Decision-making process of the hyper-connected consumer: towards a capricious and ubiquitous decision-making model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51359/2526-7884.2025.264306Keywords:
Consumer behaviour, Hyper-connectivity, decision-making, EMB model, TechnologyAbstract
Rapid advancements in mobile and wireless technology, as well as increased accessibility to the internet, have led to hyper-connectivity. As consumers increasingly become interconnected to each other, to things and objects, they become more hyper-connected. Technology, which has resulted in hyper-connectivity, has influenced how consumers interact with the world around them. This study thus aimed to determine the hyper-connected consumer's decision-making process. The EMB model of the consumer decision process served as the foundational structure of the research. The study follows from the research by the authors Kallier-Tar, Bothma & Wiid (2024) that previously identified six factors (personal insights and influences, social influence, subjective knowledge, sources/channels of information, price and financial influences, personal and family needs) that influence the hyper-connected consumer in decision-making. Simple random sampling was utilised, and 411 complete responses were collected. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to verify the research instrument as well as to confirm the factors that influence the decision-making process of the hyper-connected consumer. The study found that the hyper-connected consumer decision-making process is an iterative circular multi-directional interaction that occurs capriciously and ubiquitously. The study proposes a ubiquitous decision-making model for the hyper-connected consumer.
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