What is the meaning of “price” and “being expensive” for children?

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how young children define prices and expensiveness.Design/methodology/approachIndividual interviews were conducted. The sample was composed of 29 French children aged between five and 13 years old.FindingsThe findings show that children acquire price and expensiveness concepts very early but that their definitions are multidimensional.Research limitations/implicationsThe method of individual interviews conducted with French children led to a limitation of the representativeness. Moreover, this research is based on data obtained by interview, therefore it is possible that some children over‐rationalized their answers.Practical implicationsBefore working on specific concepts with children, it is useful to be sure that these terms have a meaning for this specific population. The paper allows us to understand what the concepts of price and expensiveness are for children. Future research should further extend the knowledge about the way young consumers elaborate the notion of price.Originality/valueFew empirical studies have been conducted on the elaboration of prices and expensiveness concepts among children. The first step is to understand what these concepts mean for children.