Contemporary consumer choice dynamics: On the integrated effects of inherent and constructed preferences on choice

The saturation of the modern marketplace has resulted in the increased complexity of contemporary consumer choice dynamics. Many companies struggle to develop effective marketing strategies in this environment, while the dispersed findings of consumer choice studies has led to integration issues in the academic literature. This thesis investigates the integrated effects of inherent and constructed preferences on contemporary consumer choice decisions. Specifically, consumer inherent preferences for big brands are tested against constructed preferences effects on brand switching and choice deferral behaviour. To gather evidence, a discrete choice experiment survey with two conditions was distributed to a random sample of Australian sport shoes consumers. The data is analysed with conditional and mixed multinomial logit models, two sets of independent sample t-tests, and a correlation analysis. The results demonstrate that inherent and constructed preferences do interplay and form an integrated effect on consumer choice. The existence of consumer segments based on their broad constructed reactions to changes in the immediate decision context was also found. This thesis promotes the adoption of the integrative research approach in studying consumer choice and recommends further exploration of the segmented approach to analysing constructed preferences data. Companies are advised to account for the integrated inherent and constructed preferences effects on choice in developing marketing strategies, and employ a segmented approach to the development of constructed preferences tactics to maximise overall strategy impact.