Abstract:
Consumerism is defined as a social movement seeking to augment the rights and powers of consumers in relation to sellers. The spread of consumerism in Kenya has been marked by establishment of consumer organizations and enactment of consumer laws. However, despite these institutional developments, consumerism has not yet picked up momentum to the desired levels in the country. Majority of Kenyan consumers have been observed to be relatively passive in their involvement and participation in the movement. The general objective was to examine the marketing factors affecting consumerism among urban household consumers in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study which was premised on the Kotlerian consumerism framework, examined the effects of consumer rights awareness, attitudes towards marketing practices and consumer discontent on consumerism. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design involving a mixed method approach. A sample of 400 was drawn from sub-locations in Nakuru West and Nakuru East sub Counties through stratified sampling technique. The research instruments were a questionnaire and focus group interview guide. Instrument reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha test. Data analysis was done with the aid of SPSS version 18.0 and STATA version 13.0 software packages. There was a positive correlation between consumer rights awareness, attitudes towards marketing practices and consumerism. Linear regression analysis found that consumer discontent had the strongest effect on consumerism, which was tested and confirmed significant at 95% confidence level using p values approach. The study recommends a consumer education policy, a consumer protection authority and consumer forums in all counties. Areas for further research include replication of the study in other counties, effect of consumer demographics on consumerism, effectiveness of protection agencies and comparative study of consumerism among rural and urban consumers. The study will serve as a theoretical model for future consumerism studies, has made policy recommendations on consumer education and contributed to a knowledgeable society as per the social pillar of Kenya’s Vision 2030.
