Socio-Psychology & Consumer Behaviour

Each company should have a thorough grasp of its target customers, how they think, and why they behave the way they do.

If not, it will be quite difficult to provide them with exactly what they desire.

Consumer behaviour research aids decision-making by removing some of the guesswork.

This article delves into the fundamentals of consumer behaviour so that businesses may make better marketing decisions and attract more of their target clients.

The study of consuming is known as consumer behaviour. Its goal is to get a better knowledge of customer actions and processes in making purchasing decisions, as well as product and service consumption and disposal.

Consumer behaviour draws on theories from psychology, sociology, anthropology, biology, marketing, and economics to investigate how the consumer's emotions, attitudes, and preferences influence purchase behaviour.

“[Consumer behaviour is] all activities associated with the purchase, use and disposal of goods and services, including the consumer’s emotional, mental and behavioural responses that precede or follow these activities.” (Kardes, ‎ Cronley, ‎ & Cline, 2010)"

Individuals, groups, and organisations may all be consumers. The research of their use looks into things like demographics, personality, lifestyle, and behavioural factors like usage rates and occasions. When it comes to serving consumers requirements and goals, businesses strive to grasp the process and underlying motivations.

Marketers may better evaluate market demands and adjust marketing accordingly if they have a deeper grasp of what drives consumers to acquire various goods and services. The who, where, when, and how of consumption is known as consumer behaviour. The purchaser is not always the customer. Consumers perform a variety of functions, from information supplier to decision-maker, user, payer, and disposer. Roles change based on the situation — for example, in a family, the mother may be the buyer, the children eat the products, and the mother disposes of them.

Belk (1975) proposed an early model of consumer behaviour that was based on a stimulus, organism, and reaction. The stimulus is an object or a circumstance, the organism is a person (consumer), and the reaction is their behaviour (consumption).

Factors that influence consumer behaviour

Consumer habits change throughout time. It varies with time and is dependent on the product's nature. Individuals evolve during their lifetimes, just as societal trends do. Likewise, not all customers act the same way. Some people live over their means, while others are thrifty even when they don't have to be.

Many people find that understanding consumer behaviour improves their capacity to make more informed purchasing decisions. Given the amount of time and effort we put into consuming, we should strive to be better at it and have a fundamental awareness of how marketers try to sway our decisions.

“Most of us spend more time buying and consuming than we do working or sleeping. We consume products such as cars and fuel, services such as haircuts and home repairs, and entertainment such as television and concerts.” (Hawkins & Mothersbaugh, 2010)

The following are some of the elements that influence customer behaviour:

-Product design, pricing, promotion, packaging, placement, and distribution are all marketing variables.

-Age, gender, education, and upbringing are all personal aspects.

-Buying motivations, perceptions, and attitudes are all psychological aspects.

-Situational elements include the physical environment, social environment, and temporal  component.

-Social standing, peer groups, social media, and family are all examples of social variables.

-Religion and ethnicity are examples of cultural elements.

-Status, money, and identity are all lifestyle variables.

-Region, nation, and whether it is urban or rural are all geographical considerations.

In a family, everyone has a say and can get engaged at different phases of the decision-making process, playing different roles.

 For example, the mother is frequently the decision-maker, while the father is the purchaser, and the children are significant influencers.

-The Initiator is the individual who first suggests a brand (or product) for consideration (something in return)

-An influencer is someone who promotes a certain brand.

-The Decider is the one who makes the final buying decision.

-The Purchaser is the one who places the order or pays for it.

-The individual who utilises or consumes the product is known as the User.

-Some purchases need lengthy, thorough processes that include substantial information gathering in order to choose amongst competing options. Other purchases, such as impulsive purchases or habitual purchases, are done instantly with little or no time or effort invested in information gathering.

 All of this demonstrates how difficult it is to comprehend customer behaviour.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the content on consumer behaviour and learnt something new.

As you can see, there is a lot of psychology behind the reasons why people buy. The better a business understands this process, the best they can serve the customers in their market. This article has explored some of the important components and theory of consumer behaviour – but it is a huge topic, so this just scratches the surface.

 Learning more about the psychology of consumption should be ongoing for any serious marketer.

Reference:

Consumer Behavior - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Consumer Behavior: Understanding the Psychology Behind Consumption - Business 2 Community