A confirmatory factor analysis of consumer styles inventory: Evidence from Greece

• Is the 40-item 8-factor CSI identified by Sproles and Kendall (1986) applicable to the context of Greece?
• Data was collected from Greek university students and non-student samples
• Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used
• The study results confirm that the 6-Factor model of the CSI with 17-items is more parsimonious and more stable to the Greek domain.
• Consumer decision-making patterns in the Greek retail sector changed remarkably during the past five years due to adverse economic conditions which have made consumers to become more cautious in their shopping engagements.
• Greek consumers are less perfectionist and brand conscious, make impulsive purchase decisions and easily confused by over-choice. They easily become overwhelmed by the diverse sources of information.

This paper tests the veracity of consumer decision-making styles inventory by exploring its factor structure. The overarching aim is to evaluate the generalizability of the consumer styles inventory (CSI) based on the original construct by Sproles and Kendall (1986). Using data from Greek university student and non-student samples, the paper offers purified and highly correlated dimensions of CSI that measures shopping orientations more robustly than the original model. The purified CSI scale is reliable, internally valid and practically useful especially at a time when many consumer markets/sectors are facing severe competitive pressures, volatile economic climates and shakeout. The purified CSI is likely to provide a useful guide for market segmentation and targeting purposes. Empirically, the paper extends knowledge of how CSI might be evaluated in order to improve its diagnostic stability. In this way, the findings contribute refreshing insights into CSI as a guide to measure shopping orientations.