Consumer Behaviour for Marketing - Essay Example

 Consumer Behaviour for Marketing Introduction Consumer behaviour is a term used to describe the behaviour exhibited by consumers in the searching for, evaluating, purchasing, using and disposing of services and products that have that capability of satisfying their needs. 1Basing on the fact that consumers are different, it is vital for marketers to understand the factors that influence consumer behaviour, in order to formulate effective marketing decisions that can influence consumers. This particular paper seeks to highlight how social factors, personal factors and psychological factors, influence consumer behaviour. Furthermore the paper will highlight ways in which marketers can utilize this particular knowledge in influencing consumers. Social factors Human beings can be described as social animals that are greatly influenced by the external environment or the society. As a result, in many cases consumers are usually attracted to the preference of other people existing around them such as family, reference groups, social status and roles, and opinion leaders. 2 When evaluating how family influence consumer behaviour several aspects are to be considered. Solomon (2003) highlights that family members are actually the most influential primary reference group that facilitates the shaping of consumer behaviour. Two categories of families can be identified which include the procreation family and the orientation family. The procreation family consists of ones children and spouses. For example, the husband and wife involvement greatly influences the product purchased by a family and the buying roles of each spouse. For instance; in our society traditionally the wife was termed as the chief buyer of grocery, clothing and sundries. The husband on the other hand had greater say in purchasing products such as automobiles, life insurance and TV. However with the increase of the number of working wives, the husbands are doing more of family shopping. The orientation family on the other hand constitutes of the parents and how a person attains orientation from parents through aspects such as religion, self worth and love which further influence the behaviour of a consumer unconsciously.3 For instance if one is born in a Muslim family they would not purchase foodstuff made of pock, due to religious regulations. Another social aspect is the reference groups, which can be described as the people that an individual interacts with outside the family cycle. Reference groups influence consumer behaviour in terms of influencing an individuals self concept and attitude since he/ she has the desire to ‘fit in’. In addition reference groups also expose an individual to a new lifestyle and behavior. Reference groups may also influence pressure to conformity which may further influence the persons actual brand choice and products.4 Roles and status involve the various groups that an individual belongs to. For instance; a club, family or organization. The position taken by the person in each particular group defines his/her role and status, which may further influence his/her purchasing behaviour. 5For instance Mr. Smith may play the fathers role in his family, a husband to his wife and he may also be a manager of his company. These particular roles may thus influence the type of products he buys for example, grocery for his family and office stationary for the Company. Opinion leaders on the other hand give a prescription of the type of products that a person is supposed to buy for instance; teachers are bound to prescribe textbooks as a result, most parents with school going children tend to but textbooks more (Angus, 2008). Personal factors People exhibit different personal characteristics which are influenced by various aspects such as Age and family cycle, lifestyle, occupation economic circumstances, self concept and personality. Age influences how people change the products and services they purchase over their lifetime. 6 For instance young male children of about 3-8 years are usually motivated by playing with car toys however by the age of 18 the boy is fully grown and desires to have a real car that has a unique brand, as opposed to other young men of his age. The various stages of the family cycle also influence consumer behaviour. For instance; a newly married couple has a higher purchase rate for durable goods such as furniture, cars and fridges. If they get children, home purchasing gets to its peak they become more interested in products such as baby foods and toys. An individual’s occupation also influences the consumer behaviour of an individual. For instance a person working in a construction company purchases more of work shoes and work uniform, a Company CEO on the other hand buys items such as expensive suites and shoes.7 People exhibit different lifestyles due to having different social classes, sub-culture and occupation. Lifestyle influences an individual’s pattern of living such as the place they shop, the products they use and the activities they engage in. Angus, (2008) brings to light the fact that lifestyle also influences consumer behaviour in terms of motivation, for instance there are people who are under achievers, others are contented with what they have, others are follows and their also those interested in change, all this influence the consumers buying behaviour. The economic circumstance of a person also greatly influences their buying behaviour. For instance; a person’s economic circumstance greatly affects their choice of product. There are people who have spendable incomes, their people who prefer to save as opposed to spending and there are those who live on fixed budgets due to their economic circumstance (Solomon 2003). Psychological factors Motivation is one of the psychological factors influencing consumer behavior. A motive can be described as an internal need that energizes behaviour and directs a person towards attaining a certain goal in order to satisfy the identified need. As indicated by the Maslow hierarchy of needs theory, certain needs may be important to a certain type of consumer, as a result the behaviour of the customer would mostly be directed towards meeting those particular needs. 8For instance there are people who are mostly motivated by psychological needs such as food. Perception also influences consumer behaviour. Perception is the process by which people give meaning to incoming stimuli. The process of giving meaning to stimuli therefore influences an individual’s perception and choice of products and services. Stimuli factors may include characteristic aspects such as colour, size and shape.9 Beliefs and attitudes which can be described as the thoughts that an individual has towards something, also greatly influences consumer behaviour. For instance, a person may favor a certain product as opposed to another due to his/ her feelings towards the product (Leon etal, 2008). Learning which are changes that arise in the behaviour of an individual due to experience which also influence consumer behaviour. For instance; if a consumer gains long-term information and experience of a certain product they may develop loyalty towards the product.10 How Marketers can utilize factors that Influence consumer behaviour Knowledge on consumer behaviour can be useful to marketers in decisions making and influencing Customers in various ways. If marketers understand consumer behaviour, they can be able to make predictions of how consumers react to various products and services as result marketers can make decisions on the effective marketing strategies to use. For instance after identifying how a social factor such as the family influences consumer behavior. A marketer can utilize the strategy of building customer awareness through determining the buying roles of each member of the family as a result creating customer awareness of to a member who frequently purchases a certain product.11 Secondly marketers can utilize knowledge on consumer behaviour in order to make decisions that can facilitate the development of competitive advantage within the market place. Marketers who have understanding of consumer behaviour can develop a greater competitive advantage of their products as opposed to other products existing in the market. For instance if Marketers have knowledge of personal factors influencing consumer behaviour such economic circumstances , a marketer can segment the market of various products based on the economic circumstances of people in a particular population.12 Knowledge on consumer behaviour can also assist marketers in enhancing customer satisfaction which will further result to increasing the sales of a business, and also influencing customers to pay more if the products or services are satisfactory. Solomon (2003) highlights that; customers are the main reason for the existence of any particular business. As a result marketers should strive to ensure that the needs of customers are effectively met by proving them with the right products and services which are rightfully advertised. If marketers are aware of customer behaviour, the likely chances of them enhancing their satisfaction is very high. Knowledge of consumer behaviour also assists marketers in the development of loyal customer. Angus (2008) argues that it is essential for a business to have loyal customers due to the fact that they will support the business even during hard times. Customer loyalty acts as goodwill to the business. Having knowledge of consumer behaviour may assist marketers in making decisions that can facilitate maintaining of existing customers. For instance, marketers can adopt relationship marketing whereby, the business keeps contact with existing customer through offering incentives that enhance customer loyalty.13 Conclusion As highlighted by the analysis above it is essential for marketers to have knowledge of consumer behaviour in order for them to effectively satisfy their needs, to develop competitive advantage, design effective marketing strategies and also enhance customer loyalty. References Angus, D, Theory and Measurement of Consumer Behaviour, Cambridge University Press, 2008 . Leon G, Håvard H, Leslie L, Consumer Behaviour: A European Outlook, Prentice Hall/Financial Times, 2008 Solomon, R, Consumer Behavior, New York, Prentice Hall, 2003 Read More