing the research questions is another critical step of the study,

required in order to construct a logical argument before initiating the
actual research. Unlike problem statement, research questions offer a
clear overview concerning the issues investigated. (Farrugia et al, 2010) In
this paper, the construction of research questions was based on a
preliminary research of the topic. The analysis of literature on children
influence over parents’ purchase decisions emphasized particular
questions that are worth for exploration.
The guideline questions that will be used for the research are the
following:
1) What are the differences in the purchase behavior of parents when
they go in store with children?
2) What are, in the opinion of parents, the sources that motivate
children to ask for more products?
4
3) Is there a difference between the levels of influence exerted by
children on parents depending on categories of products?
These research questions aim to shed light on previous literature regarding

the shopping experience of parents in retail stores, and in the same time,
to approach a new area, which is the Romanian retailing. In terms of
methodology, a questionnaire is applied, ensuring the research feasibility
from the point of view of time frame and available resources. The data
obtained will be used to support or contradict the findings from literature
review.
1.5 Research Objectives (clear: are the statement clear? well

defined? original, inclusive))
This research aims to enrich the literature on the topic of children’s

influence over purchase decisions of parents. More exactly, the focus of
this paper will be on analyzing the following aspects related to this topic:
 Factors determining children to address requests to their parents.

 Tactics used by children in order to influence their parents at
shopping.
 Family communication style.
Some of these research objectives were covered in the literature review.

However, the perspectives presented were mostly formulated based on
studies performed in US, studies which cannot be generalized to all the
countries. The research that is going to be performed for this study, will be
addressed to Romanian consumers who go at shopping with their children
in retail stores.
1.6 Limitations
Although the study was carefully thought in order to achieve the research
objectives, some limitations can be noticed.
Firstly, a small size of population was selected to participate in the study.

Given the fact that the Romanian retailing is a developed branch of the
5
Romanian economy, larger groups of participants are needed in order to
generalize the results for the entire population. Secondly, there were some
time and budget constraints that affected the research results. The time
was limited to two months and the budget allowed for applying the
questionnaires in only twoone retail stores. Thirdly, the study might be
affected by a certain degree of subjectivity, in the sense that the largest
part of this research was decided and performed by the author himself.
Perhaps the participation of several authors would have increased the
degree of objectivity.
Lastly, the chosen topic should also be based on a certain type of

qualitative research. In other words, meaningful information would be
obtained through actual observations of parents and children in stores.
Unlike questionnaires, where respondents might not present the reality,
actual observations in stores allow for assessing their normal behaviour.
Moreover, the questions were formulated from the author’s perspective,
which means that there might be aspects that skiped his attention but
which are important for the subjects.
1.7 Delimitations
Setting delimitations is a necessary step in developing the research plan

because it justifies author’s decisions and it increases the degree of
objectivity. Delimitations are based on intentional choices of the author
which define the research’ boundaries. (Simon, 2011)
As mentioned previously, the research of children influence over parents’

purchase decisions is in its incipient stage when it comes to Romanian
retailing. Therefore, this study aims to contribute with basic information on
the topic that can be used for further research. Therefore, data will be
gathered from parents with children between 4 and 12 years old, who buy
goods from retail stores. Setting a delimitation of the population of interest
allows for a less difficult interpretation of results.
Another delimitation of this study is the focus of the research problem.

This study is focused on the way parents are influenced by children when
6
they shop together from retail stores. Topics such as purchase decisions of
parents for their children in their absence, or practices used by retailers in
order to influence children behavior in stores, could be investigated in
further research.
Variables
1.8 Definition of terms
In order to test the research questions presented previously, I will

elaborate how I have operationalized the concepts of family
communication, parent’s purchasing behavior, children’s influence
over family decisions and parent-child influencing strategies in
retail stores.
► Children’s influence over family decisions will be measured using:
Q1: Do you consult with your child in different matters related to family?,
and Q2: On a scale from 1 to 5, how much do you think that your child
influences you when making decisions in general? (1-very much unlikely, 5-very
much likely), Q14. On a scale from 1 to 5, how much are you aware of your child’s influence over
your purchase decisions?
►Parents’s purchasing behavior will be measured using: Q3: How often do
you purchase from a retail store? And Q4: Do you go at shopping
accompanied by your child?, Q7. What is your initial response when your child
requests a certain product?
►External factors will be measured using: ?, Q15. In your opinion, which could be the
possible needs of your child for determining them to make spontaneous requests?, Q17.
Which of the following aspects of retail stores do you think that plays a greater role in
influencing children to make requests?
►Parent-child influencing strategies in retail stores will be measured
using: Q5.What strategy do you apply for distracting your child’s attention from products
displayed in the store?, Q6.Which of the following strategies do you apply for making the shopping
experience pleasant for both of you?, Q8. When you answer favorably to your child’s requests,
what is the reason for doing this?, Q9. What is your child’s reaction when refusing his/her
requests?, Q10. What is your reaction when your child insists with his/her requests?, Q11.
Before going to shopping with your child, what do you think about what will happen in the
7
store?, Q12. Which of the following tactics do you think that your child uses when shopping
together?, Q13. Which of the following strategies are used by your child when it comes to certain
product categories, Q16. Which are the reasons invoked by your child when defending his/her
request for a product?,
8
Chapter 2 Literature Review (20-24)
2.1 Introduction
Research on children as consumers was initiated in 1960s, but this topic

received more attention during 1970s. However, when it comes to
children’s influence over their parents’ purchase decisions, this is a field in
great need of research. (Sharma and Sonwaney, 2014) Speaking about
influence, this is a concept that defines the power used by individuals over
others, in order to achieve a certain outcome. Therefore, influence is
based on an exchange process between two or more individuals. (Hsieh et
al, 2006) Regarding the children’s influence, Flurry and Burns (2005)
sustain that children exert different degrees of influence over their parents
depending on products, decision stage, personality of child or parents, or
simply family characteristics. The way in which this involvement is
materialized is through direct spending or by convincing parents to
purchase products like toys, snack foods, clothes, and so on.
A look at the studies on child-parent purchase relationships reveals several

areas that attracted researchers’ attention. One such area of interest
refers to ethical practices of companies, and in particular retailers, when it
comes to targeting children. Since children were perceived as potential
customers, retailers attempted to target them through advertising that
was aimed at influencing their behavior. The messages they use
encourage children to have an independent consumption perspective,
which leads to an increased persuasion power of children over their
parents. (Pettigrew et al, 2017) In other words, family purchase decisions
became a two way learning process between children and parents. On one
side, children learn the consumer behavior from parents, and on the other
side, children change the opinion of parents regarding certain products.
(Sharma and Sonwaney, 2014)
Once this practice was observed, researchers started to question the

ethics of advertising to children. In this sense, Wang et al (2007) sustain
9
that advertising to children is not unethical, since children’s decisions as
buyers are shaped by families and peer groups. On the other side, Nicholls
and Cullen (2004) sustain that retailers started to reconsider ethics in their
business practices, which determined them to set ethical standards and to
maintain a code of conduct. In order to illustrate this statement, an
example will be provided in this sense.
The authors sustain that, in general, children accompany their parents at

shopping in the role of companion, not as choice-makers. (Labrecque and
Ricard, 2001) The likelihood for confrontations between the two parties is
high because the parents may intend to shop efficiently and quickly
specific products, while children may be interested in purchasing other
products that are not on the shopping list of parents. Haryanto et al
(2016), sustain that in order to diminish this kind of misunderstandings
between parents and children, retailers created ranges of products that
appeal to both parties, such as healthy food for children. Another decision
through which retailers aim at diminishing conflicts between children and
parents is by avoiding to create marketing or operational tricks in the
store, such as points-of-sales dedicated to confectionery.
The debate on children’s influence over parents’ purchase decisions is

complex, and, as it was seen above, it includes various ideas related to the
topic. Given the fact that these ideas broadly summarize the direction of
this research, the following sub-chapters aim to develop them based on
knowledge obtained from relevant articles from academic journals. The
structure of these sub-chapters is determined by the objectives
established in the research plan. Such being the case, the following points
will be covered:
 family communication;
 children’s influence over family decisions;
 parent-child shopping experience in retail stores.
2.2 Family communication
10
Family communication is the first point to be covered in this part because
this paper discuses the relationship between parents and children, and the
way they communicate when shopping together. The family
communication reflects the type of relationships between parents and
children based on the degree of trust, listening and uderstanding practiced
by members. Obviously, an effective family communication occurs when
children feel comfortable to share their thoughts and feelings and avoid
other strategies for attracting parents’ attention. Finally, the skills that
children develop within family, will influence the future relationships in
school, at job or in their personal lives. (Garcia-Moya et al, 2012)
A family is a system that shapes the lives of its individual members.

(Fantuzzo et al, 2000) In order to achieve a high degree of cohesion and
adaptability, family members use the communication. Koenig et al (2006)
sustain that family communication can take various forms, such as
images, stories, rules, elements aimed to sustain the process of meaning-
making that takes place between family members. Given the fact that
each family lives different experiences, the communication codes differ
from one to another. In the perspective of Galindo and Sheldon (2012)
family communication consists of verbal and non-verbal information, which
is an expression of thoughts and feelings of the family members. The
authors emphasize that communication means talking and listening in the
same time, because an effective and honest communication leads to
solving differences and problems that arise between members.
Researchers like Zahra and Larraneta (2007) equally stresses the idea that
an effective family communication is key to members’ satisfaction.
According to Miller-Day et al (2013) family communication has several

functions, as it follows:
 Managing separateness and connectedness - Family communication

is
vital in connecting members on the emotional level, and in the same time,
in managing emotional distances between them. (Fulkerson et al, 2006) If
considering family communication as a criterion in characterizing families,
11
there are four types of family cohesion identified by authors. As such,
there are disengaged families characterized by extreme separateness,
connected families whose members are independent but somehow
involved, cohesive families characterized by closeness and loyalty, and
enmeshed families characterized by a high degree of loyalty and almost
no tolerance for individuality.
 Creating images and themes that characterize a family – Images
represent another form for describing the relationships between family
members or the collective identity. One example of family image is the
tree because its branches represent the connections between members.
Family themes emphasize important aspects for a family, and guide the
interactions that take place within families or between family members
and outsiders. For instance, a family theme may relate to respecting older
members, the hierarchical structures and the roles that derive from these.
 Setting boundaries – Boundaries are psychological and physical
limits
that may exist within a family or between its members and people from
outside the family. Each family has a certain degree of flexibility when it
comes to boundaries. Some families may be open to new information that
could help them to adapt to changes, while some are more restrict, which
may lead to stress. (Zahra and Larraneta, 2007)
 Establishing rules – Rules are prescriptions that indicate the way
family
members should behave in particular contexts. Rules are negotiated by
the family members by considering the type of control exerted within the
family and the degree of change required over the life course of a family.
(Galindo and Sheldon, 2012)
 Sustaining intimacy through family rituals and stories – Family rituals
are
repeated activities performed by family members with the purpose to
constantly remind them about the family values. Examples of rituals could
be gestures, words or objects with a certain meaning for the members.
12
According to Koenig et al (2006) storytelling is in the nature of humanity.
Therefore, families share as well stories about critical events that occurred
during their history, events that are meaningful for them.
 Managing control – Family communication is not all about closeness.
Power or control is also fundamental in a family system and it is based on
roles, rules, culture and so on.
The above communication functions demonstrate that family

communication is a complex phenomenon. Family communication means
more than verbal communication as it involves themes, rules, rituals,
managing control, setting limits, and so on. Therefore it can be concluded
that family communication is an interactive process that creates meanings
and models transmitted from one generation to another.
After listing the functions of family communication, it is necessary to make

a classification of family communication styles. As such, four styles of
communication were identified (Fantuzzo et al, 2000):
 Clear and direct – Family members express directly their messages

such
as a father stating his disappointment towards the child who failed to
perform a certain task.
 Clear and indirect – Even though the message is clear, it is not
addressed directly to the person who should receive it. Indirect messages
are misleading because the recipients might not perceive the message as
referring to them.
 Masked and direct – The message is unclear, but it is addressed
directly
to the person who should receive it.
 Masked and indirect – This situation occurs when the message is
unclear
and the recipient is unknown, which is a sign of unhealthy family
communication.
In authors’ view, clear and direct communication contributes mostly to an

effective family communication, which can be achieved through different
13
means, as researched by Galindo and Sheldon (2012). Firstly, spending
more time with the family is a way to strenghten the closeness through
communication. However, busy schedules make it more difficult to achieve
this objective. Secondly, family members can improve their listening skills.
Listening to others is a proof of respect for their perspectives. Thirdly,
openness and honesty are key for building trusting relationships. For
example, parents should create an environment where children are
confident to express thoughts and feelings. (Kuczynski et al, 2016)
Fourthly, an effective communication is based also on understanding the
non-verbal behavior. Differences between verbal and non-verbal messages
are a clear indication of how a family member really feels.
As it can be seen, there are several aspects that best describe the concept
of family communication. One such aspect relates to the fact that family
communication is a complex one because members use different elements
to express their thoughts and opinions, such as images, themes, rules,
boudaries, rituals, stories, and so on. Another relevant aspect is that a
family’s communication style depends on the skills that family members
develop for the wellbeing of their relationship. There is an extensive
literature on this topic, but the purpose of this research does not require a
more thorough approach of the concept. Therefore, the following sub-
chapter will continue the literature review with an analysis of children’s
influence over family decisions.
2.3 Children’s influence over family decisions
Humans have the ability to influence each other, fact which is important in
building relationships. Having influence on others means to change the
way others think, behave or feel. (Caruana and Vassallo, 2003)
Researchers who studied the parent-child relations identified a
bidirectional type of influence, meaning from parent to child and the other
way around. (Kuczynski et al, 2016)
According to Smetana et al (2006) traditional research focused on

unidirectional type of influence between parents and children, which was
14
viewed from two perspectives. Firstly, there was a classical perspective
sustaining that parents influence their children’ thoughts, behavior and
emotions. In this type of relationship, parents are active agents and
children are pasive recipients. The second perspective on unidirectional
influence refers to children influence over parents even though children
are not actively involved in this sense. Sociological changes that occured
in the last decades contributed to changes in the role assumed by children
when it comes to family decisions. Parents became less authoritative in
relation with their children, leaving place for a participatory model where
children have the possibility to involve in family decisions. (Baldassarre et
al, 2016)
Over the course of this chapter there will be discussed some modern
perspectives over parent-child relations, and factors that lead to an
increasing influence of children on family decision making. This analysis is
required before making reference to the way children participate in buying
decisions of their parents.
2.3.1 Modern perspectives over parent-child relations
Researchers who studied parent-child relations during 1970s and 1980s

noticed that children learn from their parents how to behave as
consumers. However, recent studies indicate a shift in this perspective.
(Lee and Beatty, 2002) Parents are more and more inclined to learn from
their children when it comes to buying decisions. The concept defining this
perspective is ‘consumer socialization’. (Shoham and Dalakas, 2006)
According to Park and Bae (2018) socialization may refer to the process of
learning skills, acquire knowledge or assuming roles specific to consumers.
Socialization is a concept that may be used as well for other positions held
by individuals in society. When children influence their parents, they
change the values and the consumer behavior of parents through new
knowledge and skills.
Hank and Silverstein (2017) bring a new perspective over the concept of
consumer socialization, which is linked to the bidirectional influence
15
explained previously. According to the authors, socialization refers to two
types of learning. One type of learning, known as social learning, occurs
when a person learns from different agents of the environment, such as
media, friends, and so on. A second type of learning happens as a result of
one’s adaptation to the environment, and it is known as cognitive
development.
As stated above, the modern perspectives on parent-child influence bring

into discussion a bidirectional type of influence. (Lee and Beatty, 2002) By
combining these perspectives with the concept of socialization, it results
that socialization is a reciprocal learning process that occurs between
parents and children. Even though the society promotes the idea of
parents as teachers and children as learners, the reality demonstrates that
parents and children fulfill both roles. (Dotson and Hyatt, 2005)
Recent studies sustain an increasing importance of children in buying

decisions as a consequence of the fact that they are more informed about
products than their parents. (Park and Bae, 2018) For instance, families
may consider their children knowledge when acquiring a computer
because children may use computers every day at school, unlike their
parents who do not have computers at their jobs. Shoham and Dalakas
(2006) demonstrated in a research that children who demand a product for
child’s consumption, are likely to obtain the parent’s agreement. As a
result, the authors concluded that children influence is assessed based on
the extent to which statements of personal preference materialize into
purchase outcomes.
Some of the ideas presented above are discussed as well by Portner and
Riggs (2016). In the authors’ opinion, there are several aspects that
characterize the parent-child relations nowadays. Firstly, the decision-
making process is based on collaboration between the two parties.
Secondly, parents do not purchase products only because their children
demand these. Actually, parents take into consideration a series of other
criteria before buying the product, such as: price, age appropriateness,
reason for buying the product, and value. Thirdly, older children have more
16
influence over their parents because they have better negotiation skills,
more knowledge about products and they display their parents’ consumer
behavior. On the other side, younger children ask directly the products
they desire. Fourthly, children use the Internet in order to express their
wishes either by showing the products of a website or by creating an
online wishlist. Finally, the authors consider that the children influence
over parents is still a matter of parents’ willingness to please their
children. Given the fact that parents take care of the financial aspects,
children are rather initiators than influencers when it comes to purchase
decisions.
On the other hand, Belch and Willis (2002) emphasize the fact that the
modern lifestyle of families is a cause of the increasing children influence,
leaving parents with no choice regarding the degree of influence they are
willing to accept from children. For example, parents who have busy
schedules prefer to buy material goods that retain children’s attention
instead of spending time with them. Other characteristics of modern
families reminded by the authors refer to the smaller size of families,
peoples’ choice to postpone having children, or increased income
revenues when both parents work.
To sum up, it can be observed that the research on parent-child

relationships developed over the time, from supporting the idea of
unidirectional influence to recognizing a bidirectional type of influence
specific to modern families. Bidirectional influence is a concept best
described by parents’ openness to learn and take advice from children
based on the assumption that children have more knowledge in certain
matters.
2.3.2 Factors explaining the increasing influence of children on family

decision-making
Over the time, researchers formulated different perspectives for explaining

the evolution of relationships between parents and children. Some of these
perspectives originate in studies that approached demographic aspects of
17
the society. There are also perspectives providing explanations from a
psychological point of view.
In the first case, an interesting point of view is formulated by Flurry (2007).

The author explains the changes occurred in children-parents relationships
by looking at the evolution of society, which is characterized by a shift
from traditional to modern/new families. The drivers of this shift originate
in the demographical changes that occurred over the past decades. For
example, an increasing number of women who work while having a child is
one of the causes, in the sense that children have to spend time alone and
the interaction with parents is lower. This aspect may affect the child’s
evolution in the sense that he/she may not be restricted from watching
television channels that promote products for children, leading to an
increase desire to have those products. (Boland et al, 2012) Another
example is the openness toward technological development. Access to
different technologies and an improved educational system lead to
families where children are more knowledgeable than their parents. One
should not forget also the increasing number of single-parent families,
where children are considered on an equal position with the parent taking
care of him/her. (Arul and Vasudevan, 2016)
A second opinion based on demographic realities of society is formulated

by Rose et al (2002). The authors underline the importance of family
communication in setting the degree to which children are allowed to
influence their parents. Thus, the family communication has the power to
reduce the effects of advertising over children, and implicitly to decrease
their desire to purchase certain products. (Russell et al, 2015) Of course,
this principle applies when parents put an emphasis on the quality of
communication, rather than on the quantity.
Moschis (1985) identified two dimensions of family communication: socio-

orientation and concept orientation. Socio-orientation refers to the
approach of parents who teach their children to follow the consumption
standards set at the level of family, to respect parents’ decisions and to
avoid conflicts with their parents. On the other hand, concept-orientation
18
refers to the approach of parents who encourage children to express their
opinions and to take decisions by themselves. (Fujioka et al, 2002)
Starting from these two dimensions of family communication, Rose et al

(2002) performed a research aiming at demonstrating if these dimensions
can explain the influence of children on purchasing decisions of families.
The research results provided the authors with a series of observations.
Firstly, they identified the fact that concept-oriented families encourage
their children to make independent consumption decisions by providing
them with money for spending. As a consequence, concept-oriented
communication leads to increased purchasing power of children and
increased influence of children over purchases decisions of their families.
These affirmations could help companies to design better advertising
messages that target directly the children. (Sharma and Sonwaney, 2014)
For example, when addressing concept-oriented families, marketers could
stress the idea of family togetherness and importance of children in family
decisions.
A second observation derived from authors’ research is the fact that socio-
oriented communication characterizes families where parents display an
authoritarian style. Nevertheless, the authors emphasize some cultural
differences in the perception of socio-orientation concept. For example, in
US the authoritarian parenting style decreases as children become more
and more mature. On the other side, in Japan, parents engage in higher
levels of socio-orientation when children become mature enough to
understand rules and societal expectations. Companies that address socio-
oriented families should stress the importance of parents in making
consumption decisions for children. (Fujioka et al, 2002)
These are the main demographic factors mentioned by authors in

explaining the increasing influence of children over their parents. When
looking in psychology for identifying possible explanations in this sense,
one can distinguish the perspective provided by Flurry and Burns (2005)
on the social power of children. According to the authors, social power may
be generated by the use of expert, legitimate, referent, reward and
19
coercive power. Children have the possibility to manifest all these types of
power. For example, expert power of children is perceived by parents when
they consider that children have knowledge about toys, games, and other
products addressed to them. Reward power may be used when children
make the proof of good behavior or they help their parents with
completing house chores. (Haryanto et al, 2016) Overall, children are able
to find ways for using one of these powers at any moment, without having
to learn this skill, as they come naturally to them.
Ebster et al (2009) identified as well a series of situations in which children

are mostly tempted to make purchase requests to their parents:
 when children are at an early development stage;

 when the products for children are placed at the level of their eyes;
 when the children are not in a shopping cart/stroller, therefore they
have freedom of movement and for looking at products.
To sum up the information presented up to this moment, the academic

writings on the children-parent relationship provide sufficient information
for understanding what may cause the evolution of this relationship.
However, by looking over the available writings, it can be noticed the fact
that there is a lack of more recent research on this topic, as many studies
were performed up to the beginnings of 2000s. This statement may
support the need for more scientific contributions to the research on this
topic.
2.4 Parent-child shopping experience in retail stores
The previous sub-chapters were designed to present a general perspective

over parent-child relationships. Firstly, there were selected several
observations from studies on family communication, in order to illustrate
functions and styles of family communication, as well as means for
improving it. Secondly, this study focused more on the idea of parent-child
influence in order to get closer to the topic of interest. In this sense, there
were presented perspectives on the way children influence their parents,
20
and there were identified the main factors leading to an increased
influence of children in family decisions.
The final sub-chapter of the literature review is dedicated to illustrating the

way children influence their parents through different behaviors in the
retail stores and parents’ reactions to these tactics.
2.4.1 Marketing strategies for stimulating children’ demands
Before discussing tactics and strategies of children and parents during

shopping trips, it would be important to mention some information on
strategies used by marketers for stimulating consumer demand among
children. Nowadays, companies treat children as an important
demographic market based on three assumptions: they are customers,
they influence their parents’ buying decisions, and they will continue to be
customers when they will be adults. (Cheyne et al 2013) Ironico (2012)
sustains that marketing professionals classified children in four categories
based on their age: infants and toddlers (0-2 years), children (3-8 years),
tweens (9-12 years), and teens (13-19 years).
In the last three decades companies increased their investments in

marketing research for children and youth because this market segment
became more and more profitable during this time span. (Hawkes and
Harris, 2011) The marketing research is performed for all the stages of
product development through various methods such as surveys, focus
groups, ethnographic studies, and so on.
Based on market reports, Cairns et al (2013) sustain that it was noticed an

increase in the number of consumers who admit that children are more
involved in household purchasing decisions. The purchase influence
increases as children grow up, and it concerns not only the product
category but also the shopping place. Harris et al (2010) affirm that the
concept used by marketers in order to describe children’s autonomy and
decision-making power is ‚pester power’. Children use pester power in
order to convince parents to buy certain products. Pester power is a
combination of persistance and importance nagging. The latter method is
21
more significant than persistance because it is based on parents’
willingness to offer the best to their children. Consequently, marketing
efforts are directed towards increasing children’s pester power.
In many situations, children do not have to persuade their parents to

obtain a certain product. They have many opportunities to obtain their
own income such as allowances, gifts, payments for household chores or
temporary jobs. Some of the most common category of products
purchased by children are sweets, snacks, beverages and toys. (Hawkes
and Harris, 2011)
When it comes to teens, they have even more income opportunities such
as savings or credit cards in their own name. However, this customer
category requires more effort from market researchers because there are
more criteria to be considered: trends, lifestyles, attitudes or brand usage.
The most common category of products preferred by teens are the
following: clothes, food, soft drinks, snacks, recorded music, shoes, video
games, jewelry and magazines. (Kelly and Chapman, 2007) Research
studies indicated that shopping malls are in the top preferences of teens.
In fact, teens represent the customer segment who shop the most
frequently from malls. (Palmer and Carpenter, 2006)
Regarding the marketing tools targeting children, researchers performed a

series of observations. For example, Sramova (2015) identified several
strategies that address directly or indirectly this customer segment, as it
follows:
 Building brand name loyalty. Companies use powerful marketing

messages that determine children to recognize their brands, leading in this
way to lifetime relationships. Children can remember images and logos
from a very young age.
 Buzz or street marketing. Marketers select trendsetters or kids with a
certain popularity in a community, with the purpose to represent the
products. This strategy has success especially in social media where the
marketing messages reach to millions of viewers.
 Commercialization in education. Corporations use the school
22
environment as a medium for promotion in different ways: contests,
posters in classrooms, sponsored educational materials, etc. More and
more schools are opened to this strategy because they obtain some
benefits such as funds, computers, educational materials.
 The Internet. There are various ways through which companies can
send their marketing messages in the online environment. Endorsements,
viral ads, customized ads are all opportunities for building personal
relationships with consumers.
These are some general strategies used by companies who target

children. The research performed by Ironico (2012) allowed the
identification of marketing strategies applied especially by retail stores.
Retail shops allow children to touch the products, make comparisons
between brands or ask for more information from salespersons. Another
important fact is that retail stores are more and more concerned about
their online presence. Numerous studies indicated a change in consumers’
behavior since the increased used of Internet. Not only that they order
products online, but many shoppers compare the prices from stores with
the ones from online research. Children and teens are even more
interested in finding products through search engines, because they spend
more time on the Internet in comparison with their parents. Consequently,
retailers improved their online advertising in order to appeal this customer
segment. (Kelly and Chapman, 2007)
In summary, the marketing efforts that target children were developed as

the children became more vocal in parents’ buying decisions. The lifestyle
of today’s children implies the use of multiple such efforts, such that
companies could keep up with the constantly changing preferences of
children.
2.4.2 Tactics used by children for influencing their parents
It was mentioned previously that children improve their tactics of influence

as they grow up. If small children make direct requests, older children and
teens use persuasion and negotiation in order to defend their cause. This
23
part presents several perspectives of researchers on children’s behavior
during shopping trips.
Firstly, there will be presented the perspectives of Flurry and Burns (2005)
on the possible ways in which children manifest their requests. The
authors bring into discussion four types of power that may be used by
children: active or passive social power, decision history and preference
intensity. Active social power consists of a child’s manifestations for
achieving certain outcomes. Some examples of such manifestations may
be bargaining, persisting, being demonstrative, threatening, promising to
do household chores, etc. Passive social power happens when children do
not express their desire, and parents know already what to expect from
their children. (Bao et al, 2007) Decision history is a concept stating that
children will adopt those behaviors that helped them in the past to achieve
the expected outcomes. Finally, preference intensity refers to the intensity
of a child’s desire to achieve a certain outcome, which will drive the
degree of effort invested in influencing his/her parents.
Wimalasiri (2004) attempts to explain the influence of children on parents,

starting from the social relationship concept. As such, social relationships
are based on a symbolic transfer of tangible and intangible entities
through a variety of media. In the case of the relationship between
children and parents, this exchange sustains the harmony, tolerance and
interdependence between family members. Social relationships are
possible through the use of certain mechanisms such as money, authority,
punishment, and so on. Given the fact that these mechanisms are not
accessible to children, they have a series of other tactics for influencing
their parents. These tactics are presented in the table below.
Table 1: Influence tactics used by children when shopping with their parents
Pressure tactics The child uses threats or intimidation to obtain what
he/she wants.
Upward appeal The request is justified by the approval of an older
family member.
Exchange tactics A child’s demand is supported by a promise to give
or make something an exchange, such as cleaning
24
the house.
Coalition tactics The child will look for the support of others in order
to convince one of the parents to fulfill his/her
demands.
Ingratiating tactics Before formulating a request, a child will attempt to
improve the mood of the parent.
Rational persuasion A child will attempt to use logical arguments and
evidence in order to demonstrate the importance of
his/her request.
Inspirational A child will use emotions and enthusiasm in order to
appeals appeal to his/her parents.
Consultation tactics In order to obtain the approval of parents, a child will
seek to involve his/her parents in deciding over a
purchase request.
Source: Wimalarasi, 2004, pp. 276
These are some of the theoretical perspectives on the tactics used by

children in order to have more convincing power over their parents.
However, researchers studied as well the reactions of parents to these
tactics, or their own strategies for refusing the requests formulated by
their children.
Ebster et al (2009) provide a complex perspective in this sense. The

authors sustain that the degree to which parents change their behavior
when shopping with children may depend on the frequency they perform
this activity together. As such, parents who shop frequently with their
children often display resistance to pressure from them. In the same time,
parents attempt to avoid store areas with advertising that may target their
children, and they have to make sure that children act appropriately in
public. (Brown et al, 2017) There are also parents who create special
strategies for distracting children’s attention from merchandise. For
example, they bring a toy, they feed the children before going to the store,
they avoid store areas with products for children, or they talk with the
child while walking the store. On the other hand, those parents who shop
less frequently with children are more inclined to accept requests from
their children and to agree with buying the product. (Calloway et al, 2014).
25
Ebstar et al (2009) emphasize as well other situations in which parents
would fulfill the requirements of children. For instance, parents would
respond positively to demands from children in the case of products that
can be consumed or used in stores. The success of a child’s attempts is
even higher when they formulate the request in a polite manner, rather
than through reactions. Also, the child’s age should be considered,
because as children grow they learn more tactics to influence their
parents.
Nicholls and Cullen (2004) identified as well the fact that different product
categories generate different reactions between children and parents. The
authors took as example three product categories: clothes, toys and food.
According to them, when it comes to shopping clothes, children and
parents usually reach a consensus. The two parties consult each other on
the products to be purchased, and at the end of the shopping experience,
both parties are satisfied. Regarding toys shopping, this is an area where
children and parents may reach a consensus or they may argue. In this
case it depends on the party that initiated the demand for toys, and on the
agreements established before entering the retail store. Finally, when it
comes to food, conflicts arise most of the time between parents and
children. For instance, children may want to buy chocolate because
everyone in their peer group eats chocolate, but parents may think that
chocolate is unhealthy. (Ogba and Johnson, 2010)
To sum up, these perspectives demonstrate that parents react differently

from one case to another, depending on the type of products that make
the subject of demand, the personality of children and parents, the
frequency of shopping together, and so on. Overall, the summary of
literature performed here highlights the fact that family purchase decisions
do represent a reason for misunderstanding between children and parents,
a phenomenon which becomes pithier as the time goes by.
2.4.3 Strategies used by parents when shopping with children
26
There are few studies that take into discussion the strategies of children
and parents when shopping together. (Haselhoff et al, 2014) This
discussion originates from the idea that children and parents have
different expectations when shopping. Children have the tendency to
make requests that meet their spontaneous desires, while parents are
interested in restraining their childrens’ demands. (Ekstrom, 2007) The
previous sub-chapter exposed some of the tactics used by children to fulfill
their requests, therefore, this part will analyse the case of parents.
Parents may have different motivations for using strategies when shopping
with children. (Thomson et al, 2007) For example, they are interested in
avoiding accidents in store (spilled food), critical comments from other
people, or they simply want to respect the shopping list.
Misunderstandings may occur between parents and children either when
children are active and curious about the products, or when they are tired.
In either situation, Calderon et al (2017) state that parents should prepare
a plan before shopping. This plan should include teaching children some
tips on how to behave in the shop, establishing rules that are constantly
reminded during the shopping trip, incorporating leisure time in play areas
or bookstores.
Tomar (2015) discusses a series of strategies used by parents who deal

with spontaneous requests of children during shopping trips. One such
strategy is to transform the shopping experience in a social event where
other adults take part. When two parents shop together, they can take
turns to watch the children. Another solution would be for parents to
promise certain rewards if their children behave properly in the stores. A
reward could be the acquisition of a certain product from the store,
especially food, or performing an activity performed by children. Feeding
the child before a shopping trip could also be a solution. Hungry children
are more likely to request food products they see on shelves. Also, parents
should avoid sugary products because these increase the children’s
energy level, and it becomes more difficult for parents to deal with them.
27
If Tomar (2015) focused on strategies applied by parents prior to the
shopping experience, Burnaz and Topcu (2011) identified certain
strategies that are applied during the shopping. Firstly, the authors
consider that parents should choose stores they know very well in order to
have more control over the situation. When knowing the exact place of
products, parents reduce the time spent in the store, better concentrate
on taking care of children, and avoid situations when children become
tired and more difficult to control. A second strategy reminded by the
authors is assisgning tasks to children during the shopping trip. For
example, parents could ask children to check a price or the products that
were not picked. In this way, children are involved for a right purpose, and
they are less likely to become uncontrolable. A third strategy suitable for
toddlers is to offer them a mobile device while they stay in the shopping
cart. Listening to music, playing games or watching videos, are possible
solutions for distracting their attention from the shopping trip. (Tomar,
2015)
As it can be seen, parents have different possibilities to deal with children

requests for products. However, as emphasized previously, it depends on
parents’ willingness to take measures in this sense. They are the ones who
decide whether to follow suggestions from children or to have control over
the shopping experience. Also, authors such as Calderon et al (2017)
emphasize the fact that these strategies are not necessarily successful
during the shopping. Consequently, parents need patience and creativity
in order to change the shopping plan and regain control over their
children.
2.5 Literature review conclusions
The purpose of this review was to provide the reader with information for
understanding different aspects of childrens’ influence over parents during
shopping trips. This topic is important because the degree of influence
exerted by children in retail stores is an expression of their influence in
other areas of family life. This issue is to be considered by parents
28
especially in a context where companies are interested in taking
advantage of childrens’ increasing decision power.
As illustrated in the literature review, there has been much discussion on

the evolution of childrens’ influence over parents, which they achieve
through different persuasion tactics. If the past generations were
characterized by a unidirectional type of influence, these days families are
characterized by a bidirectional type of influence, where both parents and
children take part in the decision making. Parents also have some
strategies to deal with requests from children, but authors invoke different
reasons that explain their lack of action in family decision making (busy
schedules, lack of knowledge regarding certain products, etc.).
Most of the research found made reference to childrens’ influence over

parents in general. However, more research is required in order to clarify
the way in which children and parents communicate when shopping from
retail stores. It is important to understand parents’ expectations before
shopping, their strategies to deal with children, their awareness about
childrens’ influence, and children’ tactics to persuade parents.
In this sense, the questionnaire was chosen as research instrumentation.

Firstly, the choice of methodology was inspired by the work of other
researchers who approached this topic, and who were presented in the
literature review. For example, Arul and Vasudevan (2016) or Rose et al
(2002) used surveys addressed to parents, which enabled them to identify
explanations for the increasing influence of children on the purchase
decisions of their parents. There were also studies where the research was
performed in two steps due to the fact that there were used two methods
of data collection. The authors took interviews and used the answers in
order to apply a survey and to obtain answers from a larger sample of
respondents.
In conclusion, it is expected from the research results to offer a

perspective over childrens’ influence on parents when they shop from
retail stores. This perspective comes as a significant contribution to
previous studies because it is centered on the Romanian case of retail
29
stores, which was not approached by authors mentioned in literature
review.
Chapter 3 Methodology (10)
3.1 Research problem and research questions
This study aims to explore a field of research that attracts more and more
attention nowadays, which is retailing. The retail industry is a dynamic one
because retailers constantly make changes and evolve in an effort to keep
up with customers’ preferences. Some examples in this sense could be the
expansion in new markets, the adoption of e-retailing, the development of
computer applications for managing data, and so on. In other words, this
30
field offer plenty of opportunities for research. However, the purpose of
this study is to focus on one aspect related to the retail industry, and that
is the behavior of children in retail stores.
The literature review on this topic stresses the idea that children have an
increasing power when it comes to parents’ buying decisions, and retailers
take advantage of this fact. This idea inspired the selection of the research
problem for this study. Therefore, the paper aims to investigate children’s
behavior in retail stores and parents’ response to their demands in the
case of Romanian customers. As specified in the research plan, this topic
selection is sustained by the lack of research in the case of Romanian
retailing, and by the feasibility of the study.
The research questions that emerged from the literature review are the
following:
 What are the differences in the purchase behavior of parents when

they go in store with children?
 What are, in the parents’ opinion, the sources that motivate children
to make requests in the retail stores?
 Is there a difference between the levels of influence exerted by
children on parents depending on products categories?
The research questions offer a better perspective over the issues

investigated than the research problem, and they served as a guide for
preparing the methodology.
3.2 Methodology
When performing a study, there are two types of research that can be
used in order to achieve the research objectives: qualitative and
quantitative research. Qualitative research could be performed through a
variety of data collection methods, such as focus groups, interviews, case
studies, observations or experiments. Quantitative research is based on
the application of surveys, telephone and face-to-face interviews, online
polls, etc. (Burgess, 2001)
31
There are some differences between the qualitative and quantitative
researches. As such, the qualitative research is used in order to identify
the explanations behind a certain phenomenon that is researched,
providing in depth information about the researched topic. (Edwards and
Holland, 2013) In general, the observations obtained from qualitative
research tend to be subjective, and cannot be generalized to the whole
population, given the fact that the sample used is small. (Rolfe, 2006)
On the other side, if the qualitative research is aimed with providing an

answer to ‘why’, the quantitative research is descriptive in nature. This
means that quantitative research is used to perform statistical analyses in
order to understand and predict the behavior of a certain population
because respondents’ attitudes, opinions or behaviors are quantified.
(Creswell, 2014) The results obtained from performing a survey are
generalized to the entire population because the questionnaire is applied
to a larger sample size than in the case of qualitative research. These
arguments demonstrate that the quantitative research is more structured
than the qualitative research. (Thomas, 2006)
For the present paper, it was selected a quantitative type of research. This
methodology is considered appropriate for the study because it has the
following characteristics (Siniscalco and Auriat, 2005):
 Obtaining a descriptive study that explores the tactics used by

children
in retail stores and parents’ response to these tactics. Otherwise stated
the study is aimed to establish associations between the selected
variables.
 Using a questionnaire that facilitates data collection from larger
sample
sizes. The results obtained through data analysis are generalized to the
entire population and theories can be formulated on the topic.
 Data arrangement in tables, charts, figures. Researchers could use
computer softwares for data analysis.
 The possibility to replicate the study.
32
 A higher degree of objectivity than in the case of qualitative
research.
3.3 The questionnaire
The methodological approach of this paper includes the use of a

questionnaire as instrument of data collection. A questionnaire consists of
standardized questions through which the researcher investigates
opinions, attitudes or behaviors regarding a particular topic. This research
instrument has a number of advantages such as the following: a quick and
efficient way of obtaining data, access to a large number of respondents,
multiple possibilities to carry out the questionnaire (face-to-face,
telephone, online). (Siniscalco and Auriat, 2005)
The following presentation provides information on several aspects related

to the questionnaire used for this research:
 sample;
 sampling technique;
 questioning route;
 pilot study.
The population approached by this study is represented by parents with

children between 4 and 12 years old. The aspect that will be researched is
the child-parent relationship when families make their purchases from
retail stores.
The sample selected for the survey consists of families from Bucharest
that make their purchases from two specific retail stores (Cora Lujerului
and Carrefour Orhidea). I have chosen these particular because they are
situated in two residential areas, making the selection of the subjects
more uniform. It is aimed to find as well families with one parent in order
to identify whether there are differences from families with both parents
regarding the level of influence exerted by children on them.
The survey of this study is addressed to approximately 150120

respondents. Out of this number, it is expected to obtain between 100 and
33
120 valid questionnaires. The sample size was established following the
standards of similar studies where survey was used as a data collection
tool.
The sampling technique was established based on models of surveys used

for similar studies. As such, for the current paper it is used non-probability
sampling. There are several reasons for selecting this type of sampling
technique. Firstly, it should be mentioned the limited time available for
completing the study. Secondly, non-probability sampling involves a lower
cost, in the context where the population of parents with children under 12
years old is high in Romania. Thirdly, the list of total population is not
available, which makes it difficult to apply a probability sampling design.
Out of the multiple forms of non-probability sampling, it will be used a

convenience sampling, which involves selecting respondents from
customers who visit the retail stores where the survey will take place.
When it comes to the questioning route, there were formulated the

following types of questions:
1. Nominal scale questions;

2. Interval scales questions;
3. Closed questions;
4. Questions with single and multiple responses (Babbie 2015).
The nominal scale questions refer to the education level of respondents,

gender, marital status, the type of family they belong to (single-parent or
families with both parents) and the number of children the respondent
has.
Regarding the interval scale questions, in general there are two types of
such questions: Likert scales and semantic differential scales. For the
current study there are used Likert scales questions, where respondents
are required to assess their answer on a scale from 1 to 5.
Closed question wereare preferred in this survey over open questions

because our respondents will bewere approached in stores, while doing
shopping, therefore they should not be retained for a very long time
34
(Babbie 2015). Also, if respondents are accompanied by their children, it
would have been might be more difficult for them to share their attention
between children and the questionnaire.
There wereare several other aspects to be checkedtaken into

consideration when establishing the survey questions. Firstly, there should
be used unambiguous words, or a wording that is easy to understand by
respondents. (Thomas, 2006) This principle is applied in the questionnaire
by avoiding answers/options like ”occasionally, sometimes” and by using
more detailed alternatives like ”1 or 2 times, less than 3 times”, etc. The
first set of options creates confusion as they might have a different
meaning from one respondents to another. For example, one respondent
might think that ”sometimes” means ”2/3 times”, while another
respondent might think that it means ”less than 5 times”. Therefore, this
questionnaire will aim to comprise questions with clear answers, which
makes it easier for the researcher and respondents to be objective and to
offer precise answers.
A second aspect to be followed refers to the order of questions. In other

words, the aspects covered in the survey will start from more general
topics towards particularities of the topic.
When deciding over the content of questions, it was considered the

information identified in academic journals where a similar topic was
approached. A part of the questions were inspired from surveys performed
by researchers, while other questions were based on ideas formulated in
the theoretical perspectives of authors. Based on this criterion, the
questions are categorized as it follows:
1) Demographics Opening questions – These questions are aimed to

provide the
2) researcher with information about respondents. Here, there will be
included the nominal scale questions, which provide personal
information about respondents (age, gender, education level, etc.). It
was I have also included a question regarding the marital status of
respondents, because it is intended to find out whether children in
35
single-parent families are more involved in decisions than children
from families with two parents. This aspect was researched as well
by Flurry (2007).
3) Introduction questions – In this part of the survey it is intended to
ask
questions regarding the frequency of shopping in a retail store and the
frequency of going to shopping with children.
4) Transition questions – These questions will make reference to the
children-parent relationship in general. For example, respondents could be
asked whether they are influenced by children when making decisions in
general, or whether they ask their children’s opinion. The ideas for these
questions are based on studies mentioned in the literature review, such as
the one conducted by Sharma and Sonwaney (2014),
5) Key questions – This category of questions will have addressed
specific aspects
6) of interest for this topic such as the following: children’s behavior in
stores, children’s preference for certain products, reactions of
parents to children’ requests, etc. This set of questions is provided
by articles where researchers studied the behavior of children and
parents when shopping together. (Ebster et al 2009; Nicholls and
Cullen, 2004; Wimalasiri 2004; Arul and Vasudevan, 2016).
3.7 Pilot study
A The pilot study will behas been performed before conducting the actual
study. Thus, the questionnaire will behas been addressed to 10
respondents, and the data obtained will be used as reference for
establishing the required adjustments for the survey, such as the
following:
 The identification of necessary resources for conducting the actual
study, as well as logistical problems that might occurhave occurred
during the process.
 Obtaining know-how about the appropriate type of training for those
involved in conducting the survey.
36
 Discovering the amount of time needed to complete each survey,
taking into consideration the fact that most parents will be
shopping with their children;
 Seeing if children can influence the responses of their parents..
 Discovering misleading questions.
3.4 Data analysis methods
This part provides explanations over the methods used for analyzing the
primary data which was collected during the survey. Given the fact that
this is a quantitative study, the data obtained is analyzed through rational
and critical thinking. (Gill et al, 2008) Primary data analysis includes the
interpretation of figures, calculation of frequencies and comparisons
between variables of the same research. Also, the data analysis will
include referrals to findings from literature review, such that one has
access to multiple opinions related to the topic.
The first part of data analysis will be performed through descriptive and
inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics are meant to summarise the
data, and inferential statistics identifies significant differences between
data. Descriptive statistics include two types of variables: categorical
(gender, marital status, parents’ strategies) and numerical (number of
children, degree of child influence, frequency of purchasing from stores).
The analysis of categorical variables includes presentations of frequencies,
proportions and percentages. The analysis of numerical variables includes
presentations of mean, median and standard deviation.
tests
3.5 Limitations of the methodology
Although the methodological approach was carefully planned in order to

answer the research questions, one can identify some limitations, which
were also specified in the introductory part of this paper.
37
One such limitation relates to the sample size. Romanian retailing is a
dynamic industry, therefore the population of this study is very large. The
time and budget constraints affected the sample size selection, in the
sense that a small number of respondents were selected for the study in
relation to the available population.
Another problem of the questionnaire relates to respondents’ willingness

to tell the truth when selecting the options. Due to the fact that some
people have a strong desire for social desirability, they may select those
answers that give them a positive image. For example, some respondents
might not recognize the fact that they are highly influenced by their
children when making decisions or that they do not have control over their
childrens’ behavior in shops.
The degree of research subjectivity represents another limitation of the

methodology. The study might be affected by subjectivity because the
research plan was established and applied entirely by the author himself.
Also, the questionnaire was designed from the author’s perspective, which
increases the possibility of skipping aspects that are important for
respondents, but irrelevant for the author. The participation of several
authors would have increased the degree of objectivity.
Information about the sample
One can notice an almost even gender distribution.
38
Also, most of the respondents are married. 1 stands for “unmarried”, 2 for “married”, 3 for
“divorced” and 4 for widow/widower.
Most of the respondents only have one child.
39
Approximately 40% of the respondents have a Graduate (Master’s) degree, leading one to the
conclusion that the education level within the sample is quite high.
Despite the formal education they have received, most of the respondents have a relatively
low level of income.
40
In relation to their children, parents with a higher education level tend to take into account
their children’s opinion, unlike parents with a lower education level. Specifically, 25% of the
parents who have only received primary education would not confer with their child, whereas
only 10% of the other parents who have received higher forms of education would not confer
with their child. Regarding the asociation between these two variables, the Chi-Square test has
a significance coefficient of .022, meaning that the relationship between these two variables is
statistically significant. Regarding the strength of the association, the Phi coefficients tells us
that there is a strong association between these variables.
Education * Do you confer with your child in different matters related to family? Crosstabulation
Do you consult with your child in different matters

related to family?
More and
more as Most of the
Never they grow time Always Total
Education Primary 4 1 3 2 10
education 25.0% 3.8% 6.0% 7.1% 8.3%
Secondary 6 6 6 8 26
education 37.5% 23.1% 12.0% 28.6% 21.7%
Higher 2 12 18 5 37
education 12.5% 46.2% 36.0% 17.9% 30.8%
41
Graduate 4 7 23 13 47
Degree 25.0% 26.9% 46.0% 46.4% 39.2%
Total 16 26 50 28 120
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 19.457a 9 .022
Likelihood Ratio 18.496 9 .030
Linear-by-Linear
4.718 1 .030
Association
N of Valid Cases 120
a. 6 cells (37.5%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is 1.33.
Symmetric Measures
Value Approx. Sig.
Phi .403 .022

Nominal by Nominal
Cramer's V .232 .022
a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null
hypothesis.
A very important factor concerning the parents’ economic behavior is their children’s presence
during the shopping session. Parents who are not accompanied by their children have a much
stronger tendency to rank their children’s influence as low (80% of those who are not
accompanied by their children have ranked with 1 their children’s influence over their
purchases), unlike the parents who are always accompanied by their children. Looking at the
Chi-Square test, it tells us that the association between these variables is not statistically
significant, having a significance coefficient of .208.
On a scale from 1 to 5, how much do you think that your child influences you when making decisions in
general? * Do you go shopping accompanied by your child? Crosstabulation
42
Do you go at shopping accompanied by your
child?
Only when I
have to buy
something Most of the
Never for them time Always Total
On a scale from 1 to 1.0 8 1 1 0 10

5, how much do you 80.0% 10.0% 10.0% 0.0% 100.0%
think that your child 2.0 17 1 2 3 23
influences you when
73.9% 4.3% 8.7% 13.0% 100.0%
making decisions in
3.0 10 8 6 1 25
general?
40.0% 32.0% 24.0% 4.0% 100.0%
4.0 6 14 17 11 48
12.5% 29.2% 35.4% 22.9% 100.0%
5.0 0 8 3 3 14
0.0% 57.1% 21.4% 21.4% 100.0%

Total 41 32 29 18 120
34.2% 26.7% 24.2% 15.0% 100.0%
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-

sided)

Linear-by-Linear Association .084 1 .772
a. 8 cells (40.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum

expected count is 1.80.
Symmetric Measures
Value Approx. Sig.
Phi .361 .208

Nominal by Nominal

hypothesis.
43
When it comes to the reasons for which parents choose to adopt a certain consumer behaviour,
the strongest incentive for buying a certain product is their child’s happiness (75% of those
who have said that they would buy the product requested by their children have also said that
the reason for answering favourably to the request is that they want him/her to be happy).
Also, a high percentage of those who ignore their child’s initial request, when responding
favourably to the subsequent request, say that the reason for the change is that they do not
want to deal with the child’s negative reaction.
What is your initial response when your child requests a certain product? * When you answer favourably
to your child’s requests, what is the reason for doing this? Crosstabulation
When do you answer favorably to

your child’s requests, what is the
reason for doing this?
I don’t want I am afraid

to waste of what
time/bother other
I want my dealing people
children to with his/her might
be happy reactions believe Total
What is your initial I buy the product 6 1 1 8

response when 75.0% 12.5% 12.5% 100.0%
your child requests I buy the product, 3 5 4 12
a certain product? but I establish
25.0% 41.7% 33.3% 100.0%
certain conditions
I postpone the 19 14 4 37
purchase saying
that it will be added 51.4% 37.8% 10.8% 100.0%
on the wish list
I don’t buy the 28 15 6 49

product and I
57.1% 30.6% 12.2% 100.0%
explain why
I ignore the request 2 9 3 14
14.3% 64.3% 21.4% 100.0%

Total 58 44 18 120
48.3% 36.7% 15.0% 100.0%
Chi-Square Tests
44
sided)

Linear-by-Linear Association .419 1 .518

Symmetric Measures
Value Approx. Sig.
Phi .357 .053

Nominal by Nominal

hypothesis.
From the two crosstabulations two types of parents can be identified, those who cooperate
with their children and those who tend to be more dismissive towards their children’s
preferences when it comes to dealing with the latter’s demands or influence.
When it comes to the courses of actions parents choose in difficult situations, we can also
identify two types of parents: those who will try to find a solution and those who will ignore
the request.
Consequently, most parents will try to understand the cause for their child’s request and also
to discuss with him/her. Very few of the respondents would have a negative attitude towards
the child (start arguing with him/her 10%, or get annoyed 1.7%).
What is your reaction when your child insists with his/her requests?
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid I try to keep calm 18 15.0 15.0 15.0
45
I try to discuss with him/her 27 22.5 22.5 37.5
I try to understand the cause

37 30.8 30.8 68.3
of his/her insistence
I ask my spouse to deal with

9 7.5 7.5 75.8
him/her
I take my child in my arms in

6 5.0 5.0 80.8
order to immobilise him/her
I start arguing with him/her 13 10.8 10.8 91.7
I take him/her faster through

8 6.7 6.7 98.3
the store
I get annoyed 2 1.7 1.7 100.0
Total 120 100.0 100.0
When it comes to the reason for the child’s request/demand for a certain product, the
packaging seems to be quite an important factor (27% of parents consider the packaging/the
display of the product to be important), and the least important aspect seems to be the way in
which the shelves are arranged (14.2%).
A second aspect is related to the reason for which a child requests/demands a product. Most
respondents say the choice is due to the fact that the child already has that product (30%), that
he/she has watched an advertisement for the product (25%) or that he/she has seen the image
of the product in a magazine (20.8%). The mediae and the social group’s influence on the
child’s economic preferences are also to be highlighted. Images shown in an advertisement or
in a magazine can create wants and can lead to the birth of an incentive for the purchase of a
product.
Which are the reasons invoked by your child when arguing for his/her request for a product?
Cumulative
Valid Others from his/her group of

37 30.8 30.8 30.8
friends has it
He/she saw a commercial on

30 25.0 25.0 55.8
TV
He/she saw it in a magazine 25 20.8 20.8 76.7
46
A promise to do a house
28 23.3 23.3 100.0
chore in exchange
Total 120 100.0 100.0
Cumulative
Valid The packaging/advertising of

33 27.5 27.5 27.5
products
Points-of-sale with products

26 21.7 21.7 49.2
for children
Employees dressed in
characters from 25 20.8 20.8 70.0
cartoons/movies for children
Colorful shelves 17 14.2 14.2 84.2
Products placed at the level

19 15.8 15.8 100.0
of children’ eyes
Total 120 100.0 100.0
Information about the sample
One can notice an almost even gender distribution.
47
Also, most of the respondents are married. 1 stands for “unmarried”, 2 for “married”, 3 for
“divorced” and 4 for widow/widower.
Most of the respondents only have one child.
48
Approximately 40% of the respondents have a Graduate (Master’s) degree, leading one to the
conclusion that the education level within the sample is quite high.
Despite the formal education they have received, most of the respondents have a relatively
low level of income.
49
In relation to their children, parents with a higher education level tend to take into account
their children’s opinion, unlike parents with a lower education level. Specifically, 25% of the
parents who have only received primary education would not confer with their child, whereas
only 10% of the other parents who have received higher forms of education would not confer
with their child.
Education * Do you confer with your child in different matters related to family? Crosstabulation
Do you consult with your child in different matters

related to family?
More and
more as Most of the
Never they grow time Always Total
Education Primary 4 1 3 2 10
education 25.0% 3.8% 6.0% 7.1% 8.3%
Secondary 6 6 6 8 26
education 37.5% 23.1% 12.0% 28.6% 21.7%
Higher 2 12 18 5 37
education 12.5% 46.2% 36.0% 17.9% 30.8%
Graduate 4 7 23 13 47
Degree 25.0% 26.9% 46.0% 46.4% 39.2%
Total 16 26 50 28 120
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
50
Chi-Square Tests

sided)

Linear-by-Linear Association 4.718 1 .030

A very important factor concerning the parents’ economic behavior is their children’s presence
during the shopping session. Parents who are not accompanied by their children have a much
stronger tendency to rank their children’s influence as low (80% of those who are not
accompanied by their children have ranked with 1 their children’s influence over their
purchases), unlike the parents who are always accompanied by their children.
On a scale from 1 to 5, how much do you think that your child influences you when making decisions in
general? * Do you go shopping accompanied by your child? Crosstabulation
Do you go at shopping accompanied by your

child?
Only when I
have to buy
something Most of the
Never for them time Always Total
On a scale from 1 to 1.0 8 1 1 0 10
5, how much do you 80.0% 10.0% 10.0% 0.0% 100.0%
think that your child 2.0 17 1 2 3 23
influences you when
73.9% 4.3% 8.7% 13.0% 100.0%
making decisions in
3.0 10 8 6 1 25
general?
40.0% 32.0% 24.0% 4.0% 100.0%
4.0 6 14 17 11 48
12.5% 29.2% 35.4% 22.9% 100.0%
5.0 0 8 3 3 14
0.0% 57.1% 21.4% 21.4% 100.0%

Total 41 32 29 18 120
34.2% 26.7% 24.2% 15.0% 100.0%
51
When it comes to the reasons for which parents choose to adopt a certain consumer behaviour,
the strongest incentive for buying a certain product is their child’s happiness (75% of those
who have said that they would buy the product requested by their children have also said that
the reason for answering favourably to the request is that they want him/her to be happy).
Also, a high percentage of those who ignore their child’s initial request, when responding
favourably to the subsequent request, say that the reason for the change is that they do not
want to deal with the child’s negative reaction.
What is your initial response when your child requests a certain product? * When you answer favourably
to your child’s requests, what is the reason for doing this? Crosstabulation
When do you answer favorably to

your child’s requests, what is the
reason for doing this?
I don’t want I am afraid

to waste of what
time/bother other
I want my dealing people
children to with his/her might
be happy reactions believe Total
What is your initial I buy the product 6 1 1 8

response when 75.0% 12.5% 12.5% 100.0%
your child requests I buy the product, 3 5 4 12
a certain product? but I establish
25.0% 41.7% 33.3% 100.0%
certain conditions
I postpone the 19 14 4 37
purchase saying
that it will be added 51.4% 37.8% 10.8% 100.0%
on the wish list
I don’t buy the 28 15 6 49

product and I
57.1% 30.6% 12.2% 100.0%
explain why
I ignore the request 2 9 3 14
14.3% 64.3% 21.4% 100.0%

Total 58 44 18 120
48.3% 36.7% 15.0% 100.0%

From the two crosstabulations two types of parents can be identified, those who cooperate
with their children and those who tend to be more dismissive towards their children’s
preferences when it comes to dealing with the latter’s demands or influence.
52
When it comes to the courses of actions parents choose in difficult situations, we can also
identify two types of parents: those who will try to find a solution and those who will ignore
the request.
Before going shopping with your child, what do you think that what will happen in the store?
Cumulative
Valid I will find a solution there 17 14.2 14.2 14.2
I will apply solutions from

46 38.3 38.3 52.5
previous experiences
I will ignore the reactions of

57 47.5 47.5 100.0
my child
Total 120 100.0 100.0

Consequently, most parents will try to understand the cause for their child’s request and also
to discuss with him/her. Very few of the respondents would have a negative attitude towards
the child (start arguing with him/her 10%, or get annoyed 1.7%).
What is your reaction when your child insists with his/her requests?
Cumulative
Valid I try to keep calm 18 15.0 15.0 15.0
I try to discuss with him/her 27 22.5 22.5 37.5
I try to understand the cause

37 30.8 30.8 68.3
of his/her insistence
I ask my spouse to deal with

9 7.5 7.5 75.8
him/her
I take my child in my arms in

6 5.0 5.0 80.8
order to immobilise him/her
I start arguing with him/her 13 10.8 10.8 91.7
I take him/her faster through

8 6.7 6.7 98.3
the store
I get annoyed 2 1.7 1.7 100.0
Total 120 100.0 100.0
53
When it comes to the reason for the child’s request/demand for a certain product, the
packaging seems to be quite an important factor (27% of parents consider the packaging/the
display of the product to be important), and the least important aspect seems to be the way in
which the shelves are arranged (14.2%).
A second aspect is related to the reason for which a child requests/demands a product. Most
respondents say the choice is due to the fact that the child already has that product (30%), that
he/she has watched an advertisement for the product (25%) or that he/she has seen the image
of the product in a magazine (20.8%). The mediae and the social group’s influence on the
child’s economic preferences are also to be highlighted. Images shown in an advertisement or
in a magazine can create wants and can lead to the birth of an incentive for the purchase of a
product.
Which are the reasons invoked by your child when arguing for his/her request for a product?
Cumulative
Valid Others from his/her group of

37 30.8 30.8 30.8
friends has it
He/she saw a commercial on

30 25.0 25.0 55.8
TV
He/she saw it in a magazine 25 20.8 20.8 76.7
A promise to do a house
28 23.3 23.3 100.0
chore in exchange
Total 120 100.0 100.0
Cumulative
Valid The packaging/advertising of

33 27.5 27.5 27.5
products
Points-of-sale with products

26 21.7 21.7 49.2
for children
Employees dressed in
characters from 25 20.8 20.8 70.0
cartoons/movies for children
Colorful shelves 17 14.2 14.2 84.2
54
Products placed at the level
19 15.8 15.8 100.0
of children’ eyes
Total 120 100.0 100.0
Conclusion:
55
References
1. Arul, M., Vasudevan, V. (2016) Influence of children on parent’s buying behavior.

The Cost and Management, 44(1), p. 19-24.
2. Babbie, R. Earl (2015) The Practice of Social Research Cengage Learning, 2015, p.
45-223
3. Baldassarre, F., Campo, R., Falcone, A. (2016) Food for kids: how children influence
their parents purchasing decisions. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 22, p. 596-
609.
4. Bao, Y., Fern, E., F., Sheng, S. (2007) Parental style and adolescent influence in
family consumption decisions: an integrative approach. Journal of Business
Research, 60, p. 672-680.
5. Belch, M. A., Willis, L. A. (2002) Family decision at the turn of the century: Has the
changing structure of households impacted the family decision-making process?
Journal of Consumer Behavior, 2(2), p. 111-124.
6. Boland, W., A., Connell, P., M., Erickson, L., M. (2012) Children’s response to sales
promotions and their impact on purchase behavior. Journal of Consumer
Psychology, 22, p. 272-279.
7. Brown, C., L., Matherne, C., E., Bulik, C., M., Howard, J., B., Ravanbakht, S., N.,
Skinner, A., C., Wood, C., T., Bardone-Cone, A., M., Brown, J., D., Perrin, A., J.,
Levine, C., Steiner, M., J., Perrin, E., M. (2017) Influence of product placement in
children’s snack choices. Appetite, 114, p. 118-124.
8. Bryman, A. (2007) The Research Question in Social Research: What is its Role?
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 10, p. 5-20.
56
9. Burgess, T. (2001) A general introduction to the design of questionnaires for
survey research. Information Systems Services. Guide to the Design of
Questionnaires, 1, p. 1-29.
10. Burnaz, S., Topcu, Y. (2011) A decision support on planning retail tenant mix in
shopping malls. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 24, p. 317-324.
11. Cairns, G., Angus, K., Hastings, G., Caraher, M. (2013) Systematic reviews of the
evidence on the nature, extent and effects of food marketing to children. A
retrospective summary. Appetite, 62, p. 209-215.
12. Calderon, J., Guadalupe, X., Pickrel, J. (2017) What happens when parents and
children go grocery shopping? An observational study of Latino Dyads in Southern
California, USA. Health Education Behavior, 44(1), p. 5-12.
13. Calloway, E., E., Roberts-Gray, C., Ranjit, N., Sweitzer, S., J., McInnis, K., A., Romo-
Palafox, M., J., Briley, M., E. (2014) Method of assessing parent-child grocery store
purchasing interactions using a micro-camcorder. Appetite, 83, p. 1-9.
14. Caruana, A., Vassallo, R. (2003) Children’s perception of their influence over
purchases: the role of parental communication patterns. Journal of Consumer
Marketing, 20(1), p. 55-66.
15. Cheyne, A., Dorfman, L., Bukofzer, E., Harris, J. (2013) Marketing sugary cereals to
children in the digital age: a content analysis of 17 child-tergeted websites. Journal
of Health Communication, 18(5), p. 563-582.
16. Creswell, J., W. (2014) Research design. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed
methods approaches. Sage Publications, Inc. California.
17. Dotson, M. J., Hyatt, E. M. (2005) Major influence factors in children’s consumer
socialization. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22(1), p. 35-42.
18. Ebster, C., Wagner, U., Neumueller, D. (2009) Children’s influences on in-store
purchases. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 16, p. 145-154.
19. Edwards, Rosalind and Holland, Janet (2013) What is qualitative interviewing?
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London.
20. Ekstrom, K. M. (2007) Parental consumer learning or ‘keeping up with the
children’. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 6(4), p. 203-217.
21. Fantuzzo, J., Tighe, E., Childs, S. (2000) Family involvement questionnaire: a
multivariate assessment of family participation in early childhood education.
Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), p. 367-376.
22. Farrugia, P., Bradley, A., Mohit, B. (2010) Research questions, hypotheses and
objectives. Canadian Journal of Surgery, 53(4), p. 278-281.
23. Field, Andy. (2009) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. SAGE Publications.
24. Flurry, L., A. (2007) Children’s influence in family decision-making: Examining the
impact of the changing American family. Journal of Business Research, 60, p. 322-
330.
57
25. Flurry, L., A., Burns, A., C. (2005) Children’s influence in purchase decisions: a
social power theory approach. Journal of Business Research, 58, p. 593-601.
26. Fujioka, Y., Austin, E., W. (2002) The relationship of family communication patterns
to parental mediation styles. Communication Research, 29(6), p. 642-665.
27. Fulkerson, J., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M. (2006) Adolescent and parent views
of family meals. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
28. Galindo, C., Sheldon, S. (2012) School and home connections and children’s
kindergarten achievement gains: the mediating role of family involvement. Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(1), p. 90-103.
29. Garcia-Moya, I., Rivera, F., Moreno, C., Lindstrom, B., Jimenez-Iglesias, A. (2012)
Analysis of the importance of family in the development of sense of coherence
during adolescence. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 85, p. 190-199.
30. Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., Chadwick, B. (2008) Methods of data collection in
qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. British Dental Journal, 204, p.
291-295.
31. Hank, K., Silverstein, M. (2017) Intergenerational transmission of parent-child
relationship quality: evidence from a multi-actor survey. Social Science Research,
67, p. 129-137.
32. Harris, J., Schwartz, M., Brownell, K. (2010) Marketing foods to children and
adolescents: licensed characters and other promotions on packaged foods in the
supermarket. Public Health Nutrition, 13(3), p. 409-417.
33. Haryanto, J., O., Moutinho, L., Coelho, A. (2016) Is brand loyalty really present in
the children’s market? A comparative study from Indonesia, Portugal and Brazil.
Journal of Business Research, 69(10), p. 4020-4032.
34. Haselhoff, V., Faupel, U., Holzmuller, H. (2014) Strategies of children and parents
during shopping for groceries. Young Consumers, 15(1), p. 17-36.
35. Hawkes, C., Harris, J. (2011) An analysis of the content of food industry pledges on
marketing to children. Public Health Nutrition, 14(8), p. 1403-1414.
36. Hsieh, Y., C., Chiu, H., C., Lin, C., C. (2006) Family communication and parental
influence on children’s brand attitudes. Journal of Business Research, 59, p. 1079-
1086.
37. Ironico, S. (2012) The active role of children as consumers. Young Consumers,
13(1), p. 30-44.
38. Kelly, B., Chapman, K. (2007) Food references and marketing to children in
Australian magazines: a content analysis. Health Promotion International, 22(4), p.
284-291.
39. Koenig, K., Trees, A. (2006) Finding meaning in difficult family experiences: sense-
making and interaction processes during joint family storytelling. The Journal of
Family Communication, 6, p. 49-76.
58
40. Kuczynski, L., Pitman, R., Loan, T., Harach, L. (2016) Children’s influence on their
parent’s adult development: mothers’ and fathers’ receptivity to children requests
for change. Journal of Adult Development, 4, p. 193-203.
41. Labrecque, J., Ricard, L. (2001) Children’s influence on family decision-making: a
restaurant study. Journal of Business Research, 54, p. 173-176.
42. Lee, C., Beatty, S. E. (2002) Family structure and influence in family decision
making. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 19(1), p. 24-41.
43. Miller-Day, M., Pezalla, A., Chesnut, R. (2013) Children are in families too! The
presence of children in communication research. Journal of Family Communication,
13, p. 150-165.
44. Moschis, G. (1985) The role of family communication in consumer learning. Journal
of Consumer Research, 11(4), p. 898-913.
45. Nicholls, A., J., Cullen, P. (2004) The child-parent purchase relationship: ‘pester
power’, human rights and retail ethics. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,
11, p. 75-86.
46. Ogba, I., E., Johnson, R. (2010) How packaging affects the product preferences of
children and the buyer behavior of their parents in the food industry. Young
Consumers, 11(1), p. 77-89.
47. Palmer, E., Carpenter, C. (2006) Food and beverage marketing to children and
youth: trends and issues. Media Psychology, 8(2), p. 165-190.
48. Park, C., Bae, G. (2018) The moderating effects of parent-child relationship on the
relationship big-5 personality factors and turnover intention. Culinary Science &
Hospitality Research, 24(2), p. 87-95.
49. Pettigrew, S., Jongenelis, M., Miller, C., Chapman, K. (2017) A path analysis model
of factors influencing children’s requests for unhealthy foods. Eating Behaviors,
24, p. 95-101.
50. Portner, L., Riggs, S. (2016) Siblings relationships in emerging adulthood:
associations with parent-child relationship. Journal of Child and Family Studies,
25(6), p. 1755-1764.
51. Rolfe, G. (2006) Validity, trustworthiness and rigor: quality and the idea of
qualitative research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(3), p. 304-310.
52. Rose, G., Boush, D., Shoham, A. (2002) Family communication and children’s
purchasing influence: a cross-national examination. Journal of Business Research,
55, p. 867-873.
53. Russell, C., G., Worsley, A., Campbell, K., J. (2015) Strategies used by parents to
influence their children’s food preferences. Appetite, 90, p. 123-130.
54. Sharma, A., Sonwaney, V. (2014) Theoretical modeling of influence of children on
family purchase decision making. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 133,
p. 38-46.
59
55. Shoham, A., Dalakas, V. (2006) How our adolescent children influence us as
parents to yield to their purchase requests. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 23, p.
344-350.
56. Simon, M. K. (2011) Dissertation and scholarly research: recipes for success.
Seatle, WA, Dissertation Success, LLC.
57. Siniscalco, M., Auriat, N. (2005) Questionnaire design. International Institute for
Educational Planning/UNESCO. Paris.
58. Smetana, J., Campione, N., Metzger, A. (2006) Adolescent development in
interpersonal and social contexts. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, p. 255-284.
59. Sramova, B. (2015) Marketing and media communications targeted to children as
consumers. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, p. 1522-1527.
60. Thaichon, P. (2017) Consumer socialization process: The role of age in children’s
online shopping behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 34, p. 38-
47.
61. Thomas, D. (2006) A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative
Evaluation Data. American Journal of Evaluation. Vol. 27, pp. 237-246.
62. Thomson, E. S., Laing, A. W., McKee, L. (2007) Family purchase decision making:
exploring child influence behavior. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 6(4), p. 182-202.
63. Tomar, R. (2015) Kids visit to shopping malls and their influence on parent’s
purchase decisions: a demographic study with reference to India. Asia Pacific
Journal of Marketing and Retail Management, 6(3), p. 12-26.
64. Verdoodt, V., Clifford, D., Lievens, E. (2016) Toying with children’s emotions, the
new game in town? The legality of advergames in the EU. Computer Law &
Security Review, 32(4), p. 599-614.
65. Zahra, S., Larraneta, B. (2007) Knowledge sharing and technological capabilities:
the moderating role of family involvement. Journal of Business Research, 60(10),
p. 1070-1079.
66. Wang, S., Holloway, B., B., Beatty, S., E., Hill, W., W. (2007) Adolescent influence in
family purchase decisions: An update and cross-national extension. Journal of
Business Research, 60, p. 1117-1124.
67. Wimalasiri, J., S. (2004) A cross-national study on children’s purchasing behavior
and parental response. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 21(4), p. 274-284.
60

Children's Influence Over Parents Purchase Decision

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Children's Influence Over Parents Purchase Decision

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Problem (4-6)............................................................................................... 2

1.2 Statement of the problem – Purpose of the Study.................................................3

1.3 Significance of the study...........................................................................................3

1.4 Research Questions................................................................................................... 4

1.8 Definition of terms..................................................................................................... 7

Chapter 2 Literature Review (20-24)...................................................................................8

2.2 Family communication............................................................................................... 9

2.3 Children’s influence over family decisions...............................................................13

2.3.1 Modern perspectives over parent-child relations..............................................14

2.3.2 Factors explaining the increasing influence of children on family decision-

2.4 Parent-child shopping experience in retail stores....................................................19

2.4.1 Marketing strategies for stimulating children’ demands...................................20

2.4.2 Tactics used by children for influencing their parents.......................................23

2.4.3 Strategies used by parents when shopping with children.................................26

2.5 Literature review conclusions..................................................................................28

Chapter 3 Methodology (10)............................................................................................. 29

3.1 Research problem and research questions..............................................................29

3.3 The questionnaire.................................................................................................... 31

3.7 Pilot study............................................................................................................... 35

3.4 Data analysis methods............................................................................................ 35

3.5 Limitations of the methodology...............................................................................36

Overall, children became an important consumer group and businesses

1.2 Statement of the problem – Purpose of the Study

In order to ensure the success of this study, a research plan will be

1.3 Significance of the study

The purchase experience inside retail stores is constantly improved in

Given the existence of knowledge in this field, an applied research is

1.4 Research Questions

Developing the research questions is another critical step of the study,

These research questions aim to shed light on previous literature regarding

1.5 Research Objectives (clear: are the statement clear? well

This research aims to enrich the literature on the topic of children’s

 Factors determining children to address requests to their parents.

Some of these research objectives were covered in the literature review.

Firstly, a small size of population was selected to participate in the study.

Lastly, the chosen topic should also be based on a certain type of

Setting delimitations is a necessary step in developing the research plan

As mentioned previously, the research of children influence over parents’

Another delimitation of this study is the focus of the research problem.

1.8 Definition of terms

In order to test the research questions presented previously, I will

► Children’s influence over family decisions will be measured using:

Research on children as consumers was initiated in 1960s, but this topic

A look at the studies on child-parent purchase relationships reveals several

Once this practice was observed, researchers started to question the

The authors sustain that, in general, children accompany their parents at

The debate on children’s influence over parents’ purchase decisions is

2.2 Family communication

A family is a system that shapes the lives of its individual members.

According to Miller-Day et al (2013) family communication has several

 Managing separateness and connectedness - Family communication

The above communication functions demonstrate that family

After listing the functions of family communication, it is necessary to make

 Clear and direct – Family members express directly their messages

In authors’ view, clear and direct communication contributes mostly to an

2.3 Children’s influence over family decisions

According to Smetana et al (2006) traditional research focused on

2.3.1 Modern perspectives over parent-child relations

Researchers who studied parent-child relations during 1970s and 1980s

As stated above, the modern perspectives on parent-child influence bring

Recent studies sustain an increasing importance of children in buying

To sum up, it can be observed that the research on parent-child