Consumption Trajectories: Elderly Consumers of Bank Services

Abstract The growth of the population over 60 years old and increasing life expectancy have increased elderly individuals participation in the consumer market. This phenomenon has been especially evident in the Brazilian bank services market, since retirees need to have a bank account in order to receive their retirement income. However, how these consumers exercise agency in their bank services consumption practices varies, involving both a position as consumer and a construction as elderly subjects. This research aims to analyze the construction of the subject-consumer of banking services by the elderly. An empirical study was conducted through interviews with ten consumers in Progresso - RS - Brazil. Results show that perception of agency power in banking services consumption by the elderly is a phenomenon influenced by individual life trajectory and the ability to deal with the subjectivation process. Consumers' need to deal with others (both people and technology) emerges as an inhibitor to the desire to self-construct as a subject-consumer of banking services. Finally, we theorize that consumer agency perception is built in accordance with individual life trajectories as consumers and social subjects.

摘要 随着60岁以上人口规模扩张与人均预期寿命延长，老年群体参与消费市场的程度持续加深。这一现象在巴西银行服务市场表现尤为突出：巴西退休人员必须持有银行账户，方能领取退休金。然而，这类老年消费者在银行服务消费实践中所展现的消费能动性存在差异，既涉及消费者身份的定位，也包含老年主体身份的建构过程。本研究旨在探析老年群体作为银行服务主体消费者的身份建构过程。研究团队针对巴西南里奥格兰德州（RS）普罗格雷索市的10名老年消费者开展访谈式实证研究。研究结果表明，老年群体在银行服务消费中的能动性感知，受个体生命历程与应对主体化过程的能力共同影响。消费者在与他人（包括实体人际与数字技术）打交道的过程中产生的需求，成为其建构银行服务主体消费者身份的阻碍因素。最后，本研究提出理论构想：消费者的能动性感知，是基于其作为消费者与社会主体的个体生命历程逐步形成的。