On Becoming a Consumer: Development of Consumer Behavior Patterns in Childhood

The book demonstrates how consumer development is intertwined with cognitive and motor development; each of the three dependent on the other two. Showing consumer behavior being responsible for body and mind development is new thinking; yet, the examples are clearly presented so that any interested person can grasp them. Presenting consumer behavior in stages of development, while logical, is essentially new also. We are familiar with cognitive development, for example, being described in stages, but not CB. In fact, stages of cognitive development are sometimes used as a framework for explaining consumer behavior but not its development as such. In this sense then, the book might be considered cutting edge as compared to one that offers a slightly different approach to the existing thought on consumer behavior.


- focuses on the *process* of how young children become consumers
- takes developmental approach to a key area in consumer marketing
- provides theory and international examples, including several drawn from the authors experience in China