Twenty Years after Reunification: Comparing Young Consumer Decision-Making Processes for Electronic Products in the Former East and West Germany

Abstract

This article measures and compares influences on purchasing decisions for electronic products among consumers from the former East and West German states. The study is framed using Cohort Theory. To investigate whether changes in the economic system influences consumer behavior, two consumer groups are included: Germans in the former East Germany and former West Germany. The study found that the former West Germans are more likely to be influenced by the opinions of others than East Germans. Brand loyalty is influential for both of the two German groups. In addition, the two German groups had more similar attitudes toward advertising compared to their parents' cohort groups of 20 years ago. The study also found that Inglehart's Cohort Theory applies to the case of German reunification.