Social Influences on the Consumer Decision Process

Roles

Consumers have different roles in purchasing products and services, and these roles can
influence their buying behavior.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Describe the different types of consumer roles

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 Influencers are people who have a relatively large audience in which to tout their beliefs.
In the consumer world, influencers can impact the success or failure of a product by
using it or shunning it.
A prosumer is usually a serious hobbyist, with similar interests and skills of
professionals. The prosumer generally uses professional (or nearly professional)
equipment and has a relatively high disposable income.
 Marketers often create a ” persona ” for their products and services in order to represent
the different user types in a target market.
Key Terms

 persona: A social role.

 prosumer: A serious, enthusiastic consumer: not professional (earning money), but of
similar interest and skills to a (generally lower level) professional, or aspiring to such.
The target market of prosumer equipment.
 influencer: A person who or a thing which influences.

The Influence of Roles on Consumer Purchasing

Consumers have different roles in purchasing products and services. Here, a role is defined as the
expected behavior of an individual in a society. These roles can be as part of the consumer’s
family, employment, or social status, among other things. For example, the role of father can be
different than the role of mother in purchasing consumer goods. Although there are many
different roles that can influence how a consumer behaves, three in particular are presented here:
influencers, prosumers, and personas.

Influencers
Influencers are people who have a relatively large audience in which to tout their beliefs. In the
consumer world, influencers can impact the success or failure of a product by using it or
shunning it. A marketer often targets influencers rather than the entire target market, because
these influencers can alter the behavior of other people. Influencers can be influential buyers,
retailers, or people, such as journalists or industry professionals (among others). Influencers are
sometimes ranked according to six criteria: market reach (how many people the influencer will
connect with), independence (no vested interest in product), frequency of impact, expertise,
persuasiveness, and thoroughness (the extent to which influence is exerted across the decision
lifecycle).

J.J. Abrams, “Apple Fanatic”: TV series creator J.J. Abrams can influence other people to buy certain products by saying how
much he likes the product.

Prosumers

In its most common usage, a prosumer is usually a serious hobbyist, with similar interests and
skills of professionals. For example, the availability and relatively low cost of photography
equipment have given rise to many people who are serious about photography but are not usually
paid for their work. This is an important role for marketers to consider, as the prosumer generally
uses professional (or nearly professional) equipment and has relatively high disposable income.
Other examples of prosumers are found in home improvement and cooking segments.

Personas

A persona is a social role. Marketers often create a “persona” for their products and services in
order to represent the different user types in a target market. A marketer may decide his product
is best suited for a specific demographic and will define that demographic as clearly as possible.
For example, “soccer mom” might be the target market for minivans. A persona may be created
to capture the “soccer mom,” perhaps by giving her a name or other defining characteristics. A
persona simply helps a marketer get a clearer picture of who will be buying his product.

Family
Families have a tremendous influence on consumer purchasing.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Describe how family dynamics and the family life cycle can influence purchasing decisions

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 One way to understand the consumer behavior of a family is to identify the decision
maker for a purchase.
 Families’influence on buying habits includes how parents play a significant role and,
eventually, how a spouse and children play an even more significant role.
 People go through a family life cycle composed of different stages of purchasing patterns.
Key Terms

 life cycle:
The useful life of a product or system; the developmental history of an
individual or group in society.

Many factors influence purchasing. A consumer’s family is one of the most significant factors
because a family helps shape an individual’s attitudes and behaviors. One way to understand the
family’s impact on consumer behavior is to identify the decision maker for a purchase. A
decision maker for a purchase can be a husband, wife, or even a child, and sometimes decisions
are made in collaboration. Often, the decision maker changes based on the type of purchase or
the size of the purchase. A new refrigerator, for example, is likely to be a joint decision, while a
week’s groceries might be selected by a single member of the family.
 Grocery Shopping: Families are a major influence on shopping patterns and consumer habits.

Influence of Family on Consumer Behavior

Families influence purchases in many ways. At first, the influence of parents is significant
because of how parents help their children to develop political and religious beliefs, lifestyle
choices, and consumer preferences. Most people are who they are because of their parents. A
spouse and children, however, can exert an even more significant force on a consumer’s
purchases. Interaction between spouses and the number and ages of children play a particularly
powerful role on buying behaviors. These family influences affect how consumers look at
purchases more directly than most other social influences on consumer purchasing.

Family Life Cycle

Another aspect of understanding the impact of families on buying behavior is the family life
cycle. Most, though certainly not all, individuals and families pass through an orderly sequence
of life stages that can be used to understand their purchasing patterns. A typical adult starts in the
bachelor stage of being young and single and then moves to being part of a married couple
without children. Then the married couple transition to Full Nest stages, where the family has
dependent children living at home. Once the children leave, the family enters the Empty Nest
Stage, which is typically where older married couples (working or retired) no longer have
dependent children living with them. Finally, the individual reaches the “solitary survivor” stage
of being an older single person. Consumer behavior and purchasing is different in each of these
stages. Understanding the family life cycle is beneficial for marketers because it helps in
defining target customers.

Reference Groups
Reference groups are groups that consumers will look to for help in making purchasing
decisions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Distinguish between an opinion leader and reference group

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 Reference groups are groups that consumers compare themselves to or associate with.
They can heavily influence purchasing patterns.
 Friends, clubs, religious groups, and celebrities can all act as reference groups.
 If a reference group endorses a product, either through use or statements about the
product, those that look to the group will often purchase that product.
Key Terms

 target market: A group of people whose needs and preferences match the product range
of a company and to whom those products are marketed.
 opinion leader: The agent who is an active media user and who interprets the meaning of
media messages or content for lower-end media users.

Reference groups are groups that consumers compare themselves to or associate with. Reference
groups are similar to opinion leaders in that they can have a profound influence on consumer
behavior. Reference groups are considered a social influence in consumer purchasing. They are
often groups that consumers will look to to make purchasing decisions. So if a reference group
endorses a product, either through use or statements about the product, those that look to the
group will often purchase that product. On the other hand, if a reference group disapproves of a
product, those that associate with that group will probably not purchase the product.

Types of Reference Groups

Reference groups can be either formal or informal. Schools, friends, and peers are examples of
informal reference groups. Clubs, associations, and religious organizations are usually formal
reference groups. Individuals can also be reference groups (usually known as opinion leaders).
Additionally, celebrities can be used as a reference group. A company might use a celebrity it
feels will match its target market to get that market to purchase its product. For example, a few
years ago Shaquille O’Neal was used to endorse Pepsi because Pepsi felt he represented the spirit
of teenagers of the time.

Friends: Friends are one of the most powerful reference groups because they influencing our consumer behavior.

Influence of Reference Groups

Reference groups can and do have a tremendous influence on purchasing decisions. This is
evident in a number of ways, such as through roles. Everyone is expected to behave in a certain
way based on the reference group we belong to. Students act like students. In keeping with this
idea, people will often modify their own behavior to coincide with group norms (even those that
profess non-conformity are in some ways conforming with other people who want the same
thing). Reference groups communicate through opinion leaders, who influence what others do,
act, and buy. In the consumer world, this means that if a reference group purchases a product,
those that associate with the group likely will as well.

Opinion Leaders
Opinion leaders are people consumers look to for guidance in making purchase decisions,
usually someone with more knowledge of the subject.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Discuss the importance of opinion leaders in marketing and how they can influence the success
of a product or service

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 Consumers seek out help in making consumer purchases. One source of help is an
opinion leader.
 Opinion leaders are usually seen as being honest and impartial. They have the standing to
be able to influence others.
 Finding opinion leaders can be vital to the success of a marketing plan, as they can then
influence others to purchase the product or service.
 Celebrities are often used as opinion leaders in promoting a product.
Key Terms

 reference group: A reference group refers to a group to which an individual or another

group is compared.
 clout: Influence or effectiveness, especially political.

Our purchase decisions are influenced by any number of people or groups. We often look to
opinion leaders for help in our consumer decisions. Opinion leaders are usually people who are
more knowledgeable about a certain product or service than the average consumer. As such,
opinion leaders can shape how a product is viewed. Consumers are constantly seeking out the
advice of knowledgeable friends or acquaintances who can provide information, give advice, or
actually make the decision. For some product categories, there are professional opinion leaders
who are quite easy to identify–for instance, auto mechanics, beauticians, stock brokers, and
physicians. All these professionals can influence the decisions consumers make within their area
of expertise. Sometimes, these opinion leaders can actually be groups, known as reference
groups.
 Secondary Groups: Mechanics can be considered opinion leaders in the automotive industry.

Characteristics of Opinion Leaders

Opinion leaders are generally people who have the ability to influence others. They usually have
deeper expertise in a certain area, and are often looked to for help in making consumer decisions.
For example, a local high school teacher may be an opinion leader for parents in selecting
colleges for their children. Often, an opinion leader is among the first to use a new product or
service, and can then pass on his or her opinions of the product to others. Opinion leaders are
often trusted and unbiased and have the social network of friends, family, and coworkers
necessary to disperse information.

Opinion Leaders in Marketing

Opinion leaders are particularly useful in marketing. If a marketer can identify key opinion
leaders for a certain group, she can then direct her efforts towards attracting these individuals. In
marketing, celebrities are often used as opinion leaders. Although they may not actually know
more about a product or service, there is usually the perception that they do. Celebrity
endorsements in marketing are a way to give clout to a product or service. Opinion leaders can
have a profound influence on the success of a product, and on one’s own consumer purchases.
 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Celebrities are opinion leaders for the products or services they promote.

Social Classes
Marketers should understand that a person’s social class will have a major influence on the types
and quantity of consumer goods purchased.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Illustrate how social class impacts consumer behavior and buying patterns

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 People are usually grouped in social classes according to income, wealth, education, or
type of occupation.
 There isa major difference in the consumer behavior of different social classes. The
upper class, for example, has more disposable income and can thus spend more on
most products.
 Eachsocial class has distinct characteristics and approaches to consumer purchases. A
marketer should understand the dynamic of the social class he or she is targeting.
Key Terms

 disposable income: The amount of a person’s or group’s monetary income which is

available to be saved or spent (on either essential or non-essential items), after
deducting all taxes and other governmental fees.
 social class: A class of people, based on social power, wealth or another criterion.

Social Class

A major influence on one’s purchasing habits and consumer behavior is the social class in which
one finds him or herself. Social class is considered an external influence on consumer behavior
because it is not a function of feelings or knowledge. Social class is often hard to define; in fact,
many people dispute the existence of social classes in the United States. Usually, however,
people are grouped in social classes according to income, wealth, education, or type of
occupation. Perhaps the simplest model to define social class is a three-tiered approach that
includes the rich, the middle class, and the poor. Other models have as many as a dozen levels.
People in the same social class tend to have similar attitudes, live in similar neighborhoods, dress
alike, and shop at the same type of stores.

Influence on Consumer Behavior

Social class can have a profound effect on consumer spending habits. Perhaps the most obvious
effect is the level of disposable income of each social class. Generally, the rich have the ability to
purchase more consumer goods than those with less income, and those goods are of higher
quality. There is also a distinction in the type of goods purchased. For example, the upper class
tend to be the primary buyers of fine jewelry and often shop at exclusive retailers. The lower
class, in contrast, are much more concerned with simply getting by; they focus more on
necessities.

Upper Class : Social class has a profound effect on the types and quantity of consumer goods purchased.

Effect on Marketing

Marketers must be very aware of the social class of their target market. If a marketer wishes to
target efforts toward the upper classes, then the market offering must be designed to meet their
expectations in terms of quality, service, and atmosphere. A marketer should understand the
dynamic of the social class as well. For example, the upper-middle class are generally ambitious,
future-oriented people who have succeeded economically and now seek to enhance their quality
of life. Material goods often take on major symbolic meaning for this group. Effective marketers
will understand that and be able to tailor their approach accordingly.

Culture

Culture can have a profound effect on consumer behavior and purchasing, and can affect how a
product is marketed.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Discuss the three components of a culture and how they impact consumer behavior.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 There are three components of a culture: beliefs, values, and customs. Each plays a role
in influencing consumer purchasing.
 Culture canbe further divided into subcultures. One’s race, religion and class are all ways
subcultures can be established.
 The marketing strategy should show the product or service as reinforcing the beliefs,
values and customs of the targeted culture.
Key Terms

 socio-economic: Of or pertaining to a combination of social and economic factors.

Culture

Culture can have a profound effect on consumer behavior and impact how a product is marketed.
In this sense, culture is defined as the distinct way peoples’ experiences, customs and beliefs
define how they behave. American culture, for example, values hard work, thrift and
achievement. There are generally three components of a culture: beliefs, values, and customs.

Cultural Practices: Cultural practices can have a huge impact on consumer behavior.
 A belief is a proposition that reflects a person’s particular knowledge and assessment of
something.
 Values are general statements that guide behavior and influence beliefs. The function of a
value system is to help a person choose between alternatives in everyday life.
 Customs are modes of behavior that constitute culturally approved ways of behaving in
specific situations. For example, taking one’s mother out for dinner and buying her
presents for Mother’s Day is an American custom.

Culture can be further divided into subcultures. One’s race, religion and class are all ways
subcultures can be established. For example, a person can be a part of the larger “American”
culture and still be a member of other subcultures based on his or her socio-economic
background. Each of these subcultures will have specific influences on consumer behavior.

Culture as an Influence on Consumer Behavior

Culture is considered an external factor in influencing consumer behavior. Since different

cultures have different values, they will have different buying habits. Marketing strategies should
reflect the culture that is being targeted. The strategy should show the product or service as
reinforcing the beliefs, values and customs of the targeted culture. Failing to do so can result in
lost sales and opportunities.

Consumer Misbehavior

Consumer misbehavior refers to the common occurrence of consumers acting outside the norm.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Give examples of common types of consumer misbehavior and common retailer tactics for
addressing consumer misbehavior issues.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Key Points

 Consumer misbehavior is specifically related to retail and other markets, and includes
things from cutting in line to fights between customers to credit card fraud.
 Common types of consumer misbehavior include shoplifting, abusive behavior, credit
card fraud, and black markets.
 Since the cost of consumer misbehavior can be very high, many retailers feel it is worth
fighting, and use a variety of tactics to do so.
Key Terms
  credit card fraud: A wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card
or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction.
The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds
from an account.
 Black Friday: The day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally
the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Consumer Misbehavior

Consumer misbehavior refers to the common occurrence of consumers acting outside the norm.
It is generally recognized that there are social behaviors that are acceptable in a given situation.
Anything outside of those accepted behaviors is considered misbehavior. Consumer misbehavior
is specifically related to retail and other markets, and includes things from cutting in line to
fights between customers to credit card fraud. Combating consumer misbehavior is an expensive,
time-consuming activity. Some economists estimate the total monetary value of consumer
misbehavior to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Common Types of Consumer Misbehavior

Shoplifting

Shoplifting is the theft of goods from a retail establishment. Although a very common crime, it is
still considered consumer misbehavior. Researchers divide shoplifters into two categories:
“boosters,” professionals who resell what they steal, and “snitches,” amateurs who steal for their
personal use. Researchers generally agree that shoplifters are driven by either economic or
psychosocial motives. Psychosocial motivations may include peer pressure, a desire for thrill or
excitement, impulse, intoxication, or compulsion.

Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any
similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be
to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. Estimates put
the cost of credit card fraud to billions of dollars.
 Fraud: Credit card fraud is a form of consumer misbehavior that can cost billions of dollars a year.

Black & Grey Market Economies

A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside
the formal one supported by the established state power. It often involves illegal, smuggled, or
counterfeit goods. In many parts of the world, black markets operate side by side with legal
markets, sometimes openly. Worldwide, the underground economy is estimated to have provided
1.8 billion jobs. Similar is a gray market economy where a company makes their products
available even they are not authorized to do so.

Combating Consumer Misbehavior

Although fairly expensive to do, many retailers have begun fighting consumer misbehavior.
Retailers often employ more security and staff during times where the propensity for consumer
misbehavior increases, such as during “Black Friday” sales. Many also use electronic tracking
devices on products and closed-circuit television to fight shoplifting and fraud. Since the cost of
consumer misbehavior can be so high, many retailers feel it is worth fighting.

How Market Research Influences Consumer

Decisions
The 5 Steps in the Consumer Decision-Making Process
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Market Research
 Advertising
 Education & Training
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 Brand Equity
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 Using Metrics
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By Gigi DeVault
Updated September 15, 2016

The amount of effort that consumers put into making a purchase decision is related to the
importance of the final decision, or what market researchers refer to as the level of involvement.
Many choices that consumers make about brands, products, or services are mid-level decisions
that require only limited problem solving. The higher the perceived risk of a decision to a
consumer, the more effort and time the consumer is generally willing to put into a structured or
expanded decision-making process.

The 5 Step Process of Consumer Decision-Making

1. Problem Recognition - Most problem recognition occurs as a natural response to the

difference between a particular state of affairs and a desired ideal situation. A marketing
or advertising campaign can also be a catalyst for recognition of a problem state that
essentially did not exist for the consumer before exposure to the influential promotional
materials.
2. Information Search - During this step of the decision-making process, a consumer looks
for appropriate, relevant information that will assist her to make reasonable, feasible
choices that will solve the recognized problem. This step of the decision-making process
is necessarily divergent, bringing into focus a wide range of alternatives that may be
considered in more depth, assuming they survive the first few rounds of evaluation.
3. Evaluation of Alternatives - As information about available choices are compiled, a
consumer begins to sort through and categorize the information in a way that fosters
convergence. By using the information about alternatives to compare the benefits or
disadvantages of the relevant choices, consumers are able to narrow the field to the most
promising alternatives.

1. Product Choice - Consumers typically construct mental rules-of-thumb or heuristics that

help them to make decisions more expediently or with less cognitive dissonance than
when decisions are made without some decision guidelines for weighing the merits or
drawbacks of brands, products, or services. Examples of heuristics include country-of-
origin, brand loyalty, and the concept of price equals quality, otherwise referred to as
"you get what you pay for."
 1. After Purchase Evaluation - Although post-purchase assessment tends to be an informal
process, consumers do consider their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their decisions
and purchases. Cognitive dissonance is a term used to reflect the regret, anxiety, or
frustration that poor purchase choices have on the after-the-fact emotional state of
consumers. The overall feelings that a consumer has about a brand, product, or service
are often couched in terms of satisfaction or dissatisfaction, or more formal metrics such
as intent to re-purchase and subsequent recommendations to others. The net promoter
score is an example of a metric that simplifies customer reactions to their purchase
decision.

Running throughout these steps to consumer decision-making are internal

influencesand external influences. Internal influences include many of the attributes that
are embedded in target market segmentation efforts, such as lifestyle, age or generation groups,
attitudes, personality, level of education, motivation and perceptions. External influences include
situational and social factors, such as time, the physical environment, culture, subculture, social
class, gender roles, group memberships, opinion leaders, and trendsetters.

Now That You Know

Now that you know the steps that consumers go through in order to make decisions that are high
risk, you can use this information to increase the relevance of your market research and enhance
your marketing and advertising campaigns. Effective marketing strategies based on the 5 steps
of decision making include the following:

1. Locate concise information to support decisions where consumers search online.

2. Conduct research to identify the criteria consumers use to evaluate brand superiority.
3. Provide information that resonates with consumers decision heuristics.
4. Foster accurate consumer expectations through honest advertising.
5. Present relevant contrast between the current and future choice scenarios.

Source:
Solomon, M. R., Marshall, G. W., Stuart, E. W., Smith, J. B., Charlebois, S., and Shah, B.

(2013). Marketing: Real people, real choices (4th Canadian ed.). Toronto: Pearson Canada, Inc.

5 Common Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior

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5 Common Factors Influencing Consumer

Behavior
Consumer behavior can be broadly classified as the decisions and actions that influence the
purchasing behavior of a consumer. What drives consumers to choose a particular product with
respect to others is a question which is often analyzed and studied by marketers. Most of the
selection process involved in purchasing is based on emotions and reasoning.

The study of consumer behavior not only helps to understand the past but even predict the future.
The below underlined factors pertaining to the tendencies, attitude and priorities of people must be
given due importance to have a fairly good understanding of the purchasing patterns of consumers

5. Marketing Campaigns
Advertisement plays a greater role in influencing the purchasing decisions made by consumers.
They are even known to bring about a great shift in market shares of competitive industries by
influencing the purchasing decisions of consumers. The Marketing campaigns done on regular basis
can influence the consumer purchasing decision to such an extent that they may opt for one brand
over another or indulge in indulgent or frivolous shopping. Marketing campaigns if undertaken at
regular intervals even help to remind consumers to shop for not so exciting products such as health
products or insurance policies.

4. Economic Conditions
Consumer spending decisions are known to be greatly influenced by the economic situation
prevailing in the market. This holds true especially for purchases made of vehicles, houses and other
household appliances. A positive economic environment is known to make consumers more
confident and willing to indulge in purchases irrespective of their personal financial liabilities.

3. Personal Preferences
At the personal level, consumer behavior is influenced by various shades of likes, dislikes, priorities,
morals and values. In certain dynamic industries such as fashion, food and personal care, the
personal view and opinion of the consumer pertaining to style and fun can become the dominant
influencing factor. Though advertisement can help in influencing these factors to some extent, the
personal consumer likes and dislikes exert greater influence on the end purchase made by a
consumer.

2. Group Influence
Group influence is also seen to affect the decisions made by a consumer. The primary influential
group consisting of family members, classmates, immediate relatives and the secondary influential
group consisting of neighbors and acquaintances are seen have greater influence on the purchasing
decisions of a consumer. Say for instance, the mass liking for fast food over home cooked food or
the craze for the SUV’s against small utility vehicle are glaring examples of the same.

1. Purchasing Power
Purchasing power of a consumer plays an important role in influencing the consumer behavior. The
consumers generally analyze their purchasing capacity before making a decision to buy and
products or services. The product may be excellent, but if it fails to meet the buyers purchasing
ability, it will have high impact on it its sales. Segmenting consumers based on their buying capacity
would help in determining eligible consumers to achieve better results.

Understanding, analyzing and keeping track of consumer behavior is very critical for a marketing
department to retain their position successfully in the market place. There are various other factors
too that influence consumer behavior apart from the four listed above.

Situational Influences Affecting

Consumer Purchasing Decision
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Published: 23rd March, 2015

Disclaimer: This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work
written by our professional essay writers.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UK Essays.
Selling a consumer product is not easy in present, as nowadays there is high competition in the
market and everyone tries to attract consumers with different strategies. For selling a consumer
product, marketers are required to adopt different strategies related to price, packaging, brand,
advertising etc (Kotler, 2002). Nowadays, it has become complicated for marketers to attract
customers but if appropriate approaches are adopted it can be done effectively and easily. In this
report the consumer product selected for discussion is "Coffee".
Coffee is a brewed drink that develops from roasted seeds, ordinarily known as coffee beans, of
the coffee plant. It is one of the significantly traded commodities all over the world due to its
exhilarating effect on humans. In present, it is the third most well-liked drink throughout the
world, after water and tea (Kurtz, MacKenzie & Snow, 2009). Selling coffee is not easy and
most of the coffee marketers feel it difficult to sell coffee to consumers. The problem of selling
coffee has been confronted by several marketers that can be resolved effectively by identifying
the situational influences on consumer behaviour or purchasing decisions (Lancaster &
Reynolds, 2005).
In this report, problem related to selling coffee will be discussed and resolved by identifying
appropriate situational influences on consumers at the time of purchasing coffee. As well, the
problem of selling coffee will be addressed by explicating a better understanding of the specific
situational factors that affect its purchase decision. In the end, ways will be discussed through
which marketers can use an understanding of identified situational factors to influence the coffee
buying decisions of their consumers.
Consumer behaviour is the study of how people, groups, and organizations choose, purchase,
utilize and dispose of goods, services, thoughts, or experiences to gratify their needs and wants
(Kotler, 2002). For successful marketing of a product or service, marketers must significantly
understand both the theory and reality of consumer behaviour. Consumers purchasing involves a
psychological processes that consumers go through. First of all they identify needs, discover
means to resolve these needs, make purchase decisions, interpret information, make plans and
execute these plans (Kurtz, MacKenzie & Snow, 2009).
Consumers' buying behaviours differ at the time of buying different kinds of products. For often
purchased low-cost item, a consumer reacts in a routine response behaviour that include very
little search or decision-making exertions. Purchases that are made occasionally involve limited
decision-making (Foxall, 1993). On the other when consumers buy an unknown or high-priced
product or service they get engaged in extensive decision-making. The purchase decision of an
individual goes through various stages (Lancaster & Reynolds, 2005).
Consumer purchasing decision process is significantly affected by several influences like
situational influences, psychological influences and social influences. By identifying these
influences a marketer can easily address its problems related to marketing coffee to its customers
(Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2008). Among these influences, one of the most significant influences
is situational influences and it is essential to understand by a marketer when it finds difficulty in
marketing its product or service (Baker & Hart, 2007). Coffee marketers can also resolve their
trouble of selling coffee by developing a better understanding of the specific situational factors
that affect the consumers coffee purchase decision.

Specific Situational Influences

Situational influences on consumer buying behaviour are actually impermanent conditions that
impact how they behave. It pertains to whether consumers really purchase a marketer's product,
purchase supplementary products, or does not purchase anything from him (Kauffman, 1996).
These factors are a significant interfering variable among the moderately unvarying family
framework and buying decision behaviour (Johnson, 1995).
Situational factors that affect consumers' buying behaviour significantly differ from personal or
product factors. Situational factors include all those factors that are specific to a time and
location of observation in spite of personal knowledge and evocation attributes that used to make
a demonstrable and organized effect on present behaviour (Peter & Donnelly, 2002). Situational
factors can also be described as the effects of situation on a consumer's psychological procedures
and explicit behaviour (Johnson, 1995).
Situational influences are factors that results from considerations, time, and location that in turn
impact consumer buying decision procedure. Situational factors can affect a consumer's action in
any phase of buying behaviour as well as it can also abbreviate, extend, or cease the buying
procedure (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2008). Situational factors involve aspects like physical
factors, social factors, time factors, the consumer's purchasing reason and his mood. All
consumers have definitely been impacted by all these factors at the time of purchasing one or
another product (Loudon, 2001).
By controlling these factors a marketer can easily affect consumer buying behaviour and due to
this it is also essential to be understood by most of the marketers who wants to sell coffee
through stores or different outlets coffee (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins,
2007). By understanding the diverse situational factors that affect consumers' buying behaviour
at the time of purchasing coffee, it will become easy for marketers to develop strategies
accordingly (Theoretical aspects of consumer behaviour, n.d.).
Substantial situational factors that affect consumers' buying behaviour or purchasing decision
can be divided into following five significant categories:

Physical Surroundings:
This category of situational factors include marketer's geographical and institutional location,
furnishings, sounds, lighting, aromas, weather, signs and observable contours as well as
products, exhibits or other materials circumventing the stimulus thing (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor,
2008). Significant physical factors also include store design and layout that if considered by
markers at the time of designing their facilities can benefit them in increasing consumers'
purchase. It could also be understood with an example of a grocery store (Kotler, 2002).
Most of the grocery stores used to place bread and milk on the differing ends of the stores as
consumers need both of these products. For purchasing both of these products they will visit the
whole store and might also see and purchase other items (East, Wright & Vanhuele, 2008). The
next substantial physical factor that affects consumers' purchasing decision is store location. If
store location is convenient, it will definitely attract more and more consumers (Peter &
Donnelly, 2002). Starbuck's that is the well-known company had done a great job in regard to
locating its stores in nations where it operates. This is the most beneficial factor for the company
in attracting consumers in great numbers (Docrat, 2007).
By managing this physical factor, a coffee marketer can easily drive consumers towards its
coffee. In addition to this, other substantial physical factors that need to be managed are store
environment or atmosphere as it strikes a lot to a consumer at the time of his purchase decision
(Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2008). If a consumer discovers a place relaxing with some light
music, effective lightings, temperature, he/she will definitely enjoy coffee in that store (Roslow,
Li & Nicholls, 2000). In this way, it can be said that physical factors is related to the
management of the physical environment that involves all the nonhuman, physical facets of the
market in which consumer behaviour takes place (Kotler, 2002).
Generally, it is said that any aspect of the physical environment can have an effect on consumer
behaviour (Assael, 2005). The physical environment that affects consumer purchasing behaviour
can be classified into following elements:
Spatial elements
Non-spatial elements coffee (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007).
Spatial elements pertain to all kinds of physical objects like products and brands, countries,
cities, stores, shopping centres and interior decorations. On the other hand, non-spatial elements
pertains to all intangible factors like lightings, aromas, temperature, humidity, rainfall,
illumination, noise level and time (Docrat, 2007). By understanding the effect of these different
aspects of the physical environment, a marketer can easily design strategies to effect consumer
cognitions and behaviours regarding purchasing coffee (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2008).

Social Surroundings:
Social surroundings related to a purchase involve features and fundamental interactions of other
people who are present throughout a purchase decision or who may be there when the product is
utilized or consumed coffee (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007). In
addition to this social surroundings also include the shopping environment conditions. In other
words, it can be said that social surroundings that influence consumers purchasing decisions are
other persons, their compatibilities, roles, interactions and crowding (Chapter 5-Lecture Outline,
n.d.).
The social situation in which a consumer is will significantly affect what he will buy, how much
he will buy and when (Roslow, Li & Nicholls, 2000). Most of us see collage students buying
different products outside retail stores or shopping malls but we don't purchase anything from
them but if we see someone whom we know, it will affect our decision (Pride, Hughes &
Kapoor, 2008). By understanding the social situation in which a consumer is, marketer can
significantly affect their purchase decisions. Most of the companies like Avon and Tupperware,
sell their products at parties because they know in these kinds of parties consumers are in
different social situation and have to buy something (Docrat, 2007).
When a student is in collage he will not spend much amount on fast-food but when he is in a
restaurant with his special friend or close friend he will definitely spend much more on his food
or drink. In this way, consumers purchasing decisions are highly affected by their social situation
or surroundings that if understood by marketers can assist them with effective selling strategies
(Docrat, 2007). Social surroundings have significant influence on the consumers throughout their
purchase and consumption process.

Time:
The next substantial situational factor that influences consumer purchasing decision is time.
Time affects consumers buying decision process in a number of ways like the amount of time
necessitated to become well-informed about a product, to look for for it, and to pay money for
and make use of it (Chapter 5-Lecture Outline, n.d.). Time plays a substantial role and in this a
buyer regards the probable regularity of product use, the time-span required to make use of the
product, and the span of the all-inclusive product life. In addition to this, other time aspects that
affect consumers purchase are time of day, day of the week or month, times of year, and
vacations coffee (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007).
The consumer purchase decision is affected by the time, he/she devotes for purchasing decisions.
This could also be understood with an example like if a customer is under severe time constraints
he will either make a fast purchase decision or hold-up a decision (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor,
2008). By managing and handling time, marketers can positively affect consumers' purchasing
decisions. In regard to having a coffee may a customer have lots of time or may a customer have
little time. All these things need to be considered for designing effective strategies to affect
consumers purchasing decisions (Docrat, 2007).
Nowadays, most of the consumers are having lack of time due to their busy or hectic schedules
the companies or marketers should design strategies that accommodated this need of consumers.
In this way, by identifying time related factors that affects consumers' decision-making, a
marketer can become able in serving its consumers in a much more enhanced way.

Purchasing Reason:
Another substantial situational influence is related to consumers' purchasing reason. It is a
significant factor that affects consumers' every purchase decision. The cause for purchase
elevates the questions of what precisely the product buying should bring about and for whom
(Loudon, 2001). For example, when we go to but a gift for friend it differs from what we buy
from out closed ones or family members. Our purchasing totally differs with our purchasing
reason and this in turn will also affect the time spend on purchasing (Docrat, 2007).
Similar is the situation with consumers when they go for a coffee in a store as some may
purchase it for relaxation or some ay purchase it for having fun with friends in a store where
there are no limits of time to sit and talk coffee (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis &
Hawkins, 2007). Purchasing decision is significantly affects by the reason to purchase a product
as every product fulfils different needs and necessity of consumers (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor,
2008). By understanding these reasons a company or marketer can significantly influence its
consumers purchase decisions.
Nowadays, every company designs different offerings for kids, youngsters and old aged people
as they know all of them have different reasons for their purchase. Understanding why a
consumer purchase a coffee will definitely assist its marketers in presenting it to its consumers in
a different and much more unique way (Loudon, 2001).

Buyer's Mood and Conditions:

The last significant situational factor that influences consumers buying decision process is their
temporary moods or momentary situations like exhaustion, ill health, having sufficient cash
(Ferrell & Hartline, 2008). All these conditions of consumers have bearing on their purchasing
process. Any of the given mood or condition may affect consumers ability and want to look for
information, obtain information and evaluate available alternatives. These can also affect a
consumers' postpurchase evaluation. An individual's mood is quite imperative for purchasing
something (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2008).
Individuals mood temporarily impact their spending habits like if an individual is having
headache and he can feel relax by having a coffee; he will have coffee (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew,
Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007). On the other hand, if his headache cannot be affected by a
coffee, he will not buy coffee. As well, if an individual is not having sufficient money to spend
and purchase coffee, he will not purchase it. So, overall it can be said that mood and conditions
significantly affect consumers' purchasing decision and by understanding it their purchasing
decisions can be significantly affected by marketers.
Understanding of all the above situational influences provides the ways through which a
marketer can affect its consumers purchasing decision processes. Coffee marketers, if also
understand all these situational influences that affect consumers coffee purchase decisions, can
design substantial strategies to affect their consumers behaviour (Ferrell & Hartline, 2008).

Ways that Coffee Marketers can use to Influence

the Consumers Buying Decisions
With the detailed discussion of situational influences that may affect consumers purchasing
decisions, it becomes evident that how this understanding of influences can be used by Coffee
marketers to influence the buying decisions of their consumers (Teare, 1998). Following are the
ways through which coffee marketers can influence consumers' coffee buying decisions:
Designing effective physical surroundings:
Consumers purchase decisions are highly influenced by physical surroundings and by managing
this; coffee company can easily influence its consumers. The coffee marketers need to design
well-furnished stores in which there is homely environment with all essential facilities. A coffee
marketer needs to develop its facilities in a way that customers can find stores at most of the
convenient places of city (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007).
By managing different stores at suitable locations, it will become easy to attract consumers. Store
should be well-equipped with newspapers, magazines and music along with some snacks. In this
way, coffee marketers can easily attract more consumers as nowadays consumers place high
importance facilities provided by a coffee store as well as its ambiance (Zhuang, Tsang, Zhou, Li
& Nicholls, 2006).
Providing most effective Social Surroundings:
If a coffee marketer serves its customers, by understanding their social behaviour or situation, he
will become able in, serving them more effectively. Understanding consumers' social situation is
essential as some people come to have coffee to do their business talks and deals and some are
students who come to get an environment in which they can sit for hours and do their studies
(Docrat, 2007).
On the other hand, some of students and youngsters come for fun with friends. By understanding
customers need, they need to be offered with a good place at store so that their purpose to come
and have coffee can be fulfilled. Store employees should take care of every customer and their
social needs by providing them all facilities and environment that they need (Quester, Neal,
Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007).
Making use of consumers' Time Situation:
Marketers who want to sell coffee should design stores in a way, which provides coffee to
customers in specific time of day or week or the whole day. Some of coffee stores are opened for
whole day or night as consumers may feel to have coffee any time of the day (Quester, Neal,
Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis & Hawkins, 2007). In addition to this, consumers should be aware
with this that the specific coffee store is opened 24 hours of the day as this will definitely affect
their coffee purchasing decision. As well, stores should serve coffee in specific time periods like
in 10 minutes or 15 minutes with some specific snacks.
By adopting these kinds of time related strategies will significantly affect consumers purchase
decision as nowadays consumers are having lack of time. Due to this, they want to buy product
that accommodate with their time needs (Docrat, 2007). Managing stores for specific times of
days and weeks along with specific serving times will assist a coffee company in substantially
influencing consumers purchase decisions.
Developing Product Purchase Associations:
By developing coffee purchase association with consumers need, will definitely assist coffee
marketers in influencing consumers purchase decisions. Every consumer's wants coffee for
different reasons and associating store offering with consumers need will be very helpful in
attracting them. Stores should be designed in a way that serves youngsters with their need of
having fun and socialization. On the other it should also have peaceful environment in which
business people can sit and talk. Understanding of consumers coffee purchase reasons is quite
helpful for developing effective serving strategies (Quester, Neal, Pettigrew, Grimmer, Davis &
Hawkins, 2007).
This should also be done by considering the consumers mood and conditions as some customers
may be student and their spending power may be low. The coffee store should serve coffee at
reasonable price so that it is approachable for anyone. As well, it can also serve premium coffee
servings with snacks for business class or high class people. Pricing and customer service
strategies should be based on consumers purchasing reason, mood and conditions (Zhuang,
Tsang, Zhou, Li & Nicholls, 2006).

Conclusion
With the help of above discussion of situational factors that affect consumers buying behaviour it
becomes evident that understanding of these situational influences is vital for a marketer. By
understanding situational influences that may affect its consumers buying decisions related to
coffee, will assist him in the development of effective strategies to serve its customers (East,
Wright & Vanhuele, 2008). Coffee marketers that also feel complicated to sell coffee, can do it
in an effective way by understanding situational influences. Knowledge about these situational
influences can be used by marketers to develop effective and positive situations that will
definitely affect consumers' coffee purchasing decisions.
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Situational Factors
Just as influencer communications are impacted by community, economic, socio-cultural groupthink, and
ideological situations, these universal situations are further impacted by local “situational factors;” they
represent the personal factors in the consumer’s life that interact with the universal situations outlined
previously to further impact the purchase decision-making process.

Situational Factors
Personal circumstances such as household finances, lifestyle, and relationships that influence the decision-
making process of individuals within communities.

Situational factors are discussed in the following sections.

Personal Situational Factors

The consumer’s familial situation is a key disrupter to a marketer’s brand messaging and call to action.
Personal situational factors are typically dictated by proximity, intimacy, and nature of the consumers’ personal
relationships. For example, a woman who is the mother of three young children makes purchase decisions
differently than a woman without children. If the three children, for example, are grown and off to college
instead of young and at home, purchase decisions take a different form yet again.

Thousands of women may actively follow a popular Mommy-blogger, reading and even commenting on her
every post. Yet, for example, when the blogger recommends a particular game system, the age and sex of the
reader’s children will dramatically impact her decision to purchase that product or not. If a business’ audience is
mothers, simply broadcasting recommendations to all of them through popular bloggers without an
understanding of their personal situational factors will miss the mark with most of them.

Environmental Situational Factors

The environments, both physical (geography) and digital (devices), where brand messages and
recommendations are received are yet another disrupter of the brand’s messaging path. Brand messages
received on mobile devices while in a store versus a desktop computer when at work are interpreted in vastly
different ways. For example, a positive rating on a restaurant by a friend is more impactful on the consumer’s
purchase decision if received on Yelp or Zagat’s mobile app while walking down the street searching for a
place to eat, than if they viewed a positive brand mentioned by that same person when reviewing their random
positive comments or pictures on social sites such as Facebook or Instagram.

Consider the decision-making process of this same consumer looking for a restaurant when travelling in a new
city while using the geolocation social networks such as FourSquare or Facebook’s Places. They see who of
their friends or colleagues have “checked in” in that city or at a specific restaurant in the city and choose a
location based on their need to connect with a friendly face.

Emotional Situational Factors

Emotions or the emotional state of a consumer might have the most effect on a consumer’s final decision-
making process. For example, consider the state of mind of auto workers in December 2008, when the three
major U.S. auto industry companies—GM, Chrysler, and Ford—asked the federal government for a $34 billion
bailout to avoid bankruptcy. The emotional state of the millions of workers associated with the industry was
decisively negative in the months after this presentation. Or, on a more micro level, consider the emotional
state of the possible consumer of a wheelchair or other accessibility device in the weeks after an accident that
gave them a permanent disability? The emotional state of prospective customers have a significant impact on
their motivation to embrace or ignore an advocate’s recommendation.

Life Cycle Situational Factors

The final localized factor to consider is where the customer is in the purchase life cycle of a product. A
consumer who is in the needs identification or awareness stage of the purchase life cycle will react differently to
an influencer’s message than someone at the decision stage. Similarly, if the audience receiving the message
is already a customer, are they at the loyalty stage where they’re willing to buy more from you or are they at the
advocacy stage where they’re willing to voluntarily advocate your brand to their audience?

This is the blueprint that we use when servicing our clients, moving people along the customer life cycle to build
business value and profit by improving the customer experience. As part of that methodology, we recognize
that not all customers are—or will be—advocates. Once they become a customer, there’s a period of
“satisfaction” where customers look to have their purchase decision justified by good customer service, product
utility, and so on. Once proven, they move toward “loyalty,” which is represented by their willingness to buy
more from the business based on its continuing good service, utility, and possibly recognition or rewards for
continued patronage. Some, but not all of those within the loyalty stage of the life cycle, become so happy that
they choose to voluntarily advocate the product and service to their business.

3.2 Situational Factors That Affect People’s Buying

Behavior
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Describe the situational factors that affect what consumers buy and when.
2. Explain what marketing professionals can do to make situational factors work to their advantage.

Situational influences are temporary conditions that affect how buyers behave—whether they

actually buy your product, buy additional products, or buy nothing at all from you. They include

things like physical factors, social factors, time factors, the reason for the buyer’s purchase, and the

buyer’s mood. You have undoubtedly been affected by all these factors at one time or another.

Because businesses very much want to try to control these factors, let’s now look at them in more

detail.

The Consumer’s Physical Situation

Have you ever been in a department store and couldn’t find your way out? No, you aren’t necessarily

directionally challenged. Marketing professionals take physical factors such as a store’s design and layout into

account when they are designing their facilities. Presumably, the longer you wander around a facility, the more

you will spend. Grocery stores frequently place bread and milk products on the opposite ends of the stores

because people often need both types of products. To buy both, they have to walk around an entire store, which

of course, is loaded with other items they might see and purchase.

Store locations are another example of a physical factor. Starbucks has done a good job in terms of locating its

stores. It has the process down to a science; you can scarcely drive a few miles down the road without passing a

Starbucks. You can also buy cups of Starbucks coffee at many grocery stores and in airports—virtually any place

where there is foot traffic.

Physical factors like these—the ones over which firms have control—are called atmospherics. In addition to store

locations, they include the music played at stores, the lighting, temperature, and even the smells you

experience. Perhaps you’ve visited the office of an apartment complex and noticed how great it looked and even

smelled. It’s no coincidence. The managers of the complex were trying to get you to stay for a while and have a

look at their facilities. Research shows that “strategic fragrancing” results in customers staying in stores longer,

buying more, and leaving with better impression of the quality of stores’ services and products. Mirrors near

hotel elevators are another example. Hotel operators have found that when people are busy looking at

themselves in the mirrors, they don’t feel like they are waiting as long for their elevators. [1]

Not all physical factors are under a company’s control, however. Take weather, for example. Rain and other

types of weather can be a boon to some companies, like umbrella makers such as London Fog, but a problem

for others. Beach resorts, outdoor concert venues, and golf courses suffer when the weather is rainy. So do a lot

of retail organizations—restaurants, clothing stores, and automobile dealers. Who wants to shop for a car in the

rain or snow?

Firms often attempt to deal with adverse physical factors such as bad weather by making their products more

attractive during unattractive times. For example, many resorts offer consumers discounts to travel to beach

locations during hurricane season. Having an online presence is another way to cope with weather-related

problems. What could be more comfortable than shopping at home? If it’s too cold and windy to drive to the
GAP, REI, or Abercrombie & Fitch, you can buy these companies’ products online. You can shop online for cars,

too, and many restaurants take orders online and deliver.

Crowding is another situational factor. Have you ever left a store and not purchased anything because it was

just too crowded? Some studies have shown that consumers feel better about retailers who attempt to prevent

overcrowding in their stores. However, other studies have shown that to a certain extent, crowding can have a

positive impact on a person’s buying experience. The phenomenon is often referred to as “herd behavior.”

If people are lined up to buy something, you want to know why. Should you get in line to buy it too? Herd

behavior helped drive up the price of houses in the mid-2000s before the prices for them rapidly fell.

Unfortunately, herd behavior has also led to the deaths of people. In 2008, a store employee was trampled to

death by an early morning crowd rushing into a Walmart to snap up holiday bargains.

To some extent, how people react to crowding depends on their personal tolerance levels. Which rock concert

would you rather attend: A sold-out concert in which the crowd is having a rocking good time? Or a half-sold-

out concert where you can perhaps move to a seat closer to the stage and not have to stand in line at the

restrooms? [2]

The Consumer’s Social Situation

The social situation you’re in can significantly affect what you will buy, how much of it, and when. Perhaps you

have seen Girl Scouts selling cookies outside grocery stores and other retail establishments and purchased

nothing from them. But what if your neighbor’s daughter is selling the cookies? Are you going to turn her down,

or be a friendly neighbor and buy a box (or two)?

Video Clip

Thin Mints, Anyone?

Are you going to turn down this cute Girl Scout’s cookies? What if she’s your neighbor’s daughter? Pass the milk,

please!

Companies like Avon and Tupperware that sell their products at parties understand that the social situation

you’re in makes a difference. When you’re at a Tupperware party a friend is having, you don’t want to

disappoint her by not buying anything. Plus, everyone at the party will think you’re cheap.
Certain social situations can also make you less willing to buy products. You might spend quite a bit of money

each month eating at fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and Subway. But suppose you’ve got a hot first

date? Where do you take your date? Some people might take a first date to Subway, but that first date might

also be the last. Other people would perhaps choose a restaurant that’s more upscale. Likewise, if you have

turned down a drink or dessert on a date because you were worried about what the person you were with might

have thought, your consumption was affected by your social situation. [3]

The Consumer’s Time Situation

The time of day, the time of year, and how much time consumers feel like they have to shop also affects what

they buy. Researchers have even discovered whether someone is a “morning person” or “evening person” affects

shopping patterns. Seven-Eleven Japan is a company that’s extremely in tune to physical factors such as time

and how it affects buyers. The company’s point-of-sale systems at its checkout counters monitor what is selling

well and when, and stores are restocked with those items immediately—sometimes via motorcycle deliveries

that zip in and out of traffic along Japan’s crowded streets. The goal is to get the products on the shelves when

and where consumers want them. Seven-Eleven Japan also knows that, like Americans, its customers are “time

starved.” Shoppers can pay their utility bills, local taxes, and insurance or pension premiums at Seven-Eleven

Japan stores, and even make photocopies. [4]

Companies worldwide are aware of people’s lack of time and are finding ways to accommodate them. Some

doctors’ offices offer drive-through shots for patients who are in a hurry and for elderly patients who find it

difficult to get out of their cars. Tickets.com allows companies to sell tickets by sending them to customers’

mobile phones when they call in. The phones’ displays are then read by barcode scanners when the ticket

purchasers arrive at the events they’re attending. Likewise, if you need customer service from Amazon.com,

there’s no need to wait on hold on the telephone. If you have an account with Amazon, you just click a button on

the company’s Web site and an Amazon representative calls you immediately.

The Reason for the Consumer’s Purchase

The reason you are shopping also affects the amount of time you will spend shopping. Are you making an

emergency purchase? Are you shopping for a gift? In recent years, emergency clinics have sprung up in strip

malls all over the country. Convenience is one reason. The other is sheer necessity. If you cut yourself and you

are bleeding badly, you’re probably not going to shop around much to find the best clinic to go to. You will go to

the one that’s closest to you.

What about shopping for a gift? Purchasing a gift might not be an emergency situation, but you might not want

to spend much time shopping for it either. Gift certificates have been a popular way to purchase for years. But

now you can purchase them as cards at your corner grocery store. By contrast, suppose you need to buy an

engagement ring. Sure, you could buy one online in a jiffy, but you probably wouldn’t, because it’s a high-

involvement product. What if it were a fake? How would you know until after you purchased it? What if your

significant other turned you down and you had to return the ring? How hard would it be to get back online and

return the ring? [5]

The Consumer’s Mood

Have you ever felt like going on a shopping spree? At other times wild horses couldn’t drag you to a mall.

People’s moods temporarily affect their spending patterns. Some people enjoy shopping. It’s entertaining for

them. At the extreme are compulsive spenders who get a temporary “high” from spending.

A sour mood can spoil a consumer’s desire to shop. The crash of the U.S. stock market in 2008 left many people

feeling poorer, leading to a dramatic downturn in consumer spending. Penny pinching came into vogue, and

conspicuous spending was out. Costco and Walmart experienced heightened sales of their low-cost Kirkland

Signature and Great Value brands as consumers scrimped. [6]

Saks Fifth Avenue wasn’t so lucky. Its annual release of spring fashions usually leads to a feeding frenzy among

shoppers, but spring 2009 was different. “We’ve definitely seen a drop-off of this idea of shopping for

entertainment,” says Kimberly Grabel, Saks Fifth Avenue’s senior vice president of marketing. [7]

To get buyers in the shopping mood, companies resorted to different measures. The upscale retailer Neiman

Marcus began introducing more midpriced brands. By studying customer’s loyalty cards, the French

hypermarket Carrefour hoped to find ways to get its customers to purchase nonfood items that have higher

profit margins.

The glum mood wasn’t bad for all businesses though. Discounters like Half-Priced books saw their sales surge.

So did seed sellers as people began planting their own gardens. Finally, those products you see being hawked on

television? Aqua Globes, Snuggies, and Ped Eggs? Their sales were the best ever. Apparently, consumers too

broke to go to on vacation or shop at Saks were instead watching television and treating themselves to the

products. [8]

KEY TAKEAWAY
 Situational influences are temporary conditions that affect how buyers behave. They include physical factors such

as a store’s buying locations, layout, music, lighting, and even smells. Companies try to make the physical factors

in which consumers shop as favorable as possible. If they can’t, they utilize other tactics such as discounts. The

consumer’s social situation, time situation, the reason for their purchases, and their moods also affect their buying

behavior.

REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Why and how does the social situation the consumer is in play a role in behavior?
2. Outline the types of physical factors companies try to affect and how they go about it.
3. What social situations have you been in that affected what you purchased?
4. What types of moods and time situations are likely to affect people’s buying behavior?

3.4 Psychological Factors That Affect People’s Buying

Behavior
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs works.
2. Outline the additional psychological factors that affect people’s buying behavior.

Motivation
Motivation is the inward drive we have to get what we need. In the mid-1900s, Abraham Maslow, an American

psychologist, developed the hierarchy of needs shown in Figure 3.8.

Figure 3.8 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow theorized that people have to fulfill their basic needs—like the need for food, water, and sleep—before

they can begin fulfilling higher-level needs. Have you ever gone shopping when you were tired or hungry? Even

if you were shopping for something that would make you envy of your friends (maybe a new car) you probably

wanted to sleep or eat even worse. (Forget the car. Just give me a nap and a candy bar.)

People’s needs can be recurring, such as the physiological need for hunger. You eat breakfast and are hungry at

lunchtime and then again in the evening. Other needs tend to be enduring, such as the need for shelter,

clothing, and safety. Still other needs arise at different points in time in a person’s life. For example, during

grade school and high school, your social needs probably rose to the forefront. You wanted to have friends and

get a date. Perhaps this prompted you to buy certain types of clothing or electronic devices. After high school,

you began thinking about how people would view you in your “station” in life, so you decided to pay for college

and get a professional degree, thereby fulfilling your need for esteem. If you’re lucky, at some point you will

realize Maslow’s state of self-actualization: You will believe you have become the person in life that you feel you

were meant to be.

Marketing professionals understand Maslow’s hierarchy. Take the need for people to feel secure and safe.

Following the economic crisis that began in 2008, the sales of new automobiles dropped sharply virtually

everywhere around the world—except the sales of Hyundai vehicles. Hyundai ran an ad campaign that assured

car buyers they could return their vehicles if they couldn’t make the payments on them without damaging their

credit. Other carmakers began offering similar programs after they saw how successful Hyundai had been.

Likewise, banks began offering “worry-free” mortgages to ease the minds of would-be homebuyers. For a fee of

about $500, First Mortgage Corp., a Texas-based bank, offered to make a homeowner’s mortgage payment for

six months if he or she got laid off. [1]

The Consumer’s Perception

Perception is how you interpret the world around you and make sense of it in your brain. You do so via stimuli

that affect your different senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. How you combine these senses also

makes a difference. For example, in one study, consumers were blindfolded and asked to drink a new brand of

clear beer. Most of them said the product tasted like regular beer. However, when the blindfolds came off and

they drank the beer, many of them described it as “watery” tasting. [2]
Using different types of stimuli, marketing professionals try to make you more perceptive to their products

whether you need them or not. It’s not an easy job. Consumers today are bombarded with all types of marketing

from every angle—television, radio, magazines, the Internet, and even bathroom walls. It’s been estimated that

the average consumer is exposed to about three thousand advertisements per day. [3] Consumers are also

multitasking more today than in the past. They are surfing the Internet, watching television, and checking their

cell phones for text messages simultaneously. All day, every day, we are receiving information. Some, but not

all, of it makes it into our brains.

Have you ever read or thought about something and then started noticing ads and information about it popping

up everywhere? That’s because your perception of it had become heightened. Many people are more perceptive

to advertisements for products they need. Selective perception is the process of filtering out information based on

how relevant it is to you. It’s been described as a “suit of armor” that helps you filter out information

you don’t need. At other times, people forget information, even if it’s quite relevant to them, which is

called selective retention. Usually the information contradicts the person’s belief. A longtime chain smoker who

forgets much of the information communicated during an antismoking commercial is an example.

To be sure their advertising messages get through to you, companies use repetition. How tired of iPhone

commercials were you before they tapered off the tube? How often do you see the same commercial aired

during a single television show?

Video Clip

A Parody of an iPhone Commercial

Check out this parody on Apple’s iPhone commercial.

Using surprising stimuli is also a technique. Sometimes this is called shock advertising. The clothing makers

Benetton and Calvin Klein are probably best known for their shocking advertising. Calvin Klein sparked an

uproar when it featured scantily clad prepubescent teens in its ads. There’s evidence that shock advertising

actually works, though. One study found that shocking content increased attention, benefited memory, and

positively influenced behavior among a group of university students. [4]

Subliminal advertising is the opposite of shock advertising. It involves exposing consumers to marketing stimuli—

photos, ads, message, and so forth—by stealthily embedding them in movies, ads, and other media. For
example, the words Drink Coca-Cola might be flashed for a millisecond on a movie screen. Consumers were

thought to perceive the information subconsciously, and it would make them buy products. Keep in mind that

today it’s common to see brands such as Coke being consumed in movies and television programs, but there’s

nothing subliminal about it. Coke and other companies often pay to have their products in the shows.

The general public became aware of subliminal advertising in the 1960s. Many people considered the practice

to be subversive, and in 1974, the Federal Communications Commission condemned it. Its effectiveness is

somewhat sketchy, in any case. It didn’t help that much of the original research on it, conducted in the 1950s by

a market researcher who was trying to drum up business for his market research firm, was fabricated. [5]

People are still fascinated by subliminal advertising, however. To create “buzz” about the television show The

Mole in 2008, ABC began hyping it by airing short commercials composed of just a few frames. If you blinked,

you missed it. Some television stations actually called ABC to figure out what was going on. One-second ads

were later rolled out to movie theaters. [6]

Even if your marketing effort reaches consumers and they retain it, different consumers can perceive it

differently. Show two people the same product and you’ll get two different perceptions of it. One man sees

Pledge, an outstanding furniture polish, while another sees a can of spray no different from any other furniture

polish. One woman sees a luxurious Gucci purse, and the other sees an overpriced bag to hold keys and

makeup. [7] A couple of frames about The Mole might make you want to see the television show. However, your

friend might see the ad, find it stupid, and never tune in to watch the show.

Learning
Learning refers to the process by which consumers change their behavior after they gain information or

experience a product. It’s the reason you don’t buy a crummy product twice. Learning doesn’t just affect what

you buy, however. It affects how you shop. People with limited experience about a product or brand generally

seek out more information about it than people who have used it before.

Companies try to get consumers to learn about their products in different ways. Car dealerships offer test

drives. Pharmaceutical reps leave behind lots of free items at doctor’s offices with medication names and logos

written all over them—pens, coffee cups, magnets, and so on. Free samples of products that come in the mail or

are delivered with newspapers are another example. To promote its new line of coffees, McDonald’s offered

customers free samples to try.

Another kind of learning is operant conditioning, which is what occurs when researchers are able to get a mouse

to run through a maze for a piece cheese or a dog to salivate just by ringing a bell. Companies engage in operant

conditioning by rewarding consumers, too. The prizes that come in Cracker Jacks and with McDonald’s Happy

Meals are examples. The rewards cause consumers to want to repeat their purchasing behaviors. Other rewards

include free tans offered with gym memberships, punch cards that give you a free Subway sandwich after a

certain number of purchases, and free car washes when you fill up your car with a tank of gas.

Consumer’s Attitude
Attitudes are “mental positions” or emotional feelings people have about products, services, companies, ideas,

issues, or institutions. [8] Attitudes tend to be enduring, and because they are based on people’s values and

beliefs, they are hard to change. That doesn’t stop sellers from trying, though. They want people to have positive

rather than negative feelings about their offerings. A few years ago, KFC began running ads to the effect that

fried chicken was healthy—until the U.S. Federal Trade Commission told the company to stop. Wendy’s slogan

to the effect that its products are “way better than fast food” is another example. Fast food has a negative

connotation, so Wendy’s is trying to get consumers to think about its offerings as being better.

A good example of a shift in the attitudes of consumers relates to banks. The taxpayer-paid government bailouts

of big banks that began in 2008 provoked the wrath of Americans, creating an opportunity for small banks not

involved in the credit derivates and subprime mortgage mess. The Worthington National Bank, a small bank in

Fort Worth, Texas, ran billboards reading: “Did Your Bank Take a Bailout? We didn’t.” Another read: “Just Say

NO to Bailout Banks. Bank Responsibly!” The Worthington Bank received tens of millions in new deposits soon

after running these campaigns. [9]

Figure 3.9

Worthington National, a small Texas bank, capitalized on people’s bad attitudes toward big banks that accepted

bailouts from the government in 2008–2009. After running billboards with this message, the bank received

millions of dollars in new deposits.

© WorthingtonBank.com

KEY TAKEAWAY
 Psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that people have to fulfill their basic needs—like the need for food,

water, and sleep—before they can begin fulfilling higher-level needs. Perception is how you interpret the world

around you and make sense of it in your brain. To be sure their advertising messages get through to you,

companies often resort to repetition. Shocking advertising and subliminal advertising are two other methods.

Learning is the process by which consumers change their behavior after they gain information about or

experience with a product. Consumers’ attitudes are the “mental positions” people take based on their values and

beliefs. Attitudes tend to be enduring and are often difficult for companies to change.

REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How does Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs help marketing professionals?
2. How does the process of perception work and how can companies use it to their advantage in their marketing?
3. What types of learning do companies try to get consumers to engage in?

Key Takeaway

 Situational influences are temporary conditions that affect how buyers

behave. They include physical factors such as a store’s buying locations,
layout, music, lighting, and even scent. Companies try to make the
physical factors in which consumers shop as favorable as possible. If
they can’t, they utilize other tactics such as discounts. The consumer’s
social situation, time factors, the reason for their purchases, and their
moods also affect their buying behavior.
 Your personality describes your disposition as other people see it.
Market researchers believe people buy products to enhance how they
feel about themselves. Your gender also affects what you buy and how
you shop. Women shop differently than men. However, there’s some
evidence that this is changing. Younger men and women are beginning
to shop more alike. People buy different things based on their ages and
life stages. A person’s cognitive age is how old one “feels” oneself to be.
To further understand consumers and connect with them, companies
have begun looking more closely at their lifestyles (what they do, how
they spend their time, what their priorities and values are, and how they
see the world).
 Psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that people have to fulfill their
basic needs—like the need for food, water, and sleep—before they can
begin fulfilling higher-level needs. Perception is how you interpret the
world around you and make sense of it in your brain. To be sure their
 advertising messages get through to you, companies often resort to
repetition. Shocking advertising and product placement are two other
methods. Learning is the process by which consumers change their
behavior after they gain information about or experience with a
product. Consumers’ attitudes are the “mental positions” people take
based on their values and beliefs. Attitudes tend to be enduring and are
often difficult for companies to change.
 Culture prescribes the way in which you should live and affects the
things you purchase. A subculture is a group of people within a culture
who are different from the dominant culture but have something in
common with one another—common interests, vocations or jobs,
religions, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and so forth. To
some degree, consumers in the same social class exhibit similar
purchasing behavior. Most market researchers consider a person’s
family to be one of the biggest determinants of buying behavior.
Reference groups are groups that a consumer identifies with and wants
to join. Companies often hire celebrities to endorse their products to
appeal to people’s reference groups. Opinion leaders are people with
expertise in certain areas. Consumers respect these people and often
ask their opinions before they buy goods and services.
Review Questions

1. Explain what physical factors, social situations, time factors, and/or

moods have affected your buying behavior for different products.
2. Explain how someone’s personality differs from his or her self-concept.
How does the person’s ideal self-concept come into play in a consumer
behavior context?
3. Describe how buying patterns and purchase decisions may vary by age,
gender, and stage of life.
4. Why are companies interested in consumers’ cognitive ages and lifestyle
factors?
5. How does the process of perception work and how can companies use it
to their advantage in their marketing?
6. How do Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and learning affect how companies
market to consumers?
7. Why do people’s cultures and subcultures affect what they buy?
 8. How do subcultures differ from cultures? Can you belong to more than
one culture or subculture?
9. How are companies trying to reach opinion leaders?

Psychological Factors affecting

Consumer Behaviour
Consumer Behaviour deals with the study of buying behaviour of consumers.

Let us understand the effect of psychological factors on consumer behaviour:

Motivation
Nancy went to a nearby restaurant and ordered pizza for herself.

Why did Nancy buy pizza ?

Answer - She was feeling hungry and wanted to eat something.

In the above example, Hunger was the motivating factor for Nancy to purchase pizza. There are several
other factors which motivate individuals to purchase products and services. An individual who is thirsty
would definitely not mind spending on soft drinks, packaged water, juice and so on. Recognition and self
esteem also influence the buying decision of individuals.

Why do people wear branded clothes ?

Individuals prefer to spend on premium brands and unique merchandise for others to look up to them.
Certain products become their status symbol and people know them by their choice of picking up
products that are exclusive. An individual who wears a Tag Heuer watch would never purchase a local
watch as this would be against his image.

Perception
What is Perception ?

What an individual thinks about a particular product or service is his/her perception towards the same.
For someone a Dell Laptop might be the best laptop while for others it could be just one of the best
brands available.

Individuals with the same needs might not purchase similar products due to difference in perception.

Catherine and Roselyn had a hectic day at work and thus wanted to have something while returning from
work. Catherine ordered a large chicken pizza with French fries and coke while Roselyn preferred a baked
vegetable sandwich. Though both Catherine and Roselyn had the same motivation (hunger), but the
products they purchased were entirely different as Roselyn perceived pizza to be a calorie laden food.
Individuals think differently and their perceptions do not match.

Individuals perceive similar situation differently due to difference in the way they interpret information.
 There are three different processes which lead to difference in perception:

1. Selective Attention - Selective attention refers to the process where individuals pay attention
to information that is of use to them or their immediate family members. An individual in a single
day is exposed to numerous advertisements, billboards, hoardings etc but he is interested in only
those which would benefit him in any way. He would not be interested in information which is
not relevant at the moment.
2. Selective Distortion - Consumers tend to perceive information in a way which would be in line
to their existing thoughts and beliefs.
3. Selective Retention - Consumers remember information which would be useful to them, rest
all they forget in due course of time. Michael wanted to purchase a watch for his wife and thus
he remembered the RADO advertisement which he had seen several days ago.

Learning
Learning comes only through experience. An individual comes to know about a product and service only
after he/she uses the same. An individual who is satisfied with a particular product/service will show a
strong inclination towards buying the same product again.

Beliefs and Attitude

Beliefs and attitude play an essential role in influencing the buying decision of consumers. Individuals
create a certain image of every product or service available in the market. Every brand has an image
attached to it, also called its brand image.

Consumers purchase products/services based on their opinions which they form towards a particular
product or service. A product might be really good but if the consumer feels it is useless, he would never
buy it.

Psychological Factors That Influence Consumer Buying

Behavior
by Elizabeth Mott

Related Articles
 1Types of Consumer Buying Behaviors & Product Decisions
 2Business Theories of Buying Behavior
 3Role of Perception in Consumer Behavior
 4Description of How Marketers Can Use Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Convincing consumers that you're selling what they ought to be buying forms the central job of the marketer
and advertiser. Marketing plans the strategies and tactics; advertising implements them and spreads the
message. To succeed in positioning your brand as the right solution to consumers' problems or needs, take
advantage of the psychological tenets that explain and predict what people buy. Four basic factors underlie the
decisions consumers make when they spend.
Motivation and Need
Needs motivate buying behavior. You buy food when you're hungry, protective gear to feel safe, brand-name
clothing to look stylish, education to enable accomplishment and self-improvement to reach self-actualization,
the pinnacle of psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchical pyramid of needs. The more basic the need, the
greater the priority it assumes in driving consumers to fulfill it. If you can convince consumers that your
product or service meets one of their motivating drives, you can convince them to buy what you're selling.
Advertising can help associate a product with need fulfillment.

Perception, Attention, Distortion and Retention

The selective way in which the human mind views the world around it and the information that reaches it
forms the basis of perception. To get attention, you can use shock tactics, surprise, humor or any device that
makes people watch and listen. Once you get consumers' attention, you must induce them to remember your
message without filtering it through the "distortion field" of their outlooks and mindsets. Repetition helps
make your information stick. That simple concept helps explain how often you see the same ad and how many
times it repeats an important part of its message, such as the phone number to call in a direct-response TV spot.

Learning and Conditioning

Consumers can gain decision-making information from advertising, especially about products in categories
beyond their experience. If a commercial message convinces consumers to try a product but their post-
purchase experiences prove dissatisfying, they learn to avoid that product, even if it changes enough to negate
their prior dissatisfaction. In response, the advertiser must try to teach consumers another message about the
product, one that removes prior conditioning in favor of new information. Conditioning also explains how
rewards, gifts with purchases and "but wait, there's more" messages work to train you to prefer one product in
a category over another.

Beliefs and Attitudes

What consumers believe about a seller, product or service affects whether and what they buy. These attitudes
can persist even when the situations that produce them change. If a company appears to share your values, it
may attract your business. If you perceive a product as beneficial or its competition as harmful, you move
toward one and avoid the other. Advertising strives to position products so they appear associated with positive
traits and to counteract beliefs that interfere with the products' ability to attract buyers.

Psychological Influences on Consumer

Behavior
1. Scarcity
Brands and retailers use scarcity to capitalize on the fear of shortage. This
strategy can involve a company like Amazon displaying only two or three
products remaining in stock for a listing. Other companies may use artificial
scarcity. This is when a new product marketing campaign limits sales (at first) to
a certain quantity.

Psychologists generally consider scarcity to be a powerful motivator for

consumers. This is certainly true for situations involving more than one product.
According to a study in the Journal of Marketing Research, when multiple
consumer items are presented as scarce, the perception of scarcity leads
purchasers to choose relatively more of their favorite item. Scarcity polarizes
people’s preferences and causes them to become less exploratory. Instead,
consumers focus on their leading option.

The study’s authors theorized that scarcity produces mild psychological arousal
in consumers, which was evident in self-reports. Researchers used words related
to rarity to introduce the scarcity effect. Another strategy that increased
psychological arousal in consumers was the use of bright colors.

2. Color Psychology
Color psychology examines how hues influence human behavior. In its guide to
understanding color psychology, Quick Sprout attributes 11 percent of its new
leads and 20 percent of a wellness blog’s revenue to a product that displays a
bright red bar at the top of webpages.

Using bold colors to stand out on a website is one way to implement color
psychology and impact consumers. Color psychology is a broad field. It includes
the meaning of certain colors, how colors affect emotions and applications such
as contrasting dark and bright colors.

According to Quick Sprout, more than 92 percent of people say that visual appeal
is the top factor affecting purchase decisions, compared to other sensory
experiences like taste or smell.

3. Price Anchoring
Anchoring is a cognitive bias that refers to consumers’ tendency to place more
importance on the first piece of information they receive when making decisions.
In pricing situations, marketers place premium products and services near
standard options to help consumers choose the best value.

In a presentation, author and behavioral economics expert Dan Ariely used an

old ad from The Economist to showcase the power of price anchoring. In this
example, 100 MIT students were provided with the following pricing options for a
subscription.

 Web only subscription for $59 a year — 16 percent chose this subscription.
 Print only subscription for $125 a year — 0 percent chose this subscription.
 Print and web subscription for $125 a year — 84 percent chose this
subscription.

Here is what happened when The Economist asked a different group of MIT
students which subscription they would choose, after eliminating the option that
provided the anchor effect.

 Web only subscription for $59 a year — 68 percent chose this subscription.
 Print only subscription for $125 a year — 32 percent chose this subscription.

Ariely writes that it’s a misconception that “you rationally analyze all factors
before making a choice or determining value.” Rather, “your first perception
lingers in your mind, affecting later perceptions and decisions.”

Applying Marketing Strategies

Husson University’s Online Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration features a marketing concentration that helps students apply the
latest strategies and techniques. Graduates are prepared for a number of careers
in marketing, such as brand manager, market research analyst and marketing
specialist. The program takes place in a convenient and flexible online learning
environment.

MARKETING THEORIES – EXPLAINING THE CONSUMER

DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Visit our Marketing Theories Page to see more of our marketing buzzword busting blogs.
The Consumer or Buyer Decision Making Process is the method used by
marketers to identify and track the decision making process of a customer
journey from start to finish. It is broken down into 5 individual stages which we
have decided to demonstrate with our latest decision making journey
surrounding some rather sorry looking trainers.
 1 – Problem
Recognition (I need new trainers)
The first stage of the process is working out what exactly you or the customer
needs. The customer feels like something is missing and needs to address it to get
back to feeling normal. If you can determine when your target demographic
develops these needs or wants, it would be an ideal time to advertise to them.
In our case we noticed our running trainers were looking a little worse for wear
and we acknowledged the need for a new pair.
 2 – Information search
(What trainers are out there?)
This is the search stage of the process. One that is continually changing from old
fashioned shopping around to the new shop front which is Google (other search
engines are available - apparently). Information is not only gathered about stuff
and on things but from people via recommendations and through previous
experiences we may have had with various products.
In this stage a customer is beginning to think about risk management. A
customer might make a pro’s vs. con’s list to help make their decision. People
often don’t want to regret making a decision so extra time being put into
managing risk may be worth it.
In our case we googled trainer reviews, and searches such as “what is the best
trainer for dirt running?” among other searches as well as remembering that we
didn’t like Gola or Dunlop shoes and had a nasty experience with a pair of Filas in
the 90’s.
3 - Evaluation of Alternatives (Do I need trainers and if so which ones?)
This is the time when questions start being asked. Is this really the right product
for me do? Do I need a different product? If the answers are either “No it’s not
right” or “yes I need a different product” then stage 2 may recommence. The
stage 3 to 2 transition may happen several times before stage 4 has been
reached.
Once the customer has determined what will satisfy their want or need they will
begin to seek out the best deal. This may be based on price, quality, or other
factors that are important to them. Customers read many reviews and compare
prices, ultimately choosing the one that satisfies most of their parameters.
In line with our example we started questioning if we actually needed running
shoes: are there alternatives out there? Were our original trainers that bad? The
answers were Yes/Yes but none I liked/Yes they really were. So the process was
able to continue.

4 – Purchase (Buying the trainers)

The customer has now decided based on the knowledge gathered what to
purchase and where to purchase what they desire.
At this stage a customer has either assessed all the facts and come to a logical
conclusion, made a decision based on emotional connections/experiences or
succumbed to advertising/marketing campaigns, or most likely a combination of
all of these has occurred.
In our customer journey we purchased some rather nice Asics runners as we had
a wonderful experience with them previously, they were well priced on the
market and the marketing around Asics trainers has always linked them to being
the best option for “real athletic trainers”. The positioning of the product also
lent itself to where they were purchased, a sport shop rather than a shoe shop.
 5
– Post Purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction (Were they the right
trainers for us?)
The review stage is a key stage for the company and for the customer likewise.
Did the product deliver on the promises of the marketing/advertising
campaigns? Did the product match or exceed expectations?
If a customer finds that the product has matched or exceeded the promises made
and their own expectations they will potentially become a brand ambassador
influencing other potential customers in their stage 2 of their next customer
journey, boosting the chances of your product being purchased again. The same
can be said for negative feedback which, if inserted at stage 2, can halt a potential
customer’s journey towards your product.
To finish our customer journey – we very much like the trainers we have chosen
– we would recommend them to a friend, and on purchasing our next set of
trainers would probably make a similar brand or product choice. Our satisfaction
has made us a brand ambassador for the company who created our wonderful
trainers (unless they want to send us a free pair after this article….Size 9 thank
you).
So there is the Consumer Decision Making Process in stages with the story of our
last trainer purchase thrown in to boot (no pun intended).