unit 8: consumer behaviour pt 1 Flashcards
consumer behaviour
Observable actions a person takes when purchasing and using products
Emerged in the 1950s as a research area following a reliance on case studies and anecdotal information collection
factors that impact consumers’ actions
psychological, social, personal, situational
purchase activities
how consumers acquire products; includes the purchase decision process
consumption activities (behaviours consumers display after acquiring a product)
when, where, how, why people use products; may include symbolic meaning (luxury items)
purchase decision process
problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, post-purchase evaluation
problem recognition
sufficiently large disconnect between actual state and ideal state
Ways problems are recognized:
Need recognition and opportunity recognition
need recognition
identify need, actual state declines, act to reach ideal state (hunger)
opportunity recognition
identify opportunity, ideal state moves up, act to reach ideal state (own current trustworthy car, new cars enter market and become so drastically different from our car until we act and buy new car)
information search
Internal: prior knowledge exists, memory, past experiences
External: no or limited prior knowledge likely; personal sources (friends, family), public sources (blogs, product reviews), market-dominated sources (advertising, media releases, posts on brand’s accounts)
evaluation of alternatives
Evaluate and compare all products on attributes that have the ability to deliver the benefit that they are seeking
Awareness set: evoked, inert, and inept set
evoked set (consideration set)
positive impression
inert set
no impression
inept set
negative impression
purchase decision
a) What will be purchased
b) From whom to purchase: price point, return policy, convenience, knowledge of/experience with seller
c) When to purchase:
sales/promotions, shopping experience, time pressure to buy, finances
post-purchase evaluation
Compare product to expectations to assess satisfaction
Impacts future behaviours:
Whether product will be purchased again
Whether additional products from the brand will be purchased
Whether the product or brand will be recommended
cognitive dissonance theory
Buyer discomfort caused by post-purchase conflict
State of simultaneously holding conflicting beliefs or taking action that conflicts with beliefs
Results in tension or anxiety
Is uncomfortable and people are motivated to reduce it
3 ways to reduce cognitive dissonance
Change belief, change behaviour, rationalize existence of belief and behaviour
cognitive dissonance in consumer behaviour
Post-purchase cognitive dissonance may occur
Purchase of one product contrasted against positive aspects of other products
Tension from comparisons can be reduced by follow-up seller and by marketing strategies focused on differentiation
Younger customers experience cognitive dissonance more than older customers
involvement in the purchase decision process
Effort, energy, time differs based on consumer involvement: interest and importance that a consumer attaches to the purchase and consumption of a product
High involvement if:
Expensive
Bought infrequently
Impact social social image
choice overload hypothesis definition
Suggest that extensive choice can be demotivating
Choice can be cognitively taxing