Topic 4: Consumer Behaviour

Question 1

Consumer buyer behaviour

Answer 1

refers to the buying behaviour of final consumers – individuals and households that buy goods and services for personal consumption

Question 2

The starting point is the stimulus–response model of buyer behaviour

Answer 2

marketing and other stimuli enter the consumer’s ‘black box’ and produce certain responses

Question 3

Marketing stimuli

Answer 3

consist of the marketing mix elements: product, price, placement logistics and promotion, together with the people, processes and physical evidence involved

Question 4

Other stimuli include

Answer 4

forces and events in the buyer’s environment: economic, technological, political, social and cultural.

Question 5

The marketer wants to understand how the stimuli are changed into responses inside the consumer’s black box, which has two parts

Answer 5

First, the buyer’s characteristics influence how he or she perceives and reacts to the stimuli. Second, the buyer’s decision process itself affects the buyer’s behaviour. We look first at buyer characteristics as they affect buyer behaviour and then discuss the buyer decision process.

Question 6

Characteristics affecting consumer behaviour

Answer 6

cultural, social, personal and psychological characteristics

Question 7

Cultural factors

Answer 7

the buyer’s culture, cultural group and social class

Question 8

Culture

Answer 8

The set of basic values, perceptions, wants and behaviours learned by a member of society from family and other important institutions.

Question 9

cultural groups

Answer 9

Each culture contains smaller cultural groups, or groups of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations

Question 10

Social factors

Answer 10

A consumer’s behaviour also is influenced by social factors, such as the consumer’s small groups, family, social roles and social status.

Question 11

Personal factors

Answer 11

A buyer’s decisions also are influenced by personal characteristics, such as age and life-cycle stage, occupation, education, economic situation, lifestyle, personality and self-concept.

Question 12

Psychological factors

Answer 12

A person’s buying choices are further influenced by four main psychological factors: (1) motivation, (2) perception, (3) learning, and (4) beliefs and attitudes

Question 13

the buyer decision process consists of five stages

Answer 13

1) need recognition, (2) information search, (3) evaluation of alternatives, (4) purchase decision and (5) post-purchase behaviour

Question 14

adoption process

Answer 14

the mental process through which an individual passes from first learning about an innovation to final adoption’

Question 15

adoption

Answer 15

is the decision by an individual to become a regular user of the product

Question 16

Consumers go through five stages in the process of adopting a new product:

Answer 16

• Awareness: The consumer becomes aware of the new product, but lacks information about it.
• Interest: The consumer seeks information about the new product.
• Evaluation: The consumer considers whether trying the new product makes sense.
• Trial: The consumer tries the new product on a small scale to improve his or her estimate of its value.
• Adoption: The consumer decides to make full and regular use of the new product.

Question 17

Five characteristics are especially important in influencing an innovation’s rate of adoption

Answer 17

• Relative advantage: the degree to which the innovation appears superior to existing products.
• Compatibility: the degree to which the innovation fits the values and experiences of potential consumers.
• Complexity: the degree to which the innovation is difficult to understand or use.
• Divisibility: the degree to which the innovation may be tried on a limited basis.
• Communicability: the degree to which the results of using the innovation can be observed or described to others.