Changes in the Young Consumer’s Purchasing Process

Abstract

The consumer purchasing process is still affected by new factors. A young consumer (Generation Y) remains under constant inflence of social media, which includes increasing power of online consumer groups, through which they acquire new knowledge about the market, marketing practices (not always honest), the process of preparing new products (not always in ethical way). It is worth noting that a few years ago this information was considerably more diffiult to access. This knowledge, as well as the increasing exhibition of individual consumption, shared in social media, affect the purchasing behaviour of young people. The article presents changes in the purchasing process of the youngest consumers adult generation, today’s 20- and 30-year-olds. The article is based on the results of qualitative research (the focused group interviews, ethnography of purchasing processes and virtual ethnography) conducted in 2013–2016.