An Evaluation of the Purchase Behaviour of Chinese Senior Consumers in the Tourism Sector and the Influence of Social Identity and Social Media
As consumer purchase behaviour [PB] gains increasing importance in marketing, the global ageing factor and advancements in information technology have further intensified the need for understanding the emerging force of senior Chinese consumers [SCCs]. Despite prior efforts to explore PB, there is a lack of research on SCCs. This study aims to enhance the understanding of SCCs’ PB in the tourism industry by investigating the influence of social identity [SI] and social media [SM]. Grounded in the interpretivism paradigm, this research employs a qualitative approach, involving 28 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with SCCs. The study explores the extent and manner in which SI and SM influence the tourism PB of this market segment. Thematic analysis was carried out, and five major themes were captured. Primarily, this study suggests that Identity-related factors, including social identity [SI], private identity [PI], FACE and GUANXI, significantly influence the tourism PB of SCCs. Additionally, SM factors (the influence of consumers' attitudes towards SM, SM as an information source, and consumer engagement in SM) significantly impact their PB. For SCCs, factors such as Tourism Selection Criteria [TSC], Cost of the Tourism Product [CTP] and Perceived Behavioural Control [PBC], were secondary and did not significantly influence their tourism PB. How and when these tripartite factors weighed on the tourism PB of SCCs depended on the context of consumers' perceptions of their salient identity and reliance on SM. Moreover, Identity-related factors have a complicated interplay relationship with SM factors. This study offers novel insights into the PB of SCCs, enhances prior literature, and contributes to marketing management science by illuminating the role of Identity-related and SM factors in the tourism industry. The findings have valuable implications for both marketing scholars and practitioners. The study acknowledges its limitations and suggests avenues for future research.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations