CONSUMER DIFFERENCES IN MOTIVATED CONSUMER INNOVATIVENESS AND GLOBAL IDENTITY

Abstract

One of the main reasons for failure in sustainable marketing and innovative products is the lack of an adequate understanding of consumer wants and needs. Understanding the issues of motivations for innovativeness and identity in young consumers can provide important evidence for both theory and practice on achieving sustainability. Despite the importance of gender and generation cohort differences on motivated consumer innovativeness and global identity, similarities/differences and links between these variables for each group are not precise and waiting for research that provides clear evidence, especially in the pandemic period. Therefore, this paper aims 1) to determine the differences/similarities in gender and generational cohorts regarding the motivated consumer innovativeness and global identity and 2) to examine the relationship between motivating consumer innovativeness and global identity in given cohorts. Data were collected from consumers in Y and Z generations on an emerging market in Turkey through an online questionnaire. The main results indicated no gender differences for both motivated consumer innovativeness and global identity, whereas there were some differences between generational cohorts. Moreover, some significant relationships were found for each gender and generational cohort. In this study, significant differences were demonstrated about the motivations that drive consumers to be innovative in the Z generation, which has limited knowledge reserve and could be seen as a strong challenge. The findings were discussed, and suggestions were presented for both literature and managerial implications. Thus, this study could contribute to the current literature by confirming the significance of generation-specific differences in consumer behavior and stressing some similarities between Y and Z generations and differences, especially in pandemic conditions. It could be helpful as a roadmap for global marketers engaging in innovative marketing, consumer innovativeness, development of innovative products, and psychological consequences of globalization in young consumers, especially in emerging markets.