Expertise in automatism study: An application in the consumption of esthetics

Abstract

Expertise is one of the ways one can make one’s behaviors become automatic, and with consumption it is no different. Explanatory models of this sort of behavior described in the literature up to now have considered only conscious or rational buying, and do not apply to automatic buying. The model proposed here is inspired by, and adapted from, the behavior analyses, integrating variables that have typically been neglected in the traditional models, such as contextual variables. This study aimed to describe the relationship between the reports of behavior linked to the consumption of esthetics (operationalized in four variables: commenting, getting information, using cosmetic products and services) and the individual variables and those of the setting where purchases related to beauty were made. In order to do so, 953 Brazilian women responded to an online questionnaire. The model was tested and partially confirmed. Contextual social-psychological variables were the only ones to predict routine buying. Demographic and individual variables did not account for the variance explanation of the behaviors measured. It is suggested that further studies should use and contribute to this model to enhance the understanding of automatic buying.