A jornada do consumidor minimalista

Abstract

This research aims to understand the journey of the minimalist consumer. The consumer journey is understood as a set of steps that involve the customer in a process that begins with identifying the need for the purchase until the post-purchase period. This theme is relevant to Consumer Science, as consumption is the object of this Science, it is necessary for professionals in the area to understand how consumers who adopt a minimalist lifestyle carry out their consumption. On the other hand, Oliveira e Da Silva Paula (2021), point out that few studies have been developed from the perspective of the minimalist consumer. Thus, descriptive exploratory research with a qualitative approach was carried out to achieve the objectives. Data were collected from July 25 to August 13, 2023, through semi-structured interviews with ten individuals who declared themselves minimalist consumers. These were selected using snowball sampling. The script of questions used in the interviews was developed based on Scherer (2023) and the data were analyzed using the technique of content analysis by Bardin (2009) considering the bibliography of authors who deal with the theoretical categories of the research, that is, minimalist lifestyle and the consumer journey. The results showed that the practice of conscious consumption differentiates the journey of a minimalist client from those who do not adopt this lifestyle. Among the consumption practices identified are making shopping lists, searching for information online and in physical stores, and valuing price, durability, and quality as criteria for evaluating offers. As for the evolution of minimalist consumers, despite the difference between respondents in the time they consider themselves minimalists, all reported already practicing the principles related to this lifestyle. However, when it comes to the “pressure” suffered by society for being minimalist, the consumer who has had this lifestyle for a longer time is more resistant to pressure. Finally, we conclude that the minimalist consumer, in his customer journey, follows the stages of the purchase decision process established by Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel (2005). However, this process is influenced by the minimalist lifestyle, the primary purpose of these consumers' journey, leading to more conscious shopping, buying what is necessary, and considering the balance of finances. Thus, this result corroborates the study by Becker et al. (2020) who understand that the consumer's shopping experience is composed of a double journey, the customer's and the consumer's.