The main factors that influence consumer behavior
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 9:02 am
Professor of Marketing and Market Research at the University of the Pacific. Marketing consultant.
Consumer research is the methodology used to study consumer behavior; it is carried out at each stage of the consumption process: before, during and after the purchase process. The study of consumer behavior allows marketers to understand and predict consumer bc data thailand behavior in the market; it is not only related to what people buy, but also why, when, where, how and how often they do so.
Consumer behavior has become an integral component of strategic marketing planning, where the belief in ethics and social responsibility must also be a fundamental part of every business decision. Consumer behavior is based on concepts and theories about human beings developed by various disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, social psychology, cultural anthropology and economics.
According to Schiffman (2002) [1] , consumer behavior is defined as the behavior consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services that they believe will satisfy their needs. Consumer behavior focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources ─ time, money, and effort ─ on consumption-related items; that includes what they buy (why, when, and where they buy it, how often, how often they use it, how they evaluate it afterwards, and how such evaluation influences future purchases and disposal). The noun phrase, “consumer behavior,” describes two distinct types of entities: the personal consumer and the organizational consumer.
Personal consumer: A consumer who buys goods and services for his or her own consumption, for use by his or her family, or as a gift for a friend. In each context, products are purchased for final consumption by individuals, who are known as end users or final consumers.
The organizational consumer: Includes for-profit and non-profit businesses, government agencies (local, state, and national), and institutions (schools, hospitals, and prisons), all of which must purchase products, equipment, and services to keep their organizations running.
Buyer characteristics include four main factors: cultural, social, personal and psychological.
Culture is the most basic determinant of a person's desires and behavior. It includes the values, perceptions, preferences, and basic behaviors that a person learns from family and other important institutions. Subcultures are "cultures within cultures," which have different values and lifestyles. People with different cultural and subcultural characteristics have different product and brand preferences. Marketers may want to focus their marketing programs on the specific needs of certain groups.
Social factors also influence a buyer's behavior. A person's reference groups—family and friends, social organizations, professional associations—strongly affect product and brand choices.
Personal factors, linked to age, stage of family life cycle, occupation, economic circumstances, lifestyle, personality and other personal characteristics of the buyer, influence their purchasing decisions. Consumers' lifestyles, the whole pattern of acting and interacting in the world are also an important influence on buyers' choices.
Psychological factors such as motivation, perception, learning, and attitudes provide a different perspective for understanding how the “black box” of the buyer’s mind works. While marketers cannot control many of these factors, they are useful in identifying and understanding the consumers that marketers are trying to influence.
Consumer research is the methodology used to study consumer behavior; it is carried out at each stage of the consumption process: before, during and after the purchase process. The study of consumer behavior allows marketers to understand and predict consumer bc data thailand behavior in the market; it is not only related to what people buy, but also why, when, where, how and how often they do so.
Consumer behavior has become an integral component of strategic marketing planning, where the belief in ethics and social responsibility must also be a fundamental part of every business decision. Consumer behavior is based on concepts and theories about human beings developed by various disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, social psychology, cultural anthropology and economics.
According to Schiffman (2002) [1] , consumer behavior is defined as the behavior consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services that they believe will satisfy their needs. Consumer behavior focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources ─ time, money, and effort ─ on consumption-related items; that includes what they buy (why, when, and where they buy it, how often, how often they use it, how they evaluate it afterwards, and how such evaluation influences future purchases and disposal). The noun phrase, “consumer behavior,” describes two distinct types of entities: the personal consumer and the organizational consumer.
Personal consumer: A consumer who buys goods and services for his or her own consumption, for use by his or her family, or as a gift for a friend. In each context, products are purchased for final consumption by individuals, who are known as end users or final consumers.
The organizational consumer: Includes for-profit and non-profit businesses, government agencies (local, state, and national), and institutions (schools, hospitals, and prisons), all of which must purchase products, equipment, and services to keep their organizations running.
Buyer characteristics include four main factors: cultural, social, personal and psychological.
Culture is the most basic determinant of a person's desires and behavior. It includes the values, perceptions, preferences, and basic behaviors that a person learns from family and other important institutions. Subcultures are "cultures within cultures," which have different values and lifestyles. People with different cultural and subcultural characteristics have different product and brand preferences. Marketers may want to focus their marketing programs on the specific needs of certain groups.
Social factors also influence a buyer's behavior. A person's reference groups—family and friends, social organizations, professional associations—strongly affect product and brand choices.
Personal factors, linked to age, stage of family life cycle, occupation, economic circumstances, lifestyle, personality and other personal characteristics of the buyer, influence their purchasing decisions. Consumers' lifestyles, the whole pattern of acting and interacting in the world are also an important influence on buyers' choices.
Psychological factors such as motivation, perception, learning, and attitudes provide a different perspective for understanding how the “black box” of the buyer’s mind works. While marketers cannot control many of these factors, they are useful in identifying and understanding the consumers that marketers are trying to influence.