Psychological State of Consumer Behaviour - Coursework Example

REPORT By Name Course Instructor Institution City/State Date Review Report on the Psychological State of Consumer Behaviour Introduction Basically, the emotions’ impact on decisions, evaluations, and judgments has long been imperative to consumer behaviour as well as psychology. The concentration of the field has advanced from illustrations that emotions, such as cognitions, do have effects on consumption, to more nuanced comprehensions of what steers the occurrence of distinct emotional states. In addition to how those distinct emotions exclusively influence decision making as well as the enthusiasms that consumers could have to control their state of emotion sooner or later. The chosen articles for this paper present important insight with regard to how various perceptions shape the appraisal processes that result into emotional experience as well as how distinct consumers could define contentment distinctly. Reference study analyse emotions that differ by valence (mixed, positive , or negative) and emotions that are more epicurean against those that depend on odd processes to crop up. The report examines five articles based on emotions: Aslam (2006) article presents a cross‐cultural review of colour as a marketing cue, and how emotions influence consumers colour choice. Biswas (2006) paper discusses the effects of degree of difference on expert as well as celebrity endorsements and how they emotionally influence the consumer perceptions. Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) article discusses the consumer influence on styles of decision-making on online apparel consumption, and emotion side of this paper is based on how college students feeling about the apparel influence their buying patterns. Stern (2001) as well talks about how contemporary standpoint on consumer drives, ambitions and aspirations influence the consumption of a certain product. Finally, Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) explain how consumer learning as well as brand equity is influenced by emotions. The following report mainly provides a critical review related to the emotion state of consumers, by critically reviewing five articles that are all based on emotion Scope and Objectives The report will discuss methodology used in the in the five reviewed articles, then implication for consumer behaviour theories and practices from the reviewed articles, and afterwards the report will discuss the limitations of reviewed articles. The objective of the review report is to offer a focused academic insight with regard to the dissemination and encouragement of consumer behaviour research based on emotion. This will entail both original quantitative as well as qualitative experiential work and conceptual and theoretical work from five scholarly sources, which contributes to the comprehension of emotion state of consumer behaviour. In the reviewed articles, every author has his/her own objectives; Aslam (2006) study objective is to examine the impact of selling the right colour; Biswas (2006) study objctive is to examine The differential effects of celebrity and expert endorsements on consumer risk perceptions. In addition, the study objective of Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) is to analyse the influence of consumer decision-making styles on online apparel consumption by college students. Stern (2001) and Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) study objective is to examuine the why of consumption and the importance of consumer learning and brand equity, respectively. Methodology In Aslam (2006) study, the survey aim was to get information concerning the impact of various purchase factors on consumer behaviour when buying domestic devices. Following their literature review, Biswas (2006) set on to generate a research model as well as put it into practice to figure out and observe how emotions influenced consumer purchase decisions in the market. Information used to examine the factors impacting processes of purchase decision-making were attained by means of a marketing survey. All authors used questionnaire to gather the primary data, and most of them preferred this tool owing to its countless benefits (see appendix 2). Since all respondents get similar questions and there is no interviewer, the procedure was indistinguishable for all respondents. Therefore, most authors utilised questionnaire because it was a rapid and resourceful means to attain data from an enormous number of consumers. Nevertheless, it appears that creating a questionnaire was a multifaceted and lengthy process for authors like Cowart amd Goldsmith (2007) and Stern (2001), and also the data quality gathered by nearly all authors was is established by the questionnaire quality. Most authors preferred a simple questionnaire that had simple and succinct questions. In studies such as Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) and Van Osselaer and Alba (2000), the questions in the questionnaire were divided into three parts: questions based on demographic information, which includes attributes like characteristics gender, education, and age; questions based on the factors that influence consumer behaviour, and one question rooted in brand loyalty. Some of hypothesis observed in the articles include (see appendix 1): 1. Colour is a very important factor in the purchase of many products by young (Aslam, 2006). 2. The perceived risk for a product purchase is directly related to the amount at stake for the product (Biswas, 2006). 3. The population correlation matrix of the measures is an identity matrix (Cowart & Goldsmith, 2007). 4. More contented customers are more probable to remain loyal to their products (Van Osselaer & Alba, 2000). 5. Staying in areas that are extremely industrialised area has a positive connection with consumer emotion (Stern, 2001). Implication for consumer behaviour theories and practices Consumer behaviour research permits for enhanced comprehension and forecasting with regard to not just the purchases’ subject but as well purchasing frequency as well as objectives. One of the present basic hypotheses as (see appendix 1), in research of consumer behaviour is that entities often buy goods for their individually seeming values instead of their key functions. Basically, this does not signify that the primary functions of the products are not imperative, but that the modern function of a product is above its fundamental use-value. Besides, consumers do not regularly rate products based on to their core features (that is to say, the main usefulness they offer) but, primarily, based on the purported real product and the comprehensive product, which characterizes the set of insubstantial aspects that bestow a preferred perceived benefit on the consumer. All in all, contemporary marketers’ primary endeavour is to comprehend consumers as well as their reactions and afterward examine the essential attributes of their behaviour. Examining consumer behaviour according to Biswas (2006, p.19) assists to determine the consumers’ identity, their needs, and how they utilize and respond to the product. Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) study findings, point out that such emotions-oriented factors could play a key part in brand choice and consumer-attitude formation. Given that emotional states are a mainly crucial set of emotional factors, they create an element of every marketing state of affairs and it could impact consumer behaviour in scores of contexts, such as brand selection and marketing exposure. Emotional states could be somewhat ephemeral and effortlessly impacted by small things. Aslam (2006, p.17) maintain that little changes in bodily environment can impact consumers’ emotional state during purchase, and small variations in communications strategies could considerably have an effect on frame of mind upon exposure to promotion. Actually, even though consumers’ emotional state are time and again influenced by reasons beyond the power of the marketer, consumer emotional state can be influenced to a great extent by ostensibly diminutive facets of marketer behaviour, such as smile by the sales person..Even though consumer behaviour could be reliant on certain consumption circumstances that are hard to identify beforehand, I concur with Aslam (2006) and Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) assertion that possible situational effects on the whole can be connoted from consumers’ self-choice to cause to experience certain consumption behaviour. I agree with Biswas (2006, p.19) sentiments that for business organisations to achieve commercial success, it is imperative that executives comprehend consumer behaviour. The connection amongst marketing strategy and consumer behaviour according to Van Osselaer and Alba (2000, p.5) should be accentuated for the reason that the accomplishment of organisation’s marketing strategies relies heavily upon managers’ comprehension of consumer behaviour. Consumer decisions to purchase point out how well the marketing strategy of the company conforms to market demand; therefore, marketing starts and ceases with the consumer. Customer behaviour study as per Stern (2001, p.84) is rooted in purchasing behaviour of the consumer, with three different roles played by the consumer: buyer, payers, and user. Consumer behaviour is complex to foresee, even for professionals in the field of marketing. What’s more, consumer behaviour as observed in Stern (2001, p.89) study, entails emotional processes through which consumers experience in identifying their needs, looking for means to resolve such needs, purchase decision making, understand details, formulating plans, and putting into practice these plans. I have observed that, consumer behaviour study in most articles tries to comprehend the process of the consumer decision-making, both independently and jointly. For instance, Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) examine entity consumer attributes like behavioural as well as demographics variables in an effort to comprehend consumer’s wants. People time and again try to foresee each others’ frame of mind before contacts and to understand each others’ frame of mind during encounters. In such ways, Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) posit that information with reference to humour is obtained and utilised casually to enhance professional and social interactions; for example, understanding the managers’ mood on a certain day can assist a worker foresee the manager’s reaction. Similarly, understanding consumers’ state of mind in marketing state of affairs could offer marketers with a more absolute knowledge of consumers as well as their responses to marketing tactics and strategies. The physiological-state understanding could above all be pertinent for comprehending consumer behaviour given that it is influenced by point-of-purchase incentive, service encounters, the marketing communications content, as well as the context wherein such communications materialize. In general, perceptivity into consumer behaviour could be garnered by analysing consumers’ feelings as well as thoughts. Substantial research by means of a conventional information processing model enhanced comprehension of the cognitive intercessors of consumer behaviour. Noteworthy perceptivity into emotional consumer behaviour have as well resided in Aslam (2006) research who analysed non-belief factors like skewed knowledge, fantasy and fun, feeling, as well as approach toward marketing. The psychographics measurement time and again consists of the usage states of affairs types, which consumers with diverse ways of life can come across. Arguably, questionnaires and focus groups can be utilised as means to differentiate likely consumption situations consumers experience when utilising a certain product. The gathered data can afterward be integrated into sectioning the target market with various services and goods that well meet consumers’ wants and needs under distinct consumption situations. For instance, single mothers, especially those who are working could be a potential market for well-situated food joint for the reason that their way of life in general entails a consumption situation dominated by time pressure, and therefore, they must be quick. In the same way, a youthful party-hopper’s desire for fashionable clothing crops up for the reason that he/she often goes to social events such as parties where social environment could double as an important situational influence. Hitherto, I have discerned that with knowledge of consumption context, it is easier to map out consumer behaviour. According to Van Osselaer and Alba (2000, p.9) argument on methodical impact of consumption perspective with regard to behaviour, but he strongly condemns companies that use this argument as a justification to blame the customers for the organisation’s deprived marketing performance. Even though this is somewhat factual, a more convincing excuse would be the organisation’s inability to determine the exact connection between consumers attributes as well as the consumption context. According to Stern (2001, p.94), current techniques for market segmentation have considered the situation effects across various consumers groups, but still they have failed to involve the actuality that a consumer may link with the context, which as a result can lead to distinct motives under similar situation. Integrating consumption context and purchase motives are therefore recommendable during markets segmentation, wherein a segment is observed as consumption behaviours set skilled by a particular situation and a certain motivation. It is helpful to bear in mind that triumphant marketing depends on the marketer capability to appropriately understand consumer behaviour, whilst market segmentation guides the sorts of marketing endeavours to be conducted to impact this behaviour. For that reason, correct market segmenting must reduce poor performance in marketing. Limitations The effects of emotion during purchase might be enormously and potentially imperative for promotion activities, but just Biswas (2006) as well as Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) examine the strength of emotion effects. Even supposing physical environments in addition to connections with consumers could be influential emotional inducers adjoining with a great deal decision making, there was no any article that reviewed the effects of emotional state on such fundamental decisions as whether to buy, what to buy, and how to shop. In addition, the behavioural impact of emotional state at a point-of-purchase interceded by whether the shopper expects that the buying process to be a negative or positive experience was not effectively discussed. Conclusion In conclusion, all articles argue that comprehending consumer behaviour is extremely imperative for marketing achievement given that, by being familiar with the consumers, knowing when and how they use the product, and the situations in which they use the product, can assist marketers match pertinent products to satisfy the desires or needs of the consumers. In view of diverse literature, I concur that even if emotion and product characteristics play a crucial part in establishing consumer behaviour, situational impact current in a consumption milieu have a tendency to supersede in nearly all occurrences. This for that reason authenticates the context-steered temperament of consumer behaviour. Additionally, this context-steered connection has demonstrated to be practically rational instead of randomised, as over and over again there subsists a reliable behaviour pattern that is drawn out by certain context. In this regard, marketing strategies like individual-context segmentation as well as the utilisation of psychographics can assist marketers to incarcerate such context: patterns of behaviour under diverse situations. Furthermore, having knowledge about connection between consumption contexts and purchase motives can help marketers develop strategies for marketing to seize the set of behaviours steered by similar goal or motive. Appendix 1: Hypotheses and variables used in the reviewed articles Authors DV: Dependent Variable IV: Independent Variable Relationship between DV and IV Hypotheses Aslam (2006) VB: Colour as a Marketing Cue IV: Age Gender Positive Positive H1: Color is a very important factor in the purchase of many products by young Hispanic, African American and Caucasian consumers. H2: Color preferences may vary by gender in the young consumer market. H3: The importance of color might vary by various ethnic segments in different product categories Biswas (2006) VB: Endorsements on consumer risk perceptions IV: Internalization   Identification  Positive Positive H1: The perceived risk for a product purchase is directly related to the amount at stake for the product Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) VB: Experience of cultural transition IV: Culture Age Positive Positive H1: the population correlation matrix of the measures is an identity matrix Watson and Spence (2007) VB; Emotion consequences IV: Age Cognitive appraisal Negative Positive H1: Happier customers are more likely to rate products higher H2: Happier customers are more likely to recommend business to other people H3: Happier customers spend more Stern (2001) VB: Consumer behaviour and sensory preference differences IV: Product style preferences Practical terms Positive Positive H1: Staying in areas that are extremely industrialised area has a positive connection with consumer emotion H2: Taste is the most influential driver of wine factor Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) VB: Emotions matter in purchase behaviour IV: Educational level Age Positive Positive H1: The age of consumers has a positive relation with Responsible Attitude H2: More contented customers are more probable to remain loyal to their products H3: Living in a highly industrialised area has a positive relationship with Responsible Attitude. Appendix 2: Research methods in the reviewed articles Authors Country Measurement used Method Survey method Unit of Analysis Aslam (2006) Pakistan Based on the other relevant researches Quantitative Case study The impact of Selling the Right Colour Biswas (2006) USA Original research: experimental method Quantitative Questionnaire survey The differential effects of celebrity and expert endorsements on consumer risk perceptions Cowart and Goldsmith (2007) UK Based on the other relevant researches Quantitative Questionnaire survey The influence of consumer decision-making styles on online apparel consumption by college students Stern (2001) US Original research: experimental method Quantitative Questionnaire survey The why of consumption Van Osselaer and Alba (2000) UK Original research: experimental method Quantitative Experimental group The importance of consumer learning and brand equity References Aslam, M.M., 2006. Are You Selling the Right Colour? A Cross‐cultural Review of Colour as a Marketing Cue. Journal of Marketing Communications, vpl. 12, no. 1, pp.15-30. Biswas, D., 2006. The differential effects of celebrity and expert endorsements on consumer risk perceptions. Journal of Advertising, vol. 35, no. 2, pp.17-31. Cowart, K.O. & Goldsmith, R.E., 2007. The influence of consumer decision-making styles on online apparel consumption by college students. International Journal of Consumer Studies, vol. 31, no. 6, pp.639-47. Ngai, E.W.T., Heung, V.C.S., Wong, Y.H. & Chan, F.K.Y., 2007. Consumer complaint behaviour of Asians and non-Asians about hotel services: An empirical analysis. European Journal of Marketing, vol. 41, no. 11/12, pp.1375-91. Stern, B., 2001. The why of consumption: contemporary perspectives on consumer motives, goals and desires. Journal of Advertising Research, vol. 41, no. 4, pp.83-102. Van Osselaer, S. & Alba, J., 2000. Consumer learning and brand equity. Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 22, no. 1, pp.1-16. Read More