A research on the tendencies of consumer's innovativeness and consumer decision making styles

IThe aim of this study is to determine the profiles of consumers according to their tendencies for innovativeness, to determine whether the decision – making process of the consumers having different tendencies for innovativeness may differ or not. In this study, exploratory research model is used. The population of this study is the consumers in Sivas who are over 18 years of age. Sampling is carried out by convenience sampling method, considering time, accessibility and cost limitations. 460 consumers are reached through face to face technique. After the analysis, 7 of the surveys are found to have missing points and mistaken and analysis is carried out with 453 available questionnaires. In the data analysis, explanatory factor analysis, clustering analysis, one-way ANOVA and descriptive statistics are used. In the research, the innovation tendencies of the consumers are discussed in terms of motivated consumer innovation. After explanatory factor analysis, dimensions of consumer innovativeness are determined as hedonic, functional, cognitive and social innovativeness. The scope of decision making is fashion conscious, perfectionism, brand conscious, confusied by overchoice, brand loyalty, planned shopping, impulse shopping, fast shopping and price orientation. According to their tendency for innovativeness, the participants are clustered into three; innovation devotees, medium level innovators and innovation oppositers. Innovation devotees have a high tendency for innovativeness in all aspects. Innovation oppositers are the ones who have the least tendencies. The medium level innovators are more indecisive compared to these two groups. Tendencies of perfectionism, planned shopping and loyalty are high among innovation devotees. The medium level innovators are still indecisive according to their decision making styles. And the innovation oppositers have a low tendency for decision making. According to the results, some suggestions are given for further researches and applications.