European Consumers in the Digital Era

Book excerpt: Consumers make purchasing decisions every day, taking into account their needs, preferences and beliefs which may change due to various determinants; some depending on the consumers themselves and others on the organizations acting in the market. What determinants are inducing these changes in consumers` needs, perceptions, attitudes, values, and finally, purchasing behavior? This edited collection offers a comprehensive description of the consumer behavior process and the determinants that affect it in the era of digitalization. This book offers a holistic perspective of consumer behavior in the 21st century in different European cultures that are characterized by new technologies, including smartphones, AR, IoT, AI, and social media, as well as cultural changes and the Covid-19 pandemic. The first part of the book is devoted to characteristic phenomena in consumer behavior in the era of digitalization, such as changes in the consumer buying decision-making processes, e-commerce, prosumers’ and consumers` attitudes towards innovations. The second part will describe the consumers, their decision-making processes, with examples from almost all geographical regions in Europe, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland, Poland and Russia. Both individually and collectively, the contributors provide discussion points and practical implications resulting from the changes observed in consumer behavior in each country. European Consumers in the Digital Era provides a comprehensive overview of digital consumer behavior, offering timely insights for scholars and researchers. It will also appeal to postgraduate students of related fields, including marketing, innovation and sociology.