Military Spouses, Consumer Vulnerability and Market Exclusion

Consumer vulnerability is conceptualised as a state of powerlessness that arises when individuals lack elements of control, leading to inequalities in the marketplace. Market exclusion may ultimately arise, whereby consumers face restricted access to products and services and/or perceived unfair treatment versus other members of society. Prior studies of vulnerability and market exclusion have focused on consumer groups with shared personal characteristics, such as race, ethnicity and gender. We extend the field of study and explore the consumer vulnerability and market exclusion of UK military spouses, a population defined by a common spousal occupation rather than by personal characteristics. This working paper describes a pilot investigation involving thirty-one military wives in varying UK locations. From four focus groups we highlight shared experiences of consumer vulnerability and market exclusion, identify underlying external conditions, and derive a series of coping strategies. We present three contributions to knowledge. First, we provide empirical evidence of consumer vulnerability and market exclusion arising from factors associated with spousal occupation, rather than personal characteristics. Second, we capture the interplay of systemic and transient vulnerability. Third, we extend current knowledge regarding coping strategies and highlight the use of social media in combating consumer vulnerability and market exclusion.