title: Identifying X-consumers using causal recipes: "whales" and "jumbo shrimps" casino gamblers.
abstract: X-consumers are the extremely frequent (top 2-3%) users who typically consume 25% of a product category. This article shows how to use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to provide "causal recipes" sufficient for profiling X-consumers accurately. The study extends Dik Twedt's "heavy-half" product users for building theory and strategies to nurture or control X-behavior. The study here applies QCA to offer configurations that are sufficient in identifying "whales" and "jumbo shrimps" among X-casino gamblers. The findings support the principle that not all X-consumers are alike. The theory and method are applicable for identifying the degree of consistency and coverage of alternative X-consumers among users of all product-service category and brands.
authors.affiliation: Carroll School of Management, Department of Marketing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. arch.woodside@bc.edu
authors.forename: Arch G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Woodside
authors.forename: Mann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D035841:Behavioral Research; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D005715:Gambling / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors