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Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Research

Consumer behavior is the study of how, why, when, and where people purchase goods and services. It examines individuals' decision-making processes regarding what to buy, when to buy, where to buy, and from whom to buy. Consumer behavior is influenced by cultural, social, personal, and family factors. Culture shapes consumers' values and norms, social class affects consumers' purchasing styles and brand preferences, personal influences come from those in one's social network, and family dynamics impact decision-making roles within the household. Understanding consumer behavior is important for firms to determine sales, profits, and viability based on consumers' purchasing habits.

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231 views2 pages

Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Research

Consumer behavior is the study of how, why, when, and where people purchase goods and services. It examines individuals' decision-making processes regarding what to buy, when to buy, where to buy, and from whom to buy. Consumer behavior is influenced by cultural, social, personal, and family factors. Culture shapes consumers' values and norms, social class affects consumers' purchasing styles and brand preferences, personal influences come from those in one's social network, and family dynamics impact decision-making roles within the household. Understanding consumer behavior is important for firms to determine sales, profits, and viability based on consumers' purchasing habits.

Uploaded by

Sam T Mathew
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND MARKETING RESEARCH

Consumer behavior

Consumer behaviour is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a
product.

"A consumer is an individual who purchases, has the capacity to purchase, goods and
services offered for sale by marketing institutions in order to satisfy personal or household
needs, wants, or desires."

The consumer is the one who consumes the goods, i.e. the user of the goods. It is
commonly misconstrued with the term customer, which refers to a person who buys the
goods or commodity and pays the price for it.

Walters (1974: 7) defines consumer behavior as: " the process whereby individuals
decide whether, what, when, where, how, and from whom to purchase goods and services."

Human behaviour encompasses every thought, feeling or action by people. This implies
that every thought, motive, sensation and decision that is made every day, is classified as
human behaviour.

"The behavior that consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating, and
disposing of products, services, and ideas."

Two different types of consumers can be distinguished, namely personal and


organisational consumers. Personal consumers purchase products and services for personal
or household use or as a gift to someone else. Personal consumers, therefore, purchase for
final consumption. Organisational consumers on the other hand purchase products and
services to run an organisation, including profitable and non-profitable organisations,
government organisations and institutions.

"Consumers determine the sales and profits of a firm by their purchasing decisions. As such,
their motives and actions determine the economic viability of the firm".

Environmental influences

Environmental influences impacting on consumer behaviour include culture, social


class, personal influences, family and the situation.

i) Culture

Culture, from a consumer behaviour perspective, implies the values, ideas, artefacts
and other meaningful symbols assisting individuals to communicate, interpret and evaluate
as members of society.

ii) Social class

The second environmental influence, "social class", can be defined as divisions within
society where individuals share similar values, interests and behaviours. Social classes are
differentiated by socio-economic status differences, often leading to consumer behaviour
differences, for example the make of a vehicle or the favourite style of dress.

The impact of social class on consumer behaviour can often be observed when
viewing consumer time spent, products purchased, where, and how they purchase products,
especially since brands of products and services are associated with specific social classes.

iii) Personal influences

Consumers are often influenced by people they associate with, where they conform to
the norms and expectations of others or simply value their opinions in the buying process.
This influence can either be the observation of others or alternatively the active seeking of
advice, where the person providing the advice becomes an influential or opinion leader.

iv) Family

The family is often the primary decision-making unit with different roles and functions,
often resulting in simultaneous co-operation and conflict. Two behavioural roles of the
family can be distinguished, namely instrumental or functional roles, involving financial,
performance and other ''functional'' attributes, such as conditions of purchase and expressive
roles, involving the support of other family members in the decision-making process by
expressing the family's emotional needs and upholding of family norms.

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