The Importance of Consumer Market Interactions as a Form of Social Support for Elderly Consumers

Elderly consumers are often without adequate social support. Shopping habits may have significant implications for these consumers’ mental and physical welfare. When shopping is seen, at least partly, as a social activity, consumer-market interactions become a widely available substitute for true or traditional social support. By introducing the century-old social support literature and Integrating it with more recent consumer behavior and relationship marketing literature, the authors propose a conceptual framework that delineates the consumer health implications of shopping behavior. On the basis of this diverse literature, they propose several testable propositions. Additionally, they discuss public policy implications and future research directions.