Abstract:
understanding of their behavioural reactions in different social contexts. To this end, the present study
focuses on individuals who become vulnerable owing to their functional illiteracy in an “English”-dominant
marketplace. Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand the sources of stress as perceived by
functionally illiterate individuals and the mechanisms adopted by them to manage such stress when making
“high-involvement” product purchases. Insights gained from the study would be beneficial for developing
efficacious support programs for vulnerable populations.
Design/methodology/approach - In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 bottom-of*the*
pyramid individuals living in slums and housing schemes located in and around Colombo, the capital
city of Sri Lanka.
Findings - Two sources of perceived stress and five coping strategies were derived from the thematic
analysis of the data. Participants highlighted the sources of their perceived stress as possible loss of resources
and possible loss of self-esteem. Further, the participants were found to adopt several mechanisms to cope
with the state of their stress and vulnerability experienced within English-dominant shopping environments,
namely, seeking help from salespeople, continuing to shop at the same store, shopping with companions,
“convenience purchasing” and buying only well-known brands.
Originality/value - These insights into the vulnerability, stress and coping mechanisms as experienced
by functionally illiterate consumers will allow for the design of efficacious interventions to empower
vulnerable populations.
