The role of time in consumer behavior and market segmentation. Three contributions from a multidisciplinary perspective

Resumen

Time has been the subject of numerous studies in multiple disciplines such as economics, education, geography, psychology, and sociology. All human actions related to consumption involve the allocations of time and money. However, in marketing literature, far more attention has been paid to the latter than to the former. This doctoral thesis adopts an interdisciplinary approach in order to describe the role of time in consumer behaviour and market segmentation. It also considers both objective measures of time use (Studies 1-3) and subjective measures related to time perspective (Study 3). The objective of the first study is to identify and describe the time use patterns of Spanish consumers at weekends. The data used have been obtained from the Time Use Survey collected by the Spanish National Statistics Institute. The results obtained reveal the existence of nine segments or clusters which are different, not only with regard to their propensity to engage in each activity and the average time allocated to this (what), but also their socio-demographic profiles (who) and the timing or activity rhythms (when). This study provides information for leisure-related businesses since it may enable them to organise their leisure proposals/activities for weekends (as regards both duration and schedules), bearing in mind the specific consumer profile that they wish to attract. The objective of the second study is to evaluate the effectiveness and profitability of time use in a destination as a segmentation criterion in tourism. The empirical analysis took place in the historic city of Toledo (Spain), and was based on information obtained from 799 day-trippers and tourists. The results obtained reveal the existence of four segments as regards day-trippers and another four as regards tourists. What is more, there are significant differences in the spending and future intentions of the clusters of day-trippers and tourists. Lastly, the objective of the third study is to explore the role of five time perspectives (past-negative, past-positive, present-fatalistic, present-hedonistic, and future) and having a balanced time perspective on the amount of free time available, leisure benefits sought and leisure activities. The results obtained from a sample of 320 undergraduate and Master¿s degree students from the University of Castilla-La Mancha show that how they understand time is a key predictor of their leisure choices. This study also reveals that having a balanced time perspective is a healthy way to enjoy leisure time.