A segmentation of adolescent online users and shoppers

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify key motivations for adolescents using and shopping on the internet, and to segment the sample based on these motivations. Design/methodology/approach – This research occurs in two phases: a qualitative phase involving interviews with adolescents aged 12-15 and parents of adolescents in this age group; then, a quantitative phase using a survey (n=360) to measure the motivations and other key profiling variables identified in the qualitative phase and the literature review. Findings – The research identifies five basic motivations and two shopping motivations influencing adolescent online usage and shopping. Next, a cluster analysis is conducted using the motivations developed and is used to identify segments of adolescent internet users and shoppers, which are subsequently described. Research limitations/implications – The sample of adolescents was taken from a town in the southeast USA. Caution should be taken when generalizing to adolescents outside this...

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