CONSUMER TECHNOLOGIZATION - FACTOR IN THE MODERN LEARNING OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR BY CHILDREN

Abstract

The issue of learning consumer behavior by children is important for marketers to understand their behavior better and, on this basis, to develop a more effective marketing strategy. The article examines three aspects of children's learning of consumer behavior. The first is related to the process of consumer socialization. Second, the main socializing agents are presented. The pattern of children's shopping has been developed and influenced by the so called "socializing agents". In the literature, socializing agents are defined as influential sources that transmit norms, attitudes, motivations and behavior to learners. People often interact with socializing agents and consciously or unconsciously adopt social norms, values, and behaviors that are imparted to them. A complete and thorough classification of socializing agents can unite them into three groups cognitive, social and market factors. The first group includes the cognitive and physical development of children depending on their age. Family, friends, school, church are defined as social factors. The third group market factors can include the media, stores, brands and products.
Along with consumer socialization, we can now talk about consumer technologization. It consists in the fact that not only the so called socializing agents, including cognitive, social and market factors, play a role in the learning of consumer behavior by children. Another factor should be added to them new technologies. In this sense, we can talk about technologizing agents, including the Internet and new generation technologies. This stems from the fact that today's young generations like Alpha and Z are exposed to the influence of the Internet and new technologies from an early age. Based on this, it can be summarized that the learning of consumer behavior by children is influenced by two groups of agents:
Socializing, incl. cognitive, social and market factors;
Technological, incl. Internet and next generation technologies.
Examining the third aspect is through the prism of the opinion that to the socializing agents should be added technologizing agents, which include the Internet and new generation technologies as factors with a strong impact in learning consumer behavior by children. Consumer technologization can be defined as the process of learning consumer behavior through technology. In children's lives, the most significant technologizing agents are the Internet and the new technologies.
The Internet is not the only modern technology influencing children's behavior. New technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, sensor technologies, mixed reality, and others are increasingly finding application in everyday life.