Interpretive Consumer Research

Researching the consumer has progressed far beyond the research for managerial implications and has become a major focus for the social sciences. In the field of marketing research, interpretive approaches to studying consumer behavior are playing an increasing role. This book presents the wide range of conceptual and empirical approaches that are required in studies of the consumer and consumption. As such, it is essential reading for students and researchers working in the fields of consumer behaviour and marketing, cultural and media studies, and sociology.

This book presents the wide range of conceptual and empirical approaches that are required in studies of the consumer and consumption. The model of the consumer as an individual decision-maker is being replaced with a richer perspective that situates him/her in a social and cultural location where the collective influences are balanced against the subjectivity of the consumption act.

As interpretive research perspectives become increasingly influential in the social sciences, so it becomes increasingly important for experienced researchers to familiarize themselves with the philosophical perspectives, data gathering techniques and analytical methods derived from interpretive research. Examining these interpretive traditions, this informative book illustrates how they can be applied to research projects for first-time researchers in the fields of management, marketing and consumer research. Topics covered include: choosing the topic gathering qualitative data for interpretation themes and concepts of interpretive research semiotics, marketing and consumer research. In offering practical examples drawn from existing studies and suggesting new topics for consideration, this book brings together major themes of interpretive research within a valuable practical guide. Suitable both for first time researchers and those with more experience, this is an ideal guide for anyone undertaking research in this area of study.

Representing Consumers explores representation and constructions of 'truth' in consumer research. Contributions come from the United States and Britain and draw on a wide range of theoretical approaches.

This is a practical and accessible, yet sophisticated introduction to interpretive methods for doing qualitative research projects and dissertations. Bringing together concepts of qualitative research from ethnography, phenomenology, critical discourse analysis, semiotics, literary analysis, postmodernism and poststructuralism this textbook offers an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the subject. Utilising a uniquely pragmatic approach, it bridges the gap between advanced, specialised books on research traditions with more general introductory business research books. This new edition has been fully updated to include new examples, explorations of the field, and an improved pedagogy with better exposition of key issues and concepts, as well as more schematics and diagrams to aid understanding. The first half of the book considers the practicalities of research and writing a research project, including the craft of academic writing, the critical literature review, the role of the independent research project as part of university courses, suggested projected structures, standards of academic scholarship, and the main techniques for gathering qualitative data. The book’s second half deals with abstract concepts and advanced theory by looking at key theoretical traditions that guide the interpretation of qualitative data. It is perfect for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of marketing, management, consumer behaviour and research methods. It will also be useful as a primer for practitioners in qualitative research.

Interpretive consumer research usually proceeds with a minimum of structure and preconceptions. This book presents a more structured approach than is usual, showing how a simple framework that embodies the rewards and costs associated with consumer choice can be used to interpret a wide range of consumer behaviours from everyday purchasing and saving, innovative choice, imitation, ‘green’ consumer behavior, to compulsive behaviors such as addictions (to shopping, to gambling, to alcohol and other drugs, etc). Foxall takes a qualitative approach to interpreting behavior, focusing on the epistemological problems that arise in such research and emphasizing the emotional as well as cognitive aspects of consumption. The author argues that consumer behaviour can be understood with the aid of a very simple model that proposes how the consequences of consumption impact consumers’ subsequent choices. The objective is to show that a basic model can be used to interpret consumer behaviour in general, not in isolation from the marketing influences that shape it, but as a course of human choice that is dynamically linked with managerial concerns.