Urban Consumer's New Thrifty Value And Consumption In China

With the deepening of China's Open and Reform Policy, people's disposable income and living standard have improved significantly and don't have to tighten their belts and restrain the spending as usual. Meanwhile, as western consumption culture infiltration, different kinds of value collide against and merge with each other in Chinese society.All kinds of human behavior, including consumer behavior reflect a kind of value pursuit. With the deepening of the research on consumption behavior, the study of consumption value get more and more attention from the 1970s for consumption value is the determinate of consumption motivation, attitude and behavior. This study, carried out in the background of rapid transition of Chinese society, discuss Chinese traditional value "thrift value". The author took mothers and daughters from normal families in urban areas of China as the research objects to discuss two generations "new thrift value" and consumer behavior from the perspective of reciprocal intergenerational influence.In this paper, research material is get from depth interview and induced by the method "grounded theory". The study finds that people's thrift value has changed a lot in new consumption background, and obvious difference exists between two generations. This study defines "traditional thrift value" as restraining consumption and pinching pennies while new value affirms reasonable consumption and no longer thinks "thrift" and "consumption" as paradox body for "thrift" and "waste" is the antonym. Offspring pays attention to how to consume reasonably, including three elements "pay-as-you-go", "no wasting" and "performance ratio" while the parents seek to balance the relationship of consumption and thrift which elements are "making the best use", "practical value" and "saving as possible". Intergenerational influence brings atavism consumption with the new consumption value. Offspring understand that their mothers won't buy expensive goods so they often consume for them directly to rise their life quality. Similarly, parents choose brand that their children prefer. In addition, the parents rely on the offspring when they consume for the confliction between consumption and thrift values so they hope their daughters'recognition and support. This study also puts forward suggestions to marketing management practitioners, relatively to offspring and the parents.