Aliterate Consumers in the Marketplace

The past few decades have seen "increasing numbers of capable readers who are regularly choosing not to read" (Mikulecky, 1978, p. 3), leading to what has been called an aliteracy phenomenon. Unfortunately, aliterate consumers avoid much of the available information. Instead of reading the instructions for using products, they rely on trial and error (Wallendorf, 2001). This research explores consumer aliteracy relationships with similar consumer behavior constructs, including need for cognition and assertiveness, and explores the characteristics of the typical aliterate consumer. Finally, research questions for examining the effects of consumer aliteracy in the marketplace are offered.