ROLE OF

SOCIAL
CLASS
IN
CONSUMER
BUYING
BEHAVIOUR

1
 What do we mean by
Consumer Behavior
Those activities directly
involved in obtaining ,
consuming and disposing
of products and services,
including the decision
making processes.
Refers to the buying behavior of
people who buy goods and services
for personal use.

These people make up the consumer

market.
 Consumer Buying Behavior
Factors influencing consumer behavior:

Cultural Factors
Culture and Subculture

Social Factors
Social Class, Reference Groups, Family, Roles and
Status

Personal Factors
Age, Life Cycle, Occupation, Socio – Economic Condition,
Lifestyle, Personality and Self Concept

Psychological Factors
Motivation, Perception, Learning, Personality and
Attitude
SOCIAL AND Experience &
GROUP FORCES Commercial and
Acquisitions Social Sources
Culture
Subculture
Social Class
Reference Groups
Family
Buying Decision Process
Need recognition
Self-Concept Needs
Identification of alternatives
&
Lifestyle(A.I.O) Evaluation of alternatives
Desire
Purchase and related decisions
PSYCHOLOGICAL
FORCES Post purchase behaviour
Motivation
Perception
Learning
Personality
Attitude
Experience & Situational Factors
Acquisitions
Social Class
A division of members of a society into a hierarchy of distinct status classes,
so that members of each class have relatively the same status and they share
almost similar values, interests, behaviors, attitude and possessions and can be
differentiated from other members

People within a social class tends to exhibit similar buying behavior and can
be measures by:
Occupation
Income
Education
Wealth

Social Status is frequently thought of as the relative rankings of members

in terms of specific status factors i.e. wealth, power, and prestige.
• Upper Lower Class: Working, not on welfare but having a living Class (28%)
standard just above poverty
• Lower Lower Class: On welfare, usually out of work, visibly
The Lower
poverty-stricken.
• Blue-collar workers who make average pay and lead Class (38%)
“working class lifestyles” regardless of school, job, The Working
income, and background (38%)
• Upper Middle (12%): Moderately successful business people, Class (32%)
professionals, new social elite, Corporate
• Lower Middle ( 32%): White collar workers, technicians, small The Middle
business owners
• The Upper Class (Old & New Wealth) Class (2%)
The Upper
• The Lower Upper Class (Newly Rich)
The Social Class System
 Social Influences on the Buying Decision Process:

1. Reference Groups

A reference group is a any person or group of people who significantly

influences an individual’s behavior.

Reference groups are those with whom we interact and who influence our
attitudes, values and behaviour.

Small reference groups establish norms that influence purchase decisions, and
their word-of-mouth is considered to be more powerful than advertising and
other commercial forces

Influence people by exposing them to new behaviors and lifestyles, influencing

the person’s attitudes and self-concept because he or she wants to “fit in.”
Creates pressures to conform that may influence the person’s product and brand
choices
Primary Groups – a social aggregation that is sufficiently intimate
to permit and facilitate unrestricted direct interaction. eg .Family
Secondary Groups – have direct interaction, but it is more
sporadic, less comprehensive and less influential in shaping
thought and behavior. e.g. Professional associations & community
organizations

Formal Groups - defined structure, list of members &

requirements for memberships

Informal groups – less structure and likely to be based on

friendship or interests

Aspirational Groups - desire to adopt the norms, values, and

behavior of others with whom the individual aspires to associate.

Dissociative Groups - groups from which an individual tries to

avoid association.
 2. Family:

Members of the buyer’s family can exercise a strong influence on the buyer’s
behavior.

The family of orientation consists of one’s parents. From parents a person’s

acquires an orientation towards religious, politics, and economics and a sense
of personal ambitions, self –worth, and love. Even if the buyer no longer
interacts very much with his or her parents, the parents influence on the
unconscious behavior of the buyer can be significant.

In countries where parents continue to live with their children, their

influence can be substantial. In case of expensive products and services,
husband and wives engage in more joint decision making.
Family decision-making
processes
 Autonomic - Equally
shared decision-making
 Husband-Dominant
-Husband makes
decisions
 Wife-Dominant—Wife
makes decisions
 Syncratic—Decisions
made jointly
3.Role & Status
A person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, organizations.
The person’s position in each group can be defined in terms of
both role and status.

A Role consists of the activities people are

expected to perform according to the persons
around them.
Social Status is frequently thought of as the
relative rankings of members in terms of specific
status factors i.e. wealth, power, and prestige.