The conceptualization and measurement of product usage

The purpose of this research is to identify the key conceptual dimensions of product usage, and to develop reliable and valid measures of product usage. Two different methods (a self-report questionnaire and a diary study), two samples, and four consumer durables have been used to develop the measures of usage. The results suggest that usage frequency and usage variety are two critical dimensions of product usage, and that the measures developed in this study for each dimension have high convergent and discriminant validity. The study highlights the importance of investigating usage in the post-purchase context, and helps to identify issues for future research.