ABSTRACT

Although today's consumers have more product and service options than before, there is no parallel increase in the satisfaction levels of consumers. This also changes opinions about consumer buying behavior. It is thought that consumers have bought products for not only the their tangible properties (utilitarian shopping) only for utility but also their pleasure and happiness (hedonic shopping). Materialists often think that material objects will lead to happiness, life satisfaction and general well-being. In this context, the aim of the study is to reveal the relationship between materialistic values and hedonic and utilitarian shopping and to investigate the effect of this relationship on life satisfaction. 517 academicians from Trakya, Kırklareli and Namık Kemal Universities were reached within the scope of the study and data were obtained by survey. For the purpose of the study, fitness of the scales to the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was tested by using Explanatory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. As a result of the analysis, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the centralization, which is the sub-dimension of materialist values and the hedonic shopping; centralization and happiness, which are the sub-dimension of materialist values and utilitarian shopping. In addition, there is a significant relationship between hedonic and utilitarian shopping and life satisfaction. Finally, it has been found that there is an indirect relationship between materialistic values and life satisfaction with the mediating effect of hedonic and utilitarian shopping.