Purchasing behaviour / Husband-Wife

The purpose of analysing family purchase behaviour  is important to assessing individuals' behaviour is often perceived as a homogeneous unit. Family purchasing behaviour is rather essentially a collection of individuals whose interrelationship affect substitutional assets and saving behaviour. It is important to study family purchases and to seek information from different individuals in the family as a basis for a better understanding of the factors influencing their financial attitude and thus their behaviour. 


General trends in the past have shown that for years the wife is the one in control of the money management and in many cases usually make the purchasing decisions. In fact recent research has found the wife exert the main influence on the house, holding 40% of control and authority. The husband on the other hand holds over a quarter of authority and the couple join in the rest (Sharpe and Mott 1996).


In conducting an overall assessment of purchasing recently,it was found that amongst younger more educated middle age couples, they both joined in  the decision making. The husband and wife roles not only vary with the product but with the decision itself.