The expression of taste regime in consumer practices in home decoration context

Abstract

Introduction. Home decoration is one of the most important aspects of our lives. It has been proven that our taste has a big influence on our culture, values, decisions, and activities. The previous research on taste was focused more on society and people as social actors, but the increased volume of consumption in our lives raises question – does taste have an influence on our purchasing decisions? For now, only the researchers Arsel & Bean (2012) contributed to the theoretical knowledge in consumption, however, still, there are many issues to be learned. These gaps of knowledge give an opportunity for research in this area, including in-depth investigation the expression of taste in consumer practices and the level of consumer understanding of taste. Research Question: How is taste regime expressed in consumer practices in home decoration context? Theoretical Framework. The research is based on the combination of taste regime theory and consumer practices theory, the main idea of which is the notion of taste as a mechanism that can affect and orchestrate consumer practices on an everyday basis (Arsel & Bean 2012). Consumer practice represents activities of the usage of objects through doings and mental activities, taking into account moods and emotions (Warde 2005). Methodology. The study uses such qualitative research method as semi-structured interview that allows getting in-depth knowledge of consumer understanding of taste regime. In total, 6 interviews with consumers, interested in home décor were conducted, which gave a space for further analysis. To add, e-research was used as complementary, in order to exemplify respondents’ answers. Findings and Analysis. The analysis sheds light on the expression of taste regime in consumer practices, elaborates on the specificities and implications of each taste regime practice on consumer behavior, discusses the complexity of the phenomenon of taste and exemplifies the portray of taste in different consumer practices. Discussion. This part discusses the issues, related to the difficulty of researching such a complex concept as taste, describes the importance of the current study that contributes to the previous research and emphasizes the importance of future research. Conclusion. This research shows the recent underestimation of taste regime expression in consumer practices, contributes to the previously done study of taste regimes with the in-depth analysis of the taste from the perspective of consumers, the relation between different regime practices and opens opportunities for further research. Key words: taste regime; consumer practices