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Vals – Values attitude lifestyle

January 30, 2020 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

Vals which is also known as values attitude and lifestyle is one of the primary ways to perform psychographic segmentation . All three terms are intangible in nature and therefore give an idea of the inert nature of the consumer . If you know what your consumer is thinking, you would know what kind of promotions or communications will attract him most. And how do you know what the consumer is thinking? By determining his vals –  Values, attitudes and lifestyle.

VALS is different for different people. Lets take income as an example. If you are a person with high income your lifestyle would probably include habits of the SEC A class such as dining out of home frequently and that too in top class restaurants, wearing only branded clothes and buying the best cars out there. Whereas if you are a middle class income group consumer, you would be more wary of spending money and would rather concentrate on savings.

So now how does VALS affect a marketer? Lets say you were a banker. What would you sell someone who had a high income lifestyle? You would sell them investment options and would also dedicate a relationship manager to take care of their needs. In fact, the bankers also have a term for high income individuals known as HNI –  high networth individuals. But, if your lifestyle was that of a low income customer, you are more likely to be targeted for savings

Table of Contents

History of the term VALS

VALS is actually a proprietary term of SRI international. The term was developed by Social scientist and futurist Arnold mitchell. Arnold mitchell actually developed the vals framework to determine different classes of people who had varying values, attitudes and lifestyle. These people were determined by the resources they had at their disposal as well as the amount of primary innovation they could accept or create. Thus the people with low resources were low on innovation and the ones with higher resources were higher in innovation. This formed the basis of the VALS framework.

The VALS framework

As mentioned in the history of VALS, The VALS framework was developed keeping a consumers resources as well as his capacity to accept innovation in mind. The X axis consisted of primary motivation (explained below) and the Y axis consisted of resources such as income, education , confidence etc. Thus these two factors were determined to be critical to define the values attitude and lifestyle of any consumer.

• Resources –  Included resources available to an individual such as income, education, intelligence, emotional support, etc.
• Primary motivation –  Which determined what actually drives the individual. Is it knowledge, the desire to achieve something or is it to be social.

After researching above 1500  consumers, Arnold mitchell actually divided consumers into 9 different types based on the amount of resources they had as well as their capacity for primary motivation. These classes of consumers based on their VALS were.

9 types of Consumers as per VALS framework

• Innovators –  The class of consumer at the top of the vals framework.  They are characterized by High income and high resource individuals for whom independence is very important. They have their own individual taste in things and are motivated in achieving the finer things in life.
• Thinkers –  A well educated professional is an excellent example of Thinkers in the vals framework. These are the people who have high resources and are motivated by their knowledge. These are the rational decision making consumers and are well informed about their surroundings. These consumers are likely to accept any social change  because of their knowledge level.
• Believers –  The subtle difference between thinkers and believers is that thinkers make their own decisions whereas believers are more social in nature and hence also believe other consumers. They are characterized by lower resources and are less likely to accept innovation on their own. They are the best class of word of mouth consumers.
• Achievers –  The achievers are mainly motivated by –  guess what –  Achievements. These individuals want to excel at their job as well in their family. Thus they are more likely to purchase a brand which has shown its success over time. The achievers are said to be high resource consumers but at the same time, if any brand is rising, they are more likely to adopt that brand faster.
• Strivers –  Low resource consumer group which wants to reach some achievement are known as strivers. These customers do not have the resources to be an achiever. But as they have values similar to an achiever, they fall under the striver category. If a striver can gain the necessary resources such as a high income or social status then he can move on to becoming an achiever.
• Experiencers –  The group of consumers who have high resources but also need a mode of self expression are known as Experiencers. Mostly characterized by young adults, it consists of people who want to experience being different. This class of consumers is filled up with early adopters who spend heavily on food, clothing and other youthful products and services.
• Makers –  These are consumers who also want self expression but they are limited by the number of resources they have. Thus they would be more focused towards building a better family rather than going out and actually spending higher amount of money. Making themselves into better individuals and families becomes a form of self expression for the Makers.
• Survivors –  The class of consumers in the Vals framework with the least resources and therefore the least likely to adopt any innovation. As they are not likely to change their course of action regularly, they form into brand loyal customers . An example can include old age pension earners living alone for whom the basic necessities are important and they are least likely to concentrate on anything else.

Thus the vals framework can be used primarily to classify consumers based on their values, attitudes and lifestyle. Once the classification has been done, you know which types of customers you want to target . Depending on your target customers vals, you can make up your marketing strategy and your promotional message such that it hits your audience at the right spot.

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About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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Chapter 6 – US VAL’s Framework: Segmentation

The US VAL’s Framework would help you split the addressable markets into different groups according to the psychometric behaviour of customers. This framework explains how each customer would behave differently in terms of Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyles often termed together as VAL.

You must be aware that segmentation is the most crucial step for launching or marketing any product. As a budding professional in the marketing domain, let us focus on how US VAL's framework can be implemented for segmentation in this section.

Segmentation is the first step in the process of marketing. Segmentation helps you understand and communicate with the individuals who are most likely to buy any particular product or service. Several frameworks can be used for carrying out the segmentation of any product. One such framework is U.S. VAL's framework.

In this section, I will cover what is the US VALs Framework, what is the VAL's classification of U.S. adults and what are the three primary motivations identified in the VALS framework.

What is the U.S. VAL'S framework?

The US VAL's Framework would help you split the addressable markets into different groups according to the psychometric behaviour of customers. This framework explains how each customer would behave differently in terms of Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyles, often termed together as VAL.

The US VAL's framework says that every person behaves differently based on primary motivation and resources. For example, if you consider an individual with a high-income level, you might observe that the person prefers to buy apparel from premium brands like Dior or Versace. At the same time, if you consider a person with a middle-income level, you will find they would prefer apparel from Allen Solly or Peter England. 

Similarly, depending on the primary motivation, if you took an example of the buying behaviour of a hiker vs a normal person for V.I.P., you will observe that given the same amount of money, the hiker will invest in backpacks and rucksacks. In contrast, the normal person will prefer to buy soft/hard luggage trolleys.

As you have understood how individuals behave differently in a situation, let us now understand in detail the primary factors considered for each of these parameters: primary motivations and resources.

What are the three primary motivations identified in the U.S. VAL'S framework?

The primary motivations idea in the VAL's framework explains consumer attitudes and will help you predict consumer behaviour. Ideals, achievement, and self-expression are the three fundamental motives that have been identified under this framework.

• Knowledge and principles guide consumers who are primarily motivated by ideals.
• Consumers who are driven primarily by accomplishment seek out items and services that represent success to their peers.
• Consumers primarily motivated by self-expression seek out social or physical activities and diversity and risk.

What are the resources identified in the U.S. VAL'S framework?

The V.A.L. Framework explains that every person would express his or her motivation depending on the availability and constraints to resources. The buying behaviour of any person is not only limited to the availability of money or infrastructure. The resources that might affect the buying behaviour might also include energy, self-assurance, intellect, curiosity, ingenuity, and leadership.

What is the U.S. VAL'S classification of adults?

As a budding professional in the marketing domain, the crucial part of this framework would be to understand the different segments and how each of these segments would act in buying behaviours. Understanding each customer segment's behavioural aspect would help you understand how you should strategise your marketing communication effectively.

The classification provided by the US VAL's frameworks also helps understand the customers' needs and launch any product accordingly. This framework would also assist you in evaluating whether a particular brand or company is targeting the right customers.

The US VAL's framework provides 8 classifications or customer segments. Let us have a look at those segments in detail. I have also given an example of detergent brands that each group would prefer.

Eight Classification of U.S. Val's Framework with examples

Conclusions.

In this chapter, you have understood how different groups of people behave in a particular way using the U.S. VAL's Framework. The next step of S.T.P. is to understand how to target each segment. In the next chapter, I will explain Bull's Eye Framework, which will help you understand how different strategies are formulated for targeting any particular customer segment.

Understanding the VALS System of Classification

Table of Contents

The VALS (Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyle) system of classification is a marketing and market research tool that segments consumers based on their psychographic characteristics. Developed by social scientists Arnold Mitchell and Sharan Shavitt, the VALS system categorizes individuals into distinct groups to help businesses tailor their marketing strategies effectively. In this blog, we’ll explore the VALS system and its application in understanding consumer behavior.

The VALS Framework

The VALS framework classifies consumers into eight distinct segments, each characterized by specific psychographic traits. These segments are divided into two overarching categories: Resources and Primary Motivation .

• Innovators: Innovators are characterized by high resources, both financial and social. They are often successful, educated, and well-informed. They embrace change and are open to trying new products and experiences.
• Thinkers: Thinkers also have high resources, particularly in terms of education and income. They are analytical, value knowledge and expertise, and tend to make carefully considered decisions.
• Achievers: Achievers are motivated by success, and they seek products and services that reflect their accomplishments. They are driven by goals and often conform to societal expectations.
• Experiencers: Experiencers have high resources, particularly in the form of youth and energy. They are adventurous, impulsive, and seek excitement and novelty in their lives.

Primary Motivation:

• Believers: Believers are driven by core values, often influenced by religion or tradition. They prioritize safety, security, and well-established brands. They are generally conservative in their choices.
• Strivers: Strivers have limited resources but are highly motivated by achievement and success. They aspire to a higher socio-economic status and often imitate the lifestyles of Achievers.
• Makers: Makers are practical, hands-on individuals who enjoy self-sufficiency. They value practicality and self-reliance and are often drawn to DIY projects and crafts.
• Survivors: Survivors have limited resources and are primarily focused on meeting basic needs. They are risk-averse and seek products that provide security and safety.

Applications of the VALS System

1. targeted marketing campaigns.

By identifying the VALS segment to which their target audience belongs, businesses can create marketing campaigns that resonate with consumers’ specific values and motivations. For example, an outdoor adventure brand may target Experiencers with campaigns highlighting thrilling experiences.

2. Product Development

Understanding the psychographic characteristics of different VALS segments helps in product development. For instance, a company targeting Thinkers may prioritize product features that emphasize research and reliability.

3. Brand Positioning

Brands can position themselves to align with the values and motivations of specific VALS segments. For instance, a luxury brand may emphasize exclusivity and achievement to appeal to Achievers.

4. Market Segmentation

The VALS system assists in market segmentation by grouping consumers with similar psychographic profiles. Businesses can tailor their offerings to meet the unique needs and preferences of each segment.

The VALS system of classification offers a valuable framework for understanding consumer behavior beyond demographics. By delving into the psychographic characteristics and motivations of consumers, businesses can create more targeted and effective marketing strategies, develop products that resonate with their audience, and position their brands in a way that appeals to specific segments. Understanding the VALS segments allows companies to connect with consumers on a deeper level and build lasting relationships.

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Consumer Behaviour

1 Consumer Behaviour-Nature, Scope, Models and Applications

• Introduction
• Nature of Consumer Behaviour
• Who is a Consumer?
• What is a Consumer Decision?
• Scope of Consumer Behaviour
• Decision Process
• Individual and Group Determinants of Consumer Decisions
• Models of Consumer Behaviour including Online Buying Behaviour
• Applications of Consumer Behaviour in Marketing

2 Consumer Behaviour and Lifestyle Marketing

• Demographics, Psychographics and Lifestyle
• Characteristics of Lifestyle
• Influences on Lifestyle
• Approaches to Study Lifestyle
• Application of AIO Studies
• Lifestyle Profiles in Indian Context
• VALS System of Classification
• Applications of Lifestyle Marketing

3 Organisational Buying Behaviour

• What is Organisational Buying Behaviour?
• Organisational Buying Behaviour: Important Features and Typical Characteristics
• Who are the Organisational Customers?
• What Influences Organisational Buying?
• The Organisational Buying Situations
• Organisational Buying Behaviour: Some Models
• The Selection of a Supplier
• Recent Developments that have Impacted Organisational Buying

4 Perceptions

• The Concept of Perception
• Stages in the Perceptual Process
• Sensory System
• Sensory Thresholds
• Perceptual Selection

5 Learning and Memory

• Concept of Learning
• Theories of Learning
• The Two Complex Issues of Learning
• Memory: Structure and Functioning
• Retrieving Information
• Measuring Memory for Advertising
• Marketing Applications

6 Attitude and Attitude Change

• Attitude and Consumer Decision-Making
• The Constituents of Consumer Attitude
• The Functions of Consumer Attitude
• Consumer Attitude: The Models
• The Marketing Response to the Consumer Attitude

7 Personality and Self-Concept

• An overview of Personality: Its Nature & Their Application to Consumer Behaviour
• The Concept of Personality
• Theories of Personality
• The Psychoanalytic Theory of Freud
• Social-Psychological or Neo-Freudian Theory
• Trait Theory of Personality
• The Theory of Self-concept
• The Related Concepts
• Consumption and Self-concept

8 Consumer Motivation and Involvement

• The Concept and Typology of Needs
• Theories of Consumer Needs
• Motives: The Basis of Motivation
• The Concept of Motivation
• Motivational Conflicts
• Consumer Involvement
• The Facets of Involvement

9 Reference Group Influence and Group Dynamics

• The influence of Reference Groups
• Types of Reference Groups
• Reference Group Influence on Products and Brands
• The Role of Opinion Leadership in the Transmission of Information
• The Dynamics of the Opinion Leadership Process
• The Personalities and Motivations of Opinion Leaders
• The Concept of Social Class: Its Nature and Meaning
• Social Class and Social Stratification
• Social Class and Social Influences
• Social Class Categorisation
• Relationship of Social Class to Lifestyles
• Social Class and Buying Behaviour
• Social Class and Market Segmentation

10 Family Buying Influence, Family Lifecycle and Buying Roles

• Introduction: The Family as a Consuming Unit
• Family Buying Influences: Nature and Types of Influences
• Consumer Socialisation
• Intergenerational Influences
• Family Decision-Making
• Family Role Structure and Buying Behaviour
• The Dynamics of Family Decision-Making: Purchase Influences and Role specialization
• The Influence of Children
• The Family Life Cycle Concept
• Implications of Family Decision-Making for Marketing Strategy

11 Cultural and Subcultural Influences

• Culture: Meaning and Significance
• The Characteristics of Culture
• Cultural Values
• Cultural Values and Change
• The Need for Cross-cultural Understanding of Consumer Behaviour
• Subcultures and their Influence

12 Problem Recognition and Information Search Behaviour

• Importance of Problem Recognition
• An Overview of Problem Recognition
• Threshold level in Problem Recognition
• Problem Recognition in the Industrial Buying Process
• Information Search

13 Information Processing

• Concept of Information Processing
• Comprehension
• Acceptance/Yielding
• The Imaginal Processing
• The Influencing Factors
• Marketing Implications of Information Processing

14 Alternative Evaluation in Buying Decisions

• Alternative Evaluation: The Four Components
• Formation of Brand Sets for Alternative Evaluation
• The Choice-Making Rules
• The Basic Choice Heuristics
• The Marketing Response to the Choice Heuristics

15 Purchase Process and Post-Purchase Behaviour

• An Overview of Purchase Process
• Buying Stage and Situational Influences
• Steps to Benefit from Situational Influences
• An Anatomy of Non-store Buying
• Routes of Non-store Buying
• Developing an Attitude to Post-purchase Behaviour
• Theories of Post-purchase Evaluation
• Marketers’ Response Strategies

International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

• Open access
• Published: 26 October 2015

Impacts of sustainable value and business stewardship on lifestyle practices in clothing consumption

• Stacy Hyun-Nam Lee   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0823-4250 1 ,
• HaeJung Kim 2 &
• Kiseol Yang 2  

Fashion and Textiles volume  2 , Article number:  17 ( 2015 ) Cite this article

7490 Accesses

12 Citations

Metrics details

With a rising interest in the sustainable issue on the part of society and industry, comprehending the dynamics of the sustainable phenomenon can empower marketers and researchers to devise effective marketing strategies and advance theoretical knowledge for the fashion and textile discipline. While consumer sustainable lifestyle practices and business stewardship implementation have been neglected in the fashion and textiles industries, this study aims to test the sustainable VALS framework by identifying the sustainable value and lifestyle practices, and examining the impacts of business stewardship on consumer sustainable practices. The results of the data (n = 239) from a US university identified feasible dimensions of sustainable value, lifestyle practices, and business stewardships. Upon testing multiple regression analysis for the sustainable VALS framework, all 12 hypotheses were supported to validate the significant impacts of sustainable values and business stewardship on the consumers’ practices of a sustainable lifestyle on fashion product consumption. Specifically, altruistic, openness to change, anthropocentrism, and ecocentrism values are of interest; and the business stewardship of eco-labels and CSR drives play pivotal roles in promoting consumers’ sustainable lifestyle practices.

Introduction

The Lifestyles of Health and Sustainable (LOHAS) consumers, who desire to lead sustainable lifestyle and fulfill their responsibility to help protect the environment, are a significant consumer segment for products and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development, and sustainable living (Yeh and Chen 2011 ). This specific segment consists of 30 % of the American, Japanese, and European populations representing an estimated $340 billion US market and a $546 billion market worldwide (Emerich 2000 ). Comparable sustainable-oriented consumer segments such as Good Neighbors, Tree Huggers, and Eco-Village also facilitate diverse behaviors of energy saving, recycling, and green consumption beyond conventional behavioral boundaries (Barr and Gilg 2006 ). Indeed, sustainable lifestyle societies have gained much attention from society as well as business because they motivate environmentally conscious consumerism, change consumers’ lifestyle practices, and shift the profit-driven business paradigm toward a socially responsible orientation (Chapin et al. 2009 ).

By virtue of this orientation to sustainable, the fashion and textiles industry has begun to move towards the adoption of a sustainable business framework (Holgar et al. 2009 ). Recently, business stewardship, a sustainable business framework, aims at supporting humans’ well-being and preventing harm effects on the environment (Chapin et al. 2009 ) by employing CSR drives and ecological labels and indices. Business stewardships of Edun, Stella McCartney, Katherine Hamnett, Noir, and American Apparel have increased public awareness (Holgar et al. 2009 ) based on their sustainable education and market positioning strategies. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) drives are an evocative business stewardship focusing on labor standards, human rights, and the environment (Husted and Allen 2000 ). For instance, So - Me and EDUN raised awareness for the causes of solidarity and pacifism through their fashion products (Poldner 2010 ). Business stewardship by means of eco-labeling/indices convey the specific information regarding the environmental impacts of a product (Bruce and Laroiya 2006 ). H&M, Gap and Marks & Spencer have launched a universally-recognized product labeling which informs the environmental impact (DiCamillo 2009 ). However, these business efforts of business stewardship are often fragmented, and this leaves consumers and companies in doubt as to whether the current stewardship efforts are useful to society, business and consumers.

The environmental impact of the fashion industry has become increasingly detrimental as a result of an increased level of resource exploitation, pollution, and waste due to consumer demand for an accelerated cycle of new fashion (O’Cass 2004 ). While fashion firms are adopting business stewardship practices, consumers seem to be lagging behind to adopt or change to sustainable lifestyle (Thørgerson and Crompton 2009 ). This reluctance of consumers raises questions about the effectiveness of current business stewardships. There is a clear need for additional research on consumer psychology and social acceptance in conjunction with business accountability to bridge the gap between business stewardship and consumer demand for this business effort (Kahle and Gurel-Atay 2013 ).

Based on a theoretical investigation of values and lifestyle concepts beyond demographic and socio-economic characteristics, Mitchell ( 1983 ) describes consumer behavior variation in terms of the Values and Lifestyles Scale (VALS). In line with the VALS perspective (Mitchell 1983 ), this study develops the “Sustainable VALS framework” by incorporating into it business stewardship efforts on the part of corporations. First, sustainable VALS makes the notion of sustainable value, which consists of social value and environmental value (Nordlund and Garvil 2002 ; Stern et al. 1993 ). Sustainable values are clearly held by committed environmentalists who hold values emphasizing social unity more than personal wealth (Barr and Gilg 2006 ). Second, lifestyle scale is extended to six practice domains in line with activities, interests, and opinion of fashion product consumption. Third, business stewardship is specified emphasizing the business effort for CSR drives and eco-label/index. Lastly, our study specifically aimed to explore sustainable lifestyle, values, and awareness of stewardship among college students because college students spend about $6 billion annually on clothing and footwear in the US, accounting for 10 % of their total purchases (Seckler 2005 ; Crane 2007 ). Furthermore, Yan and Chang ( 2008 ) placed an importance of college students’ consumer socialization because classes and student organization memberships could possibly change college students’ views of the environment and knowledge of environmentally friendly actions.

To gain theoretical and practical insights on sustainable VALS (value and lifestyle stewardship), this study explores the influences of sustainable values and business stewardship on consumer’s sustainable lifestyle perception. The objectives of the study are: (1) to identify the dimensionality of sustainable value, sustainable stewardship, and sustainable lifestyle practices from consumers’ perspective; and (2) to examine the impacts of sustainable value and stewardship on sustainable lifestyle practices. Given the exponential growth of the sustainable phenomenon, comprehending the dynamics influencing lifestyle practices can empower marketers and researchers to devise effective marketing strategies and to identify practical applications for further research.

Literature review

Sustainable lifestyle practices.

Lifestyle is related to the general attitudes associated with consumers’ general activities, interest, and opinions (AIO) (Harcar and Kaynak 2007 ). Lifestyle influences the purchase decision and consumption behavior, and relates to consumerism (Chu and Chan 2008 ). Thus, lifestyle can be viewed as an interpretive framework for the construction of social reality (Yeh and Chen 2011 ). Upon acquiring explicit knowledge of how specific activities affect society (Buenstorf and Cordes 2008 ), consumers likely pursue behavior participations such as consuming green products, recycling, considering clothing care, and adopting eco-friendly behavior (McDonald and Oates 2006 ). For instance, sustainable lifestyle societies, such as LOHAS, Good Neighbors, Tree Huggers, and Eco-Village, are actively engaged in a broad range of practices based on environmental considerations and seek to make these considerations apply as legitimate rules within the society (Spaargaren 2003 ). These environmental engagements can be a motivator which results in moral obligation (Vining and Ebreo 1992 ). Although many researchers propose holistic frameworks of sustainable behaviors, what determines the sustainable behaviors and how sustainable behaviors can be changed (Steg and Vlek 1997 ) are confounded. Consumer involvement in sustainable lifestyles is of particular interest in the clothing and textile industry because it might imply the need for changes in the business paradigm toward promoting sustainable consumption, purchasing, and disposing. Hence, this study reviews six sustainable lifestyle practices along with consumers’ activities, interests, and opinion (hereafter AIO).

Green purchase intention

Green intention are aware of and interested in environmental issues (Soonthonsmai 2007 ) and further purchase products related to environmental friendly (Chan 2001 ). Consumers purchase green textiles and clothes when their needs for performance, quality, convenience, and affordability are met and when they understand how a green product can help to solve environmental problems (Ottman 1992 ). There is a belief that socially conscious consumers contribute to improving environmental quality by purchasing environmentally friendly green products (Abdul-Muhmin 2007 ).

Recycling, which turns waste materials and clothing into valuable resources, is a vital component of sustainable lifestyle (Morgan and Birtwistle 2009 ). Recycling in the textile and clothing industry offers companies important benefits, particularly from an environmental viewpoint (Morgan and Birtwistle 2009 ). Newbery and Ghosh-Curling ( 2011 ) argue that consumers donate clothing and fashion items to protect the environment as well as to uphold their social and environmental values. These recycling practices stimulate manufacturers to increase supplies by producing high-quality recycled products. A study by Koch and Domina ( 1999 ) found that respondents chose most common options to recycle their clothing through organizations, such as Salvation Army and Goodwill, or passing on to family and friends. Koch and Domina ( 1999 ) asserted that altruistic concern (e.g. helping others and raising money for a cause) could be the primary motivation of donations among consumers. However, they also addressed lack of knowledge for textile and apparel products recycling could limit consumers to participate in recycling textile and apparel waste.

Clothing care

Clothing care perceives as one of the useful practices of sustainable lifestyle (Dickson et al. 2009 ). Consumer-uses, such as washing, and drying of T-shirts made from conventional cotton, waste more energy compared to the energy used during disposal and manufacturing (Dickson et al. 2009 ). Several studies argue that consumer product care consumes more energy than all other parts of clothing’s life cycle (Spaargaren 2003 ). However, consumers are unaware that water temperature has an environmental impact and think that washing machines need to be full of water to wash effectively (Newbery and Ghosh-Curling 2011 ). If company stewardship practices provide the relevant information by means of eco labels that reflect consumers’ social and environmental values (Dickson et al. 2009 ), consumers should be willing to participate sustainable clothing care.

Eco-citizenship

Eco-citizenship is a shared personal commitment to sustainable (Dobson 2003 ; Seyfang 2006 ) which eludes the restrictive financial considerations commonly associated with efforts to reduce the impacts of consumption decisions. Researchers (Dobson 2003 ; Harcar and Kaynak 2007 ; Seyfang 2006 ) find that ecological citizens ascribe to a sense of environmental responsibility on a planetary scale which is adopted in their daily lives to reduce unjust impacts on others, for instance, by considering the implications of daily routine purchasing decisions and changing their behavior accordingly. Eco-citizenship is greatly affected by environmental consciousness and concern for the collective good, which become part of consumers’ values in decision making and may cause consumers to positively respond to a company’s stewardship efforts (Fraj and Martinez 2006 ).

Fair trade is defined as trading partnerships that aim to achieve the sustainable development of disadvantaged producers in the Third World (Krier 2001 ). Currently, as a result of marketing via many channels in various categories, fair trade products’ sales have risen steadily throughout the world (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International 2010 ). However, consumers perceive that the price of fair trade products is expensive while the quality and quantity of information on fair trade products are imperfect (De Pelsmacker et al. 2005 ). As businesses and society make an effort to educate consumers about the impacts of fair trade practices and increase companies’ stewardship efforts such as eco-labeling and CSR drives, consumers will modify their social and environmental values and encourage more fair trade practices (Krier 2001 ).

Pro-environmentalism

Pro-environmentalism refers to sustainable opinion that is mainly determined by attitudinal variables including values, beliefs, and norms (Nordlund and Garvill 2002 ). Pro-environmental consumers often concern about the environment, and verbally endorse most products that seek to conserve or improve environment (McDonald and Oates 2006 ). Though, consumers are reluctant to share pro-environmentalism unless they hold the belief that consumers’ efforts can make a difference to the environment (Pieters et al. 1998 ). Apparently, pro-environmentalism focuses on opinion that contribute to consumers’ moral obligation, values, and beliefs.

Sustainable value

Values are of particular interest because values may affect a wide spectrum of behavior (Seligman et al. 1996 ; Soyez 2012 ), consumer decision processes (Vermeir and Verbeke 2006 ), and attitudes, with diverse emotional intensity (Dietz et al. 2005 ). Values can be categorized as social and environment values (Stern et al 1999 ; Thomson and Barton 1994 ; Van Vugt and Samuelson 1999 ). Given individuals’ relation to the natural environment and to society, many scholars (Karp 1996 ; Stern and Dietz 1994 ; Stern et al. 1995 ; Dietz et al. 2005 ; Steg and Vlek 2009 ) suggest a conception of sustainable value with an emphasis on the intrinsic nature of that value. Sustainable values are clearly held by committed environmentalists who hold values emphasizing social unity more than personal wealth (Barr and Gilg 2006 ). The choice between acting in accordance with one’s self-interest and acting in the interest of the collective has often been defined as a social dilemma, because pro-environmental behavior may require the individual to restrain egoistic tendencies for the benefit of others (Vining and Ebreo 1992 ; Stern et al. 1995 : Soyez 2012 ). Schultz ( 2001 ) identifies three value orientations termed social-altruistic, self-enhancement, and biospheric, which are comparable to Merchant’s ( 1992 ) three “ethics” of the homocentric, ecocentrism, and egocentric. Biospheric values are prominent in the thinking of many ecologists and environmentalists (Stern and Dietz 1994 ). Biospheric value emerges from the concepts of anthropocentrism and ecocentrism, in which take phenomena on the basis of costs or benefits to ecosystems, and significantly determine pro-environmental behaviors (Schultz 2001 ). To examine how sustainable values influence sustainable lifestyle practices, this study employs the notion of three types of values: altruistic, ecocentrism and anthropocentrism.

Altruistic value (or self-transcendence) consists of universalism and benevolence, which entail concerns for the welfare and interests of others (Davidov et al. 2008 ). People’s behavior based on social-altruistic values comes with moral imperatives such as the Golden Rule (treating others as you would have them treat you) (Stern et al. 1993 ). Stern et al. ( 1995 ) argue that environmentalists are prone to present with both altruistic and open to change values. People with altruistic values bring about benefits for humans as well as other species by becoming advocates for companies that practice sustainable practices (Schultz 2001 ). Consumers with altruist values are in favor of undertaking environmental actions because environmentally conscious consumers hold values that emphasize unity more than personal wealth (Barr and Gilg 2006 ). Greater evidence of sustainable lifestyle practices is revealed among altruistic as opposed to egoistic or competitive social value orientations (Van Vugt and Samuelson 1999 ).

Anthropocentrism

Anthropocentrism represents the belief that environmental protection is important because of nature’s contribution to human welfare (Nordlund and Garvill 2002 ). Values underlying anthropocentrism are human-centered (Nordlund and Garvill 2002 ) and can be found in societies where people share similar interests and commitment towards sustainable. They aim for a rationale for changing behavior towards more sustainable lifestyles motivated by an ethical position, rather than simply responding to superficial incentives (Seyfang 2006 ).

Ecocentrism

Ecocentrism is the belief that the ecosystem has an intrinsic value and that this alone is reason enough to protect it (Nordlund and Garvill 2002 ). Given incremental environment issues, ecocentrism consumers are less concerned with material wealth and personal influence: they hold values that place nature in an equal position with humans and believe that nature has critical limits which must not be crossed by human development (Thogersen and Grunert-Beckmann 1997 ). The following hypotheses between sustainable values and six sustainable practices are tested:

H1–H6: Sustainable consumer value (a: Altruistic: b: Anthropocentrism; and c: Ecocentrism) positively affects Sustainable lifestyle Practices (H1: Green purchase intention; H2: Recycling; H3: Clothing care; H4: Eco-citizenship; H5: Fair trade; and H6: Pro-environmental attitude).

• Business stewardship

Stewardship is defined as the responsible use of resources that takes into account the interests of society and future generations, as well as accepting significant accountability for the private citizen to society (Worrell and Appleby 2000 ). The notion of stewardship argues that the corporate sphere has greater responsibility to the environment and the society than an individual consumer. In response to increasing interest from society, government, and consumers, corporate stewardship has undergone a modernization in regard to the ethical CSR aspects balanced among people, planet, and profit. This study adapts business stewardship focusing specifically on companies’ eco-label/index system and the CSR drives.

Eco-label/index

Eco-label/index refers to a market technique for conveying information about environmental protection (Bruce and Laroiya 2006 ). Eco-labels are based on multiple criteria covering a product’s life cycle from the sourcing of the raw materials, production methods, and consumption to disposal (Joshi 2004 ). However, consumers find eco-labels/indices neither useful nor informative because eco-labels/indices are difficult to verify firms’ claims and performances regarding the environment (Thogersen 2000 ). Recently, several large companies and government agencies have announced or improved their green- or eco-labeling (Kim and Damhorst 1999 ). With standardized eco-labels/indices, consumers are willing to pay a premium price for eco-labeled products (Moon et al. 2002 ).

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) drives

CSR refers to a company’s commitment to minimize any harmful effects and maximize their long-term beneficial impact on society (Mohr et al. 2001 ). Smith and Alcorn ( 1991 ) have found that socially conscious consumers are likely to switch brands to support companies that make donations, and those consumers purchase products for charitable causes. Kozar and Hiller Connell ( 2010 ) conducted a study and found that 27 % of participants had boycotted an apparel retailer in the past because of sweatshop abuses while 33 % indicated that a firm’s treatment of workers influenced their purchasing behavior. Socially active consumers have a positive image of firms practicing cause marketing, and may change brands or retailers to support these companies (Mohr et al. 2001 ).

However, Kozar and Hiller Connell ( 2010 )’s findings supported previous studies (Carrigan and Attalla 2001 ; Dickson 1999 ; Kim and Damhorst 1998 ) that only 36 % of participants were shown a willingness to pay premium prices for socially responsible goods, and 14 % inquired about companies’ labor conditions and information prior to making purchasing decisions. Based on this perspective, this study tests the following relationships between two stewardship and six sustainable practices:

H7–H12: Sustainable business stewardship (a: Eco-labels/Indices; and b: CRS drives) positively affects Sustainable lifestyle Practices (H7: Green purchase intention; H8: Recycling; H9: Clothing care; H10: Eco-citizenship; H11: Fair trade; and H12: Pro-environmental attitude).

Based on these hypotheses, the research framework is structured to explain how sustainable value and sustainable stewardship affect sustainable lifestyle practices (see Fig.  1 ).

The coceptual model of sustainable VALS

Instruments

A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on existing scales including sustainable values (Barr and Gilg 2006 ; Stern and Dietz 1994 ) and sustainable lifestyle practices (De Pelsmacker et al. 2005 ; Fraj and Martinez 2006 ; Gam 2011 ). Since there were no specific measurements existing for business stewardship, items were modified based on the existing research of Zaichkowsky ( 1985 ). Due to the multi-dimensional aspects and no unified definition of CSR drives (Margolis et al. 2007 ), this study intended to measure consumer awareness toward overall business green marketing and cause marketing since CSR drives encompass broader aspect of social and environmental responsibility (Raghubir et al. 2010 ). Minor changes were made to accommodate the context. All items were measured using a Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6). The expert group from four faculty members in the merchandising discipline reviewed the content validity of the questionnaire items according to research variables. To test the internal validity and construct reliability of variables, a pretest was conducted using a group of 22 students from a southwestern university. Minor adjustments were made based on student feedback to improve readability.

Data collection

According to Seckler ( 2005 ) and Crane ( 2007 ), college students spend about $6 billion annually on clothing and footwear in the US, accounting for 10 % of their total purchases. Although consumers under 25 years make 53.9 percent less income compared to the average annual income of older consumers, college students spent a significant higher proportion of their income for apparel products and services than did the older consumers (Boston Consulting Group 2012 ; Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013 ). Furthermore, early study by Ward ( 1974 ) reported that consumer behavior in terms of skills, knowledge and attitudes learn from their parents and friends, which result significant influence on decision making of young consumers (Lachance et al. 2003 ; Garrison and Gutter 2010 ). Similarly, Yan and Chang ( 2008 ) placed an importance of college students’ consumer socialization because classes and student organization memberships could possibly change college students’ views of the environment and knowledge of environmentally friendly actions. Besides, the younger generation has been shown to be receptive to the influence of business stewardship in their purchase decisions. They tend to switch from one brand to another, if the other brand is associated with a good cause (Cone Communications 2008 ). Our study specifically designed to explore sustainable lifestyle, values, and awareness of stewardship among college students.

Data were collected from students who were at least 18 years of age and currently enrolled at a southwestern university. Students (N = 239) from a broad range of majors (e.g., business, merchandising, music, engineering, and visual arts) participated in the study during regularly scheduled classes. Participants were informed in writing that those completing the questionnaire would remain anonymous, that completion was voluntary, and that extra credit points would be given for their completion of the survey within each participating class.

Questionnaires were electronically distributed to students (n = 239) during regularly scheduled online and offline courses. The sample was comprised of females (73.6 %) and males (26.4 %) with a median age of 21 years. Over 40 % of respondents were Caucasian (42.9 %), over 30 % were junior level (34.2 %), and over 30 % were majoring in merchandising and hospitality (37.5 %). Mainly, respondents had part-time job positions (45.0 %) and had incomes of $1000–$4000 (84.5 %). One-third of the sample indicated shopping frequency at twice a month (27.9 %). For further analysis, the greater part of the sample (n = 177, 73.8 %) had the experience of purchasing items in at least one category that was considered to be environmentally friendly. In the category of products, food (n = 177, 73.8 %) was the most purchased category while furniture (n = 13, 5.4 %) was the least represented category among the purchases of respondents.

Data analysis

The multi-item scales were subjected to a series of exploratory factor analyses with varimax rotations to identify the underlying dimensions of sustainable lifestyle practices, sustainable value, and business stewardship. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to confirm the scale reliability and the average variance extracted (AVE) was calculated to check discriminant validity among constructs. The average variance extracted (AVE) ranged from .69 to .82, exceeding the recommended level of .50 (see Table  1 ). Discriminant validity among constructs was confirmed by comparing AVE and the squared correlations between the two constructs of interest. All AVEs for the constructs were greater than their squared correlations (Fornell and Larcker 1981 ) (see Table  1 ).

To examine the hypothesized relationships, multiple regression analysis was conducted using the enter method. The Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) was calculated to determine the effect of multicollinearity. A common cutoff threshold is a tolerance value of .10, which corresponds to a VIF value of above 10 (Hair et al. 1998 ; Neter et al. 1985 ). All VIF values were below 1.001, which were within an acceptable range.

Results and discussion

Identification of underlying dimensions.

A principal component factor analysis revealed the underlying dimensions of sustainable lifestyle practices as green purchase intention, recycling, clothing care, eco-citizenship, fair trade, and pro-environmental attitude. Sustainable values were identified with altruistic, anthropocentrism and ecocentrism. Business stewardship consisted of eco-labels/indices and CSR drives. All factor items and factor loadings are summarized in Tables  2 , 3 and 4 .

Sustainable lifestyle practice Six factors were revealed with a 69.55 % total cumulative variance. Scale reliabilities were acceptable in that the scores ranged from .77 to .95. Six factors presented as green purchase intention, clothing care, recycling, eco-citizenship, fair trade, and pro-environmental attitude. The respondents regarded “recycling” ( M  = 4.38) as the most important factor, followed by “pro-environmental attitude ( M  = 4.28), “clothing care” ( M  = 4.25), “fair trade” ( M  = 4.11), “green purchase intention” ( M  = 3.41), and “eco-citizenship” ( M  = 2.50). Sustainable value The factor analysis for sustainable value distinguished three dimensions including altruistic, anthropocentric, and ecocentric. Three factors accounted for 71.66 % of the total variance. Cronbach’s alphas were acceptable with ranges from .80 to .93, suggesting the internal consistency of items within each factor. The respondents regarded “altruistic” (M = 4.77) as a more important value followed by “anthropocentric” ( M  = 4.47) and “ecocentrism” ( M  = 4.37). Business stewardship The factor analysis for business stewardship revealed two dimensions classified as Eco-Labels/Indices and CSR Drive with 72.38 % of cumulative explained variance. Scale reliabilities for the two factors were acceptable with scores from .91 to .95. The respondents considered “CSR drive” (M = 3.52) as a more important dimension than “eco-labels/indices” (M = 3.37) for business stewardship tools.

Testing hypotheses

The hypothesized relationships of H1 through H12, in which sustainable practices were tested, aligned with the subsets of independent variables. All results from regression frameworks are summarized in Table  4 . To test Hypothesis 1, the three sustainable value dimensions were employed as independent variables, and green purchasing was employed as the dependent variable. The framework significantly explained green purchasing intention ( F  = 8.275, p  < .001, R 2  = .097), and anthropocentrism (H1b) and ecocentrism (H1c) were significant, which partially supported H1. Hypothesis 2 showed a significant effect of sustainable values on recycling practice ( F  = 4.859, p  < .01, R 2  = .060). Anthropocentrism (H2b) was accepted, which partially supported H2. Hypothesis 3, related to clothing care practice ( F  = 4.251, p  < .01, R 2  = .053) was significant, and only altruistic value (H3a) was accepted, which partially supported H3. The positive relationships proposed by Hypothesis 4 ( F  = 6.341, p  < .001, R 2  = .076) were accepted owing to the positive impacts of altruistic value (H4a) on eco-citizenship interest, which partially supported H4. Hypothesis 5 significantly explained fair trade ( F  = 10.411, p  < .001, R 2  = .120) with a positive impact of altruistic value (H5a), anthropocentrism (H5b), and ecocentrism (H5c), which strongly supported H5. In the testing of Hypothesis 6, altruistic value (H6a), anthropocentrism (H6b), and ecocentrism (H6c) were positively related to pro-environmentalism ( F  = 22.099, p  < .001, R 2  = .224), which strongly supported H6. Examining the relationship between three sustainable value dimensions and six sustainable lifestyle practices, impacts of three sustainable values on pro-environmentalism was revealed as highest explanation power, indicating 22 percentage of predictable power ( R 2  = .224) (See Table  5 ).

In the testing of Hypothesis 7, eco-label/index (H7a) and CSR drive (H7b) on green purchase intention ( F  = 58.538, p  < .001, R 2  = .0334) were supported. Hypothesis 8 was also accepted due to the positive influences of Eco-label/index (H8a) and CSR drive (H8b) on recycling ( F  = 10.156, p  < .001, R 2  = .080). Thus H7 and 8 were fully supported. Hypothesis 9 was accepted owing to the fact that CSR drive (H9b) positively affected clothing care ( F  = 8.798, p  < .001, R 2  = .070), which partially supported H9. In the result of the testing of Hypothesis 10, eco-labels/indices (H10a), and CSR drive (H10b) was positively related to eco-citizenship ( F  = 13.537, p  < .001, R 2  = .104). Hypothesis 11 ( F  = 27.549, p  < .001, R 2  = .191) was accepted due to the positive impacts of eco-labels/indices (H11a). Hypothesis 12 ( F  = 23.244, p  < .001, R 2  = .166) was accepted because eco-labels/indices (H12a) and CSR drives (H12b) were significant. Thus, H10 and 12 were strongly supported while H11 was partially supported. Accordingly, business stewardship of eco-label/index and CSR drives indicated highest percentage of variance ( R 2  = .191) to predict on fair trade lifestyle practice. In sum, all 12 hypotheses were fully or partially supported, which explain the roles of consumer value and business sustainability in developing consume sustainable lifestyle practices.

The study concludes that the sustainable VALS framework is pertinent to an examination of the impacts of sustainable value and business stewardship on sustainable lifestyle practices. Seen from a consumer centric perspective, altruistic, anthropocentrism and ecocentrism values are highly influential determinants on sustainable lifestyle practices. Business stewardship effort in response to the social and environmental movement can facilitate strategic actions to influence consumers’ value and belief, as well as to encourage sustainable practices in their everyday lives. As aspects of business stewardship, eco-labels and CSR drives can facilitate consumers’ sustainable lifestyle practices.

First, the study empirically supports the claim that sustainable values encourage sustainable lifestyle practices. Altruistic values motivate consumers to help others and raise money for a cause by means of clothing care, eco-citizenship, fair trade and pro-environmentalism because consumers with altruistic values favorably undertake environmental actions (Guagnano et al. 1995 ). Consequently, altruistic values were highly engaged as eco-citizenship practices by limiting their consumption behavior but purchasing fair trade products. On the other hand, altruistic values’ results on green purchase intention were shown insignificant, which could imply that green products were to help other but rather perceive as marketing tools. Furthermore, altruistic and ecocentrism values did not considered recycling as sustainable lifestyle. In other words, a result for recycling were similar to Koch and Domina’s ( 1999 ) study that information of apparel recycling, accessibility for recycle options, and social norms for recycling could be relatively lacking. Thus, promoting jeans manufactured in an environmentally friendly way from recycled denim (Phau and Ong 2007 ) can be an effectual strategy which stimulates those consumer groups in favor of the concept of donating clothes for recycling and purchasing products for charity (Dickson 2000 ). Moreover, anthropocentrism and the ecocentrism values play an important feature in influencing sustainable lifestyle practices. Consumers who think that human beings control the environment believe in anthropocentrism (Nordlund and Garvill 2002 ). Thus, anthropocentrism values were shown to have most significant relationship on recycling and pro-environmentalism, indicating these group were highly opinionated on sustainable lifestyle. However, anthropocentrism and ecocentrism values were not shown relationship on clothing care and eco-citizenship. This result may be because they may have lack of information about clothing care or perceive clothing care as not sustainable lifestyle to environment. Thus, developing an ethical business framework can entice these particular consumers to exert an indirect influence by purchasing less harmful products to environments. Venturing out as the first ethically-driven sneaker brand from sourcing to the final product, Veja is one of few companies becoming successful as an ethical fashion brand (Poldner 2010 ) by inducing consumers to support protecting the environment as well as to fulfill high fashion sense and desire.

Second, sustainable stewardship significantly affects sustainable lifestyle practices. Eco-labels/indices play a pivotal role in influencing sustainable lifestyle practices. However, clothing care practices were not influenced by eco-label and index. This result shows that eco-label and index do not communicate effectively on clothing care as sustainability, or too many different types of ethical claims about products, such as eco-labels, bio-labels, and social labels (De Pelsmacker et al. 2005 ), may have caused confusion on the part of consumers and low market penetration (OECD 1997 ). Similarly, previous studies (Thogersen 2000 ) have discovered that many companies provide unclear information regarding businesses’ ethical or environmental strategies. Recently , H&M , Gap , and Marks & Spencer have launched a universally-recognized garment labeling scheme, showing the environmental impact of individual garments (DiCamillo 2009 ). With increasing popularity of eco-labels, it is important to bring both companies and consumers with benefits. From the company’s perspective, the labels are expected to address their sustainable practices, and protect it from public regulation while the labeling reduce uncertainty about the environmental performance of products and enable consumers to choose products that cause less damage to the environment and/or help it gain competitive advantages from the consumer’s perspective.

The results of this study confirm that the CSR drives significantly increase sustainable lifestyle practices. They suggest that the current CSR drives are influential in producing incremental sustainable value for consumers. If corporations make more efforts in promoting their inimitable CSR drives, it will result in a profit-driven business framework with more purchasing and consumption of their green products. Through these CSR efforts, consumers are induced to endorse more products that seek to conserve our planet or society. Socially conscious consumers are willing to switch brands to support companies and to purchase products because the manufacturer supports charitable causes (Smith and Alcorn 1991 ). As businesses practice ‘cause marketing’ and social contribution, socially responsible consumers build a positive image which may result in purchasing decision process. Socially conscious clothing brands such as So - Me and EDUN help raise awareness for the causes of solidarity and pacifism through fashion products (Poldner 2010 ). CSR campaigns such as Pink and the Red Hat Society certainly appeal to consumers who are concerned about the benefits for a human group or others’ welfare.

With the empirical support for 12 hypotheses, this study provides a comprehensive platform for further analysis of the sustainable VALS approach. However, given the study’s exploratory nature, there are inherent limitations to generalizing these findings. First, the convenience sampling from students limits the generalization of the research. Although our study was designated to explore college students (median age of 21), future study can explore broader age group by conducting random sampling. Thus, the application of the results from this study can apply to deeper and broader consumer markets, which can help build stronger foundation to understand consumers’ sustainable lifestyle practices. Second, the operational constraint surrounding the idea of stewardship creates simplification in integrating the concept of business stewardship into sustainable lifestyle practices. Although this study divided into eco-label/index and CSR drives, both practices had many different definition, and aspects of CSR drives encompasses more than social and environmental responsibility. In this regard, future research can explore different aspects of CSR drives to see dynamic effect on sustainable lifestyle practices. Moreover, future research on sustainable stewardship must develop a sustainable stewardship framework to be applied in sustainable studies. Lastly, instruments from sustainable and other areas of study are restricted in capturing sustainable lifestyle practices focused on the clothing and textile industry. Future research must conceptualize instruments which are specifically related to clothing and textiles to provide further applications and strategies in the clothing and textile industry.

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SHNL contributed to develop full manuscript from introduction to future studies. HK guided on direction of manuscript, and structure of manuscript as well as data analysis. KY helped on method of manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Lee, S.HN., Kim, H. & Yang, K. Impacts of sustainable value and business stewardship on lifestyle practices in clothing consumption. Fashion and Textiles 2 , 17 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-015-0043-8

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Better Knowledge. Your Insight Is Sharper

Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles (VALS): Categories and Why They Matter

April 13, 2022

What’s it:  VALS stands for values, attitudes, and lifestyles, a framework for psychographic segmentation . It combines psychological and demographic characteristics to explain consumer behavior.

Under  the VALS framework , customers in the target market are divided into eight groups based on two dimensions.  The first dimension  represents the resources consumers have, such as income, education, self-confidence, intelligence, leadership skills, and energy. Meanwhile,  the second dimension  represents the primary motivation of consumers: ideals, achievement, and self-expression. These two dimensions describe the dynamics underlying consumer self-expression, decisions, and purchasing patterns.

VALS categories

The eight categories of VALS are as follows:

Experiencers

Achievers are highly achievement-oriented consumers. They are successful career and family-oriented people. They tend to avoid things that can change the status quo.

Achievers are politically conservative and respect authority. They like prestigious products and services that can demonstrate their success to their peers.

Innovators love challenges and change for the better. Thus, they are open to new ideas and technologies. They dare to take risks because they have the highest income and abundant resources. They are responsible for people with high self-esteem. All of this allows innovators to enjoy any or all self-orientation.

 Image is important to innovators because it is an expression of taste, independence, and character. They prefer goods or services that make life better.

Thinkers are people who have high resources and are motivated by ideals. They are mature, responsible, and highly educated professionals.

Their recreational activities center on the home. Nonetheless, they are well informed about what is going on outside because they actively seek out the information when making decisions. They have high incomes but become practical consumers and enjoy durability, functionality, and value in products. Apart from that, they are also rational decision-makers.

Believers consist of people who are low resources and motivated by ideals. They are conservative consumers. Their buying and consumption behavior is relatively predictable, where they like products with established brands. Their lives are centered on the family, place of worship, community, and nation. They have a moderate income.

Strivers are a group of low-resourced consumers who are motivated by achievement. They have scores very similar to the achievers but have fewer economical, social, and psychological resources.

Style is the primary consideration in consumption. They try to imitate people they admire.

Experiencers are a group of highly resourced consumers who are motivated by self-expression. They usually consist of young people with an age range of 25 years.

Being younger than other segments, they have a lot of energy for physical exercise and social activities. They are avid consumers, spending heavily on clothing, fast food, music, and other young favorites. They are also open to new trends or products and services.

Makers represent low resource consumers who are motivated by self-expression. They are practical people who value independence. They focus on family, work, and physical recreation. They are less interested in the broader world outside their focus. As consumers, they value practical and functional products.

Survivors consist of consumers with the lowest income compared to other segments. They have minimal resources and self-orientation.

In terms of age, they are the oldest compared to other categories. Their approximate average age was 61 years. With their limited capabilities, they tend to be brand loyal consumers.

Why is VALS important

Each segment of VALS has different characteristics in responding to the marketing mix. Understanding each group is essential to:

• Determine the consumer target. Companies can divide consumers into the above eight categories. Each category shows different consumer preferences and behavior.
• Finds unique communication channels and messages for each segment. It enables a more effective and efficient communication strategy.
• Provides more in-depth insight into the consumer profiles in the target segment. That way, marketers can develop the right marketing mix.
• Describe attitudes and anticipate consumer behavior in each category. That way, the company can develop a customized offering. For example, when achievement is the primary motivation, consumers look for products to show their success to their peers. So, to target them, companies can offer products that give off a luxurious and unique impression.

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VALS (Values and Lifestyle) Psychographic Market segmentation on Areca Tea

The research has the main goal of developing a strategic and operational marketing strategy plan by using VALS psychographic segmentation for implementing the marketing strategy the main purpose of the study is to provide a frame work for exemplifying how psychographic market segmentation especially VALS can determine the right target customer and Researchers have adopted exploratory research method with 150 samples and selected Simple Random Sampling under non-probability sampling technique to conduct the research. Consumers are more conscious about their health and they are ready to use health drinks. As per the result consumers are provide good feedback to areca tea and ready to use in coming days. Good marketing and advertisement plans are required. Compare to other products areca tea price is high we get feedback from the consumers to reduce the price of areca tea and found the areca tea's different product are most liken by the females to summarize the report is basically done in order to know the real problem in market segmentation and we conduct the research on the basis of a psychographic segmentation affecting consumer brand preference on areca tea. And also using VALS frame work to knowing the people's values and lifestyle. The high price is also the main problem to the areca tea. Finally, respondents are saying good opinion about the areca tea and they are suggesting for providing good advertisement and marketing and some of them says to decrease the price of areca tea. Introduction The starting of the 90 th century has been very discouraging for tea trade in India. To begin with, it was the crumbling of one's recent Russia which was determinedly a faithful market for the Indian teas. The Russia lifted tremendous volumes. Amidst 90 th century soon after the market resuscitated, the Russians were searching for the less expensive teas; there was a scramble inside the tea vitality, especially inside the south, to take care of the Russian demand at their costs. The south Indians teas profoundly exhausted their picture while coordinating the costs offered by Russians and inside the procedure thoroughly slighting the quality, in the north, and later in the south as well as the vitality was constantly challenging the work issues. A few greenhouses had even shut and were acquired by marketers who had cash on their hand since their plywood foundation had been shut down under requests from the supreme court of India.

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The beverages sector in India has undergone significant transformation in the past 12 years. Within the beverages sector, Tea industry in India is to grow 2530 % annually and would double or triple times in the size by 2014. This industry is gradually inching its way towards becoming the next booming industry. Tea is available in two broad forms i.e. branded tea and loose tea. A Branded tea meant by those all tea brands which are known at national level and are performing very well in the market, while a loose tea means all tea brands which are known at regional level and are performing very well with competing in local market in every city. Consumer preferences are defined as the subjective (individual) tastes, as measured by utility, of various bundles of goods. Main objective of this paper is to explore the market potential of branded and loose tea. The research has conducted in Indore city between 200 active consumers. The consumer preference were identified by structured questi...

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Indian tea industry being an oldest labour-intensive organized sector with a contribution of nearly 30% of the global production, acts as nation’s one of the major foreign exchange earner and employment generator. The Indian branded tea market is highly vibrant and one of the most penetrated product category with a large network of tea producers, retailers, distributors, auctioneers, exporters and packers. This article attempts to ventilate some interesting aspects of the branded tea market in India in the packed, tea bag and flavored tea segments and also investigates the profile of attitudinal preference shown by the customers of the branded (packaged) tea in North Kolkata area followed by comparative evaluation of the brand Brooke Bond Red Label relative to other rival brands available.

Food and Agribusiness Management

shiva Dhakal

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Purpose-The research has the main goal of developing a strategic and operational marketing strategy plan to support the areca tea product by mystic aromatic company. Areca tea including the different products the segmentation is the main problem to the company on that reason we used exploratory in understanding Consumer Brand Preference for Health Drink in determining the right target customer for areca tea. Research Methodology: Researchers have adopted exploratory research method with 150 samples and selected Simple Random Sampling under non-probability sampling technique to conduct the research and used primary data through some kind of questionnaires. Findings: Consumers are more conscious about their health and they are ready to use health drinks. The areca tea is one of the health drink so most of peoples are known about the product but some of them are not used because it is one of the new product peoples are not more aware concern required more marketing and advertising plans, promotional activities. The price of the product is high compare to other tea product. Result-Areca tea is one of the good products created own name in the tea market. Most of peoples are known about areca tea but users are less the main problem is marketing and distribution problem. Good marketing and advertisement plans are required. Compare to other products areca tea price is high we get feedback from the consumers to reduce the price of areca tea.

Competitive marketing strategies in Turkish tea industry

Ali Haydar Ark

Tea as a natural beverage only second to water in consumption in twentieth century evolved to become an important commodity in markets of producing and consuming countries especially in Turkey, which is a leading country both in production and consumption. Annual contribution of tea industry to Turkey’s GNP is about 350-400 million US Dollars while there are estimated 203 000 people being directly employed in its production. The objective of this thesis is to examine competitive marketing strategies prevailing in Turkish tea industry to diagnose the problems that are demonstrated in excess in supply and in difficulties in sales and recommend solutions from a corporate perspective. Marketing orientation, awareness of the modern competition concepts, competitive strategies among the industry competitors, and if they have any role on the problems are also explored. The product involved ‘tea’ and its industry specifics and theory in marketing strategies with particular reference to Turkish tea industry are studied. The coverage on state of the art on competition and competitive marketing strategies serves dual purposes of informing on state of the art on competition and on modeling how the industry is being analyzed from a competitive perspective. The lack of prior research has led the researcher to conduct an exploratory research in an attempt to diagnose the problems. A qualitative study is undertaken in the industry via in-depth interviews. The findings of this study reveal that environment of transition to industry maturity aggravated by lack of marketing orientation and strategic marketing awareness, and disregard to competitive forces is the major source of problems in the Turkish Tea Industry.

shaikh sabur

This study is an attempt to examine the existing processing, marketing system and price behaviour of tea in Bangladesh. It is mainly based on primary data collected from 10 estates and 46 traders. Price data were collected from secondary sources. Processing cost differs significantly among different types of estates. Tea is sold in two ways: direct sale from the estate and sale by auction. The participants involved in the tea marketing system are the tea estate, broker, bidder, exporter, manufacturer, blender, distributor, wholesaler and retailer. Marketing cost was the highest for bidders and the lowest for blenders. Net margin and return on investment was found highest for retailers. Profit from packet tea was greater than that from open tea. Price instability, inadequate storage facilities, strike, lack of market information, scarcity of plywood, shortage of capital, higher amount of charges and barriers created by law are the important problems faced by the tea producers and tra...

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This research has objectives to: 1) study the context of Cherseeya market, 2) find out about the personality traits of the market founder, Mr. Sakda Amornwatree, and 3) discover the benefits of Inca star bean tea. It is considered as a qualitative research in which it utilizes a (an) documentary study, in-depth interview, and focus group. The key-informants included 12 persons who were purposively selected. The focus group was undertaken with 6 individuals. The data were analyzed by the typological, component and content analysis and verified by a tri-angulation method.

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VALS-2 Segment Characteristics

Return to MKTG 4731 Page

Strategic Business Insights (SBI) logo

United kingdom vals.

Developed in 1995, United Kingdom VALS (UK VALS) identifies UK consumers into one of six core groups. Measures of primary motivations— Tradition , Achievement , and Self-Expression —and high/low resources and innovation define the segments.

To learn more about using UK VALS for your business strategy and communication objectives, contact us .

The United Kingdom's Consumer Groups

• Activators are at the forefront of innovation, consumer activity, and change and are the most open to new ideas, products, and services. They have wide-ranging interests and a strong sense of personal identity. Activators divide by motivation: Tradition Activators, Achievement Activators, and Self-Expression Activators.
• Traditionalists focus on preservation. They regulate social change, forcing reassessment of new ideas in the light of proven and established standards and ethical codes.
• Achievers relate achievements to the fruits of hard work and professional endeavor. They focus on success, status, and family. They value knowledge, influence, and qualifications.
• Seekers want individuality, self-discovery, display, and action. They actively seek self-gratification, excitement, experimentation, and sociability.
• Pragmatics like to play safe. They dislike standing out from their peer group and have a relatively low attachment to any particular lifestyle. Similar to Activators, Pragmatic consumers differentiate by motivation: Pragmatic Involvers have a tradition motivation, Pragmatic Rationals have an achievement motivation, and Pragmatic Aspirationals have a self-expression motivation.
• Constraineds prefer to try to hold on to the familiar and the past. Their world consists of immediate family and a few friends, who reinforce rather than challenge or renew their opinions and ideas.

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Study Suggests Genetics as a Cause, Not Just a Risk, for Some Alzheimer’s

People with two copies of the gene variant APOE4 are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s, say researchers, who proposed a framework under which such patients could be diagnosed years before symptoms.

By Pam Belluck

Scientists are proposing a new way of understanding the genetics of Alzheimer’s that would mean that up to a fifth of patients would be considered to have a genetically caused form of the disease.

Currently, the vast majority of Alzheimer’s cases do not have a clearly identified cause. The new designation, proposed in a study published Monday, could broaden the scope of efforts to develop treatments, including gene therapy, and affect the design of clinical trials.

It could also mean that hundreds of thousands of people in the United States alone could, if they chose, receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s before developing any symptoms of cognitive decline, although there currently are no treatments for people at that stage.

The new classification would make this type of Alzheimer’s one of the most common genetic disorders in the world, medical experts said.

“This reconceptualization that we’re proposing affects not a small minority of people,” said Dr. Juan Fortea, an author of the study and the director of the Sant Pau Memory Unit in Barcelona, Spain. “Sometimes we say that we don’t know the cause of Alzheimer’s disease,” but, he said, this would mean that about 15 to 20 percent of cases “can be tracked back to a cause, and the cause is in the genes.”

The idea involves a gene variant called APOE4. Scientists have long known that inheriting one copy of the variant increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and that people with two copies, inherited from each parent, have vastly increased risk.

The new study , published in the journal Nature Medicine, analyzed data from over 500 people with two copies of APOE4, a significantly larger pool than in previous studies. The researchers found that almost all of those patients developed the biological pathology of Alzheimer’s, and the authors say that two copies of APOE4 should now be considered a cause of Alzheimer’s — not simply a risk factor.

The patients also developed Alzheimer’s pathology relatively young, the study found. By age 55, over 95 percent had biological markers associated with the disease. By 65, almost all had abnormal levels of a protein called amyloid that forms plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. And many started developing symptoms of cognitive decline at age 65, younger than most people without the APOE4 variant.

“The critical thing is that these individuals are often symptomatic 10 years earlier than other forms of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston and an author of the study.

She added, “By the time they are picked up and clinically diagnosed, because they’re often younger, they have more pathology.”

People with two copies, known as APOE4 homozygotes, make up 2 to 3 percent of the general population, but are an estimated 15 to 20 percent of people with Alzheimer’s dementia, experts said. People with one copy make up about 15 to 25 percent of the general population, and about 50 percent of Alzheimer’s dementia patients.

The most common variant is called APOE3, which seems to have a neutral effect on Alzheimer’s risk. About 75 percent of the general population has one copy of APOE3, and more than half of the general population has two copies.

Alzheimer’s experts not involved in the study said classifying the two-copy condition as genetically determined Alzheimer’s could have significant implications, including encouraging drug development beyond the field’s recent major focus on treatments that target and reduce amyloid.

Dr. Samuel Gandy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mount Sinai in New York, who was not involved in the study, said that patients with two copies of APOE4 faced much higher safety risks from anti-amyloid drugs.

When the Food and Drug Administration approved the anti-amyloid drug Leqembi last year, it required a black-box warning on the label saying that the medication can cause “serious and life-threatening events” such as swelling and bleeding in the brain, especially for people with two copies of APOE4. Some treatment centers decided not to offer Leqembi, an intravenous infusion, to such patients.

Dr. Gandy and other experts said that classifying these patients as having a distinct genetic form of Alzheimer’s would galvanize interest in developing drugs that are safe and effective for them and add urgency to current efforts to prevent cognitive decline in people who do not yet have symptoms.

“Rather than say we have nothing for you, let’s look for a trial,” Dr. Gandy said, adding that such patients should be included in trials at younger ages, given how early their pathology starts.

Besides trying to develop drugs, some researchers are exploring gene editing to transform APOE4 into a variant called APOE2, which appears to protect against Alzheimer’s. Another gene-therapy approach being studied involves injecting APOE2 into patients’ brains.

The new study had some limitations, including a lack of diversity that might make the findings less generalizable. Most patients in the study had European ancestry. While two copies of APOE4 also greatly increase Alzheimer’s risk in other ethnicities, the risk levels differ, said Dr. Michael Greicius, a neurologist at Stanford University School of Medicine who was not involved in the research.

“One important argument against their interpretation is that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in APOE4 homozygotes varies substantially across different genetic ancestries,” said Dr. Greicius, who cowrote a study that found that white people with two copies of APOE4 had 13 times the risk of white people with two copies of APOE3, while Black people with two copies of APOE4 had 6.5 times the risk of Black people with two copies of APOE3.

“This has critical implications when counseling patients about their ancestry-informed genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” he said, “and it also speaks to some yet-to-be-discovered genetics and biology that presumably drive this massive difference in risk.”

Under the current genetic understanding of Alzheimer’s, less than 2 percent of cases are considered genetically caused. Some of those patients inherited a mutation in one of three genes and can develop symptoms as early as their 30s or 40s. Others are people with Down syndrome, who have three copies of a chromosome containing a protein that often leads to what is called Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease .

Dr. Sperling said the genetic alterations in those cases are believed to fuel buildup of amyloid, while APOE4 is believed to interfere with clearing amyloid buildup.

Under the researchers’ proposal, having one copy of APOE4 would continue to be considered a risk factor, not enough to cause Alzheimer’s, Dr. Fortea said. It is unusual for diseases to follow that genetic pattern, called “semidominance,” with two copies of a variant causing the disease, but one copy only increasing risk, experts said.

The new recommendation will prompt questions about whether people should get tested to determine if they have the APOE4 variant.

Dr. Greicius said that until there were treatments for people with two copies of APOE4 or trials of therapies to prevent them from developing dementia, “My recommendation is if you don’t have symptoms, you should definitely not figure out your APOE status.”

He added, “It will only cause grief at this point.”

Finding ways to help these patients cannot come soon enough, Dr. Sperling said, adding, “These individuals are desperate, they’ve seen it in both of their parents often and really need therapies.”

Pam Belluck is a health and science reporter, covering a range of subjects, including reproductive health, long Covid, brain science, neurological disorders, mental health and genetics. More about Pam Belluck

The Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, but much remains unknown about this daunting disease..

How is Alzheimer’s diagnosed? What causes Alzheimer’s? We answered some common questions .

A study suggests that genetics can be a cause of Alzheimer’s , not just a risk, raising the prospect of diagnosis years before symptoms appear.

Determining whether someone has Alzheimer’s usually requires an extended diagnostic process . But new criteria could lead to a diagnosis on the basis of a simple blood test .

The F.D.A. has given full approval to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi. Here is what to know about i t.

Alzheimer’s can make communicating difficult. We asked experts for tips on how to talk to someone with the disease .