Consumer

Behavior
Consumer Behavior
Chapter Four

Chapter Four
Chapter Four: Consumer Behavior
Objectives
 Identify elements of a consumer behavior model.
 Address the five stages of the consumer decision-
making process.
 Describe consumer decision making in terms of
extensive, limited, or routine problem solving.
 Describe psychological influences that impact
consumer behavior.
 Describe the social influences that impact
consumer behavior.
A Consumer Behavior Model
• Social influences
- Culture and subculture
- Social class
- Role and status
- Reference groups
- Family and household Consumer
• Psychological influences Behavior
- Motivation
- Perception
- Beliefs
- Personality
- Lifestyle

• Situational influences
The Consumer Decision-Making Process

Stages
Post-Purchase
Processes

Purchase

Alternative
Evaluation

Information
Search

Problem
Recognition
The Consumer Decision-Making Process (cont.)

Problem Information Alternative Post-Purchase

Purchase
Recognition Search Evaluation Processes

 Problem recognition (creates need)

 Difference between actual and desired state
 “Cues”*

 Information search (creates alternatives)

 Internal information search
 External information search
 “Evoked Set”*
 The Consumer Decision-Making Process (cont.)
Problem Information Alternative Post-Purchase
Purchase
Recognition Search Evaluation Processes

 Alternative Evaluation (creates preferences)

 Price This step can be skipped if purchase
 Ease of use is habitual.
 Performance Consumers then rely on memory
of past purchases.
 Style

e.g., Fishbein Model*

A = ∑ (biei) …
Where A is attitude,
b is belief, and
e is evaluative criterion
The Consumer Decision-Making Process (cont.)
Problem Information Alternative
Purchase Post-Purchase
Recognition Search Evaluation Processes

 Purchase (creates possession)

 Decision vs. Behavior
Purchase Intention Actual Purchase

Intervening factors (“second thoughts”)

 Too expensive
 Impulses
 False information

 Decision Rule*
The Consumer Decision-Making Process (cont.)

Problem Information Alternative Post-Purchase

Purchase
Recognition Search Evaluation Processes

 Post-Purchase Processes (creates evaluation)

 Cognitive Consistency/Dissonance*
 e.g. Buyer’s Remorse
 Reduction Strategies/Tactics
 Expectations influence level of satisfaction
 Quality refers to overall product quality, reliability
and the extent to which it meets consumers’ needs.
Extended, Limited, and Routine
Consumer Decision Making
A Consumer Behavior Model
• Social influences
- Culture and subculture
- Social class
- Role and status
- Reference groups
- Family and household
Consumer
• Psychological influences
Behavior
- Motivation
- Perception
- Beliefs
- Personality
- Lifestyle

• Situational influences
Psychological Influences on Consumer Behavior

Motivation (and Involvement*)

Involvement/Lucky Charms

Unsatisfied need Drive or motive

or want = stimulus

Hunger Go to Restaurant

Reduce need
Action, purchase good
or want
Eat Food
Not Hungry
 Perception
Marketers Influence Perceptions

 Perception: The manner in which we collect,

organize, and interpret information
 Selective perception:
- Individuals pay attention to different stimuli, perceiving
them selectively.
 Selective distortion:
- Consumers adapt information to fit their own existing
knowledge or beliefs (cognitive assonance).
 Selective retention:
- Consumers only retain information about a good or service
that supports personal knowledge or beliefs (reduce
dissonance).
Learning

Cues Response: an attempt to

Drive satisfy an individual drive
Stimuli

You see Jordan

Example: You too, You buy
drinking Sprite. want Sprite.
Sprite.
 Attitudes
Values*
and
Beliefs
 Attitudes: Relatively enduring and consistent feelings (affective
responses) about a good or service
 Beliefs: Associations between a product and attributes of that product
 Fast food and smoking cause heart attacks.

Intel processors only exist in quality computers.
Marketers are trying to create positive attitudes about their products and
create beliefs that their products have desirable attributes.
 Personality and Lifestyles
Personality and Buying

 Personality: An individual’s unique

psychological characteristics leading to
specific response tendencies over time
 Lifestyles: An individual’s style of living as
expressed through activities, interests, and
opinions
 Psychographics: Classification of consumers
according to lifestyles and personality
Social Influences on Consumer Behavior
 Culture: “a society’s personality”
 A continuously changing totality of learned and shared meanings, rituals, norms, and

traditions among the members of an organization or society

 Values
 Enduring beliefs about a specific mode of conduct or desirable end-state that guides the

selection or evaluation of behavior

Cultures are set apart by values, e.g. . . .

• Western Cultures stress success, achievement, and competitiveness.
• Eastern Cultures emphasize collective welfare.

Values

Terminal Instrumental
 Social Class, Role, and Status
Influences on Consumer Behavior
 Social Classes: Share similar values, attitudes, interests,
and opinions. Can be determined by a combination of
occupation, education, income, wealth, and values.
 Role: Behavior based on the activities people are expected to perform
according to individuals around them
 Role of women in the United States

 Role of women in Islamic countries

 Man in a marriage relationship

 Partners in a gay or lesbian relationship

 Status: The esteem that society bestows upon a particular role

 Soccer mom
 Company president
 Judge
 Car salesperson
 Advertising creative
 Family and Household Influences on
Consumer Behavior
 Influence on consumers purchasing behavior
 Decision makers and influencers of decisions:
 Husband

 Wife

 Children

 Cleaning personnel

 Guests

 Roommates

Parents and grandparents (decision

makers) respond to children’s influence
in deciding which toys to purchase.
Reference Groups and Opinion Leaders
 Reference groups*: Any group that positively or negatively affects
a person’s values, attitudes or behavior
 Associate reference groups:
- Groups an individual belongs to—the individual
adopts certain behavior patterns of these groups.
 Dissociative reference groups:
- Groups people do not want to associate with
 Aspirational reference groups:
- Groups an individual aspires to join or associate with

 Opinion Leaders*: A reference group member who provides

information about a specific sphere that interests reference group
participants.
 Situational Influences on
Consumer Behavior*
 Occasion
 Time
 Importance
 Available Funds
 Marketing Mix
 Etc.