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Timestyle profiles - a quantitative study exploring consumer segmentation based on timestyle dimensions
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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en
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105
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Abstract
Timestyle profiles - a quantitative study exploring consumer segmentation based on timestyle dimensions
Purpose of the study:
Timestyles - the unique ways in which people perceive and use time - have a significant
impact on various aspects of consumer behaviour. However, research on the topic has been
scarce and usually focused on studying one timestyle dimension at a time. The objective of
this study is to contribute to the understanding of timestyles by exploring consumer
segmentation based on multiple timestyle dimensions. An existing scale is used as a basis to
identify the dimensions of timestyles and to study their interaction. Based on these
dimensions, individual timestyle profiles will be created and their differences will be
investigated in terms of demographics and Internet usage behaviour.
Methodology:
The data for the study was collected in 2011 using an online questionnaire. A total of 4227
responses were obtained and the data was representative of both genders and ages between
15 and 64. The data was analysed with quantitative research methods including correlation
analysis, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, cross-tabulations, t-test and analysis
of variance.
Findings:
The findings of the study validate the eight dimensions of the Timestyle Scale and suggest
that an additional dimension measuring polychronic time attitude could be added to the scale.
Based on these nine dimensions four timestyle profiles were created, representing consumer
segments that have different timestyles; analytical schedulers, active achievers, spontaneous
dwellers and traditional task-oriented. The timestyle profiles were found to be related to age
and initial support was found for their ability to predict Internet usage behaviour related to
exploratory Internet use, entertainment use and mobile Internet adoption. The study argues
for the importance of studying timestyles as comprehensive constructs and supports the idea
that timestyles can provide a meaningful way of segmenting consumers to understand
differences in media use and consumer behaviour.
Keywords
Timestyles, time perception, temporal orientation, Internet use, media use, consumer
behaviour, quantitative research, consumer segmentation