Analyzing Lifestyle and Consumption Pattern of Hire Groups under Product Service Systems in Taiwan

Table 12

Names and descriptions of clusters.

Number	Names of clusters	Descriptions of clusters
1	Simple; financial; management	(i) The subjects purchase goods by the most practical measures.; (ii) They are more conservative and are good at financial management.; (iii) They do not have unnecessary dreams nor expenses.; (iv) They make plans and they save extra money.; (v) They are mostly 18–30 years old and their annual incomes are mostly below 0.3 million NTD. Thus, it was inferred that the cluster includes students.; (vi) The second annual income range was 0.51~0.8 million NTD.; (vii) Although their salaries are not low, they should work hard.; (viii) They live a moderate life in order to fulfill their future plans.
2	Environment; and taste	(i) The subjects have their own opinions and they enjoy challenging work.; (ii) They are concerned about the environment and ecology.; (iii) They use personal shopping bags, cups, and tableware.; (iv) They value the taste of life.; (v) They are mostly 25–40 years old.; (vi) Their annual incomes are mostly 31,000–80,000 NTD.; (vii) They tend to engage in traditional consumption and are not used to credit cards.; (viii) They do not mind using secondhand products.; (ix) They are concerned about using trials before purchasing goods.; (x) They believe that they can find products with personal style and unique taste in flea markets.; (xi) They are careful about environmental protection.
3	Fashionable; and flexible	(i) The subjects are concerned about fashion and change.; (ii) They try new things and dress themselves to demonstrate their extraordinary taste.; (iii) They reward themselves with luxurious goods.; (iv) They are careful about the quality of goods.; (v) They are mostly 31–50 years old and their annual incomes are mostly 0.81–1.21 million NTD (and above).; (vi) They are in the middle class to high salary groups.; (vii) According to the distribution of their ages, they are still working. Thus, it was inferred that their purchased goods should match their identities to demonstrate the value.; (viii) They are good at paying with credit cards.; (ix) They obtain the usage rights of products with little money, and this is a measure to keep their current money.
4	Careful; purchase	(i) The subjects have their own opinions.; (ii) They enjoy challenging work.; (iii) They are concerned about the taste of life.; (iv) They do not mind using secondhand things.; (v) They are cautious about making purchases.; (vi) They use coupons and wait for discount periods.; (vii) However, they do not only buy classic and resistant goods. With extra money and after careful judgment, they will buy the products they like or need instead of saving the money.; (viii) They have frequent interaction and often provide the latest consumption information to relatives and friends.; (ix) They are concerned about green information and recommend environmentally friendly goods.; (x) They are mostly 18–24 years old and their annual incomes are mostly below 0.3 million NTD. Thus, it was inferred that most of them are students.; (xi) They do not have economic advantages and they discuss consumption information with each other.
5	Smart; consumption	(i) The subjects prefer making purchases using the most economic measures.; (ii) They do not care about fashion and they buy classic and resistant goods.; (iii) They do not have unnecessary expenses.; (iv) They save extra money. Most of them are 18–24 and 41–50 years old.; (v) Distribution of their annual incomes is extreme. Most of them have less than 0.3 million NTD or more than 1.21 million NTD. Thus, they include students and practical subjects with high salaries.; (vi) They are flexible with their consumption. For instance, they pay using credit cards and obtain the usage rights of products using small installments of money.; (vii) This is the measure to keep their current money. They do not mind obtaining the usage rights of goods by renting them.