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Consumer Behavior is the study of individuals groups, organizations, the processes and motivations they use to select or dispose products. The focus is on understanding how the buyer thinks, reasons, feels, and selects when making a purchase. The analysis of consumer behavior also attempts to understand how the consumer is influenced by various factors in his or her environment, such as family, friends, culture, media, demographics and economics.

Marketing Strategies Model

The consumer behavior marketing strategies model shows the relationship between the producers and consumers.^[1] The collection of data from research and the information provided leads the consumer with the choice to investigate to acquire more knowledge of the product. If the consumer is successfully attracted to the product, they will seek additional wisdom in order to complete the decision making process.

Problem Recognition

According to Clinical Marketing Professor at the Marshall School of Business, Lars Perner, Ph. D., consumer decision making involves several steps.^[2] The first step is problem recognition where the individual perceives a difference between their actual and ideal situation. The difference between the two has to be big enough to trigger a decision to fix the problem. Once the consumer has made their decision, the next step includes searching for information.

Information Search

When the consumer discovers or receives a problem with an object they own, they begin to research information on different services and products to solve the problem. The information search stage involves an internal search and an external search.^[3] In the internal search, the individual scans through their memory to recall previous experiences with services, brands, and/or products. If an object by a certain brand was recently purchased and the individual had personal experience with that object, than it tends to be the most memorable. The primary sources of an individual’s external search for information include primary sources as well as market sources. Primary sources include things such as family and friends, public sources such as product rating organizations. Market sources include corporate media, salespeople, ads and company websites.

Evaluation of Possible Alternatives

After the consumer gathers necessary information, they consider alternative ways of solving the problem. The different brands and products are compared and evaluated in terms of which product is the most functional and beneficial to suit their needs. This can also be modified by emotion. Then at this point, the consumer develops a value perception. The value perception is a combination of a subjective and objective view of the product. This evaluative criteria serves to establish which brands are the most favorable.^[4] After this evaluation, the consumer then moves on to the purchase decision step.

Purchase Decision

The purchase decision process is the stage that the buyer experiences when deciding what products and services to purchase. The consumer can successfully make their purchase decision after evaluating all alternatives. The consumer has to consider who to buy from such as what brand they prefer, what product they desire to purchase, when to purchase, and if they should make the purchase at all. The degree of knowledge that a staff possesses when assisting the consumer is an influential factor when making a purchase decision. Another determining factor may include past positive or negative experiences with the brand. The degree of service provided to the consumer also has great influence on the consumers purchase decision. Seasonal sales and time line sales serve as strong contributing factors in persuading the consumer. During seasonal sales, advertisers target a section or group of people who have been determined as potential buyers. Creating attractive marketing strategies at an equitable time is important in the success of the consumer’s decision to buy the product.

Post Purchase Evaluation and Behavior

After purchasing a product, the consumer weighs the importance of the purchase and its degree of value. The consumers experience in the store, the degree of service and the amount of persuasion received are all contributing factors in the consumers satisfaction with the overall purchase. The post-purchase service and communication available to the consumer are also strong variables in determining customer satisfaction. It is common for the consumer to experience feelings of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the confusion that a consumer experiences after a sale. This has also been referred to as buyer's remorse, which is modified by the emotional factors employed in making the purchase decisions. Strong post-purchase customer service generally alleviates these feelings of cognitive dissonance. Competent marketing teams recognize the need for positive post-purchase services.

Internal Influences

There are many individual, internal influences that affect the consumer's consumption behavior. Personality, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and patterns of behavior play a large role in the objects people buy, when they buy them, how they buy them and how they use them. The set of beliefs stored in an individuals long term memory usually provides the core motivational influence on a consumer's behavior. It provides the foundation for the consumer’s constantly changing attitudes towards specific brands and products. Sometimes an individual’s overall evaluation toward a brand can be preordained either positively or negatively. Attitudes are dynamic and in a constant flux. As the consumer acquires new information and as the logistics of their environment are modified, the individual may no longer hold previously embraced beliefs with the same conviction. These dynamic fluctuations ultimately affect the consumer’s purchase making decisions.^[5]

External Influences

In addition to the array of complex internal influences that affect a consumer’s decision making process, much attention should be paid to these major external influences. These external factors include family relationships, economic culture, environmental factors, situational factors, peer groups, social class, job, and lifestyle. Other external influences such as strong social media targeting, effective public relations, attractive online marketing campaigns and impact social networking provide a major contribution to most consumer’s decision making processes by keeping products, brands and trends constantly on a consumer’s radar.

See Also

1. Consumer Behaviour

References