Many segmentation variables have been employed to differentiate groups of senior consumers. This thesis focuses on an unresearched though sizeable subsegment of this senior market - older widows. The effect of role transition on consumer behaviour has been investigated for a number of roles, however, the transition to widowhood, one of the most significant transitions in a woman’s life, has been largely ignored. The theoretical backdrop to this thesis is twofold. First, the senior consumer behaviour literature is examined to isolate dimensions on which widows may differ from other seniors. Second, a number of bereavement-related constructs from sociology and psychology are identified to help explain possible alterations to the consumer behaviour and lifestyles of older widows. The empirical research comprises three separate stages. First, focus groups were held to determine in an exploratory fashion the salience of constructs to be researched and to assist in the generation of hypotheses. Second, a structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to a national probability sample of widows over 60 in the Irish Republic. Finally, semi-structured "call-back" interviews were conducted on a subsample of this national sample. Findings from all three strands of the research were then incorporated in the analysis and discussion.