Abstract

This research was designed to profile Malaysian young consumers into their respective decision-making styles by replicating the original research by Sproles and Kendall (1986). The styles were determined by using the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI).

The variations of styles across demographic variables were also determined. Data from two public universities and two private universities students was collected. A multistage analysis involving exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis produced seven out of eight decision-making styles based on the styles’ reliability and validity exhibited by Malaysian young consumers. The styles were Brand Consciousness, Brand Loyalty, Confused by Overchoice, Impulsiveness, Novelty/Fashion Consciousness, Quality Consciousness and Recreational Orientation. Price Consciousness was found to show poor reliability thus unable to describe the Malaysian young consumers’ decision-making style. Four hypotheses proposed in this research in relation to the demographic variables were also supported.

A multivariate analysis was conducted to produce the regression models of the styles by using demographic variables as predictors. The findings in this research further enriched the decision-making styles literature across different cultures and provided a glimpse from the Malaysian perspective.

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