By the time a child can sit erect, he or she is placed in his or her culturally defined observation post high atop a shopping cart. From this vantage point the child stays safety in proximity to parents but can see for the first time the wonderland of marketing . Children begin to ask for things that they see and make connections between television advertising and store contents. They pay more attention to those ads and the list of things they want increases. At the same time, the youngster is learning how to get parents to respond to his or her wishes and wants.
Children are able to come down from the shopping trolley and make their own choices.
They are able to recognise brands and locate goods in the store. For many parents this is a pleasing experience. The final step in their development as a consumer is learning to pay for their purchases at the check-out counter. According to Direct Marketing magazine, by the age of eight children make most of their own buying decisions. Advertisers recognise that brand loyalties and consumer habits formed when children are young and vulnerable will be carried through to adulthood.