Impact of Socialization Agents on Adolescent Consumer Vulnerability with the Moderating Effect of Outlet Density (With reference to Franchised Fast-food industry in Sri Lanka)

Teenagers are fallen into the susceptible consumer category, because of their higher exposure to franchised fast food. According to the corpus of research, socializing agents significantly influence adolescents' nutritional understanding and purchase decisions. Additionally, the body of existing research indicates that the density of fast-food restaurants affects how much fast food is consumed. Thus, the purpose of this research is to test whether fast food outlet density moderates the association between Agents of Socialization and Vulnerability of Adolescent Consumers. Using a stratified random sample technique, 900 adolescents enrolled in Sri Lankan national government schools were asked to complete a survey based questionnaire in order to gather primary data. Findings supported to accept the first five hypotheses revealing that Friends, Parents, TV commercials, Social Media promotions and Fast food retailers positively influence on Vulnerability of Adolescent Consumers. Additionally, hypothesis six was partially validated, demonstrating that the number of stores in the neighborhood significantly moderates the influence of retailers and peer pressure on the vulnerability of teenage consumers. Finally, findings of the study provide good ramifications for both policy makers and researchers who want to look into the buying patterns of adolescents.