Consumer Behaviour
1) Introduction:
Consumer behaviour =:
the acquisition, consumption & disposition of goods, services, activities, experiences & ideas by
(human) decision-making units
• daily
• consciously & unconsciously
• rationally & emotionally
• influenced by advertising, social media, friends/family, celebrity, sport & marketing
communications
marketing:
firm consumer
-> what motivates a consumer to take an action?
Content course:
A) behaviorist approach:
• the study of how consumers respond to external stimuli
• learning via reinforcement
• implication: variables = external
• grocery store example:
B) cognitivist approach:
• the study of the mechanisms underlying consumer judgment & decision making
• key variables are constructs
• implication: variables = internal
• grocery store example:
,Questions in Consumer Behavior:
- How does sleepiness influence variety-seeking behavior?
in the middle of the day: seeking for more variety
- Do people make the same choices manually as they do verbally?
decisision in very non deliberate way bv. taking something with your hand -> much more
automatic/intuitive (an emotion would have more influence)
- Does a logo’s shape influence brand perceptions?
logo = triangle or square (angler logo) = better for soft drinks -> perceive that bubbles are sharper
(excentrates the feeling that you have when you drink a soft drink)
- Does “choosing” A or B lead to the same outcome as “rejecting” A or B?
- Do stressed consumers enjoy consumption experiences for a longer duration than non-stressed
consumers?
- Does exerting self-control at T1 encourage or discourage self-control at T2?
,2) Motivation, Ability & Opportunity:
Quizvraag klas: which motivates you to do well in academics:
a) perceiving you have made progress on an academix goal
-> feeling you made progess: can think ‘oh oke I will slow it down, put foot of the gas
= demotivating
b) perceiving you are committed to an academic goal
-> according to research = commitment the best motivator
Motivation:
motivation framework of CB:
motivation =
‘an inner state of arousal that provides energy needed to achieve a goal’
• the motivated consumer = energized, ready & willing to engage in goal-relevant activity
• consumers can be motivated to engage in behaviors, make decisions or process information
• motivation = related to important consumer decisions including those about acquiring, using
& disposing of goods
Effects of motivation:
A) high-effort behavior: drives that bring goal closer / increase willingness to spend time & money
B) high-effort information processing:
∙ increased attention
∙ motivated reasoning: motivation to support a conclusion/learn something
Drivers of motivation:
1) personal relevance:
• direct bearing on the self that has potentially significant consequence or implication
• consistency with:
∙ self-concept:
- our view of who we are
- you have different “identities” (bv. KUL student, sister, footballplayer,…)
- each identity can vary in terms of how salient it’s at a given moment
- bv. more likely to buy schoolstuff when studentidentity is activated
∙ self-construal:
- our view of who we are based on our relationship with others
-> “independent” construal:
> see the self as unique, distinct & in terms of your individual aspects
> more likely to take risks (fashion, taste,…)
> more in western cultures
, -> “interdependent” construal:
> derive sense of self from your relationships with others, primarily family & close
friends
> more in eastern cultures
> more likely to take financial risks (safetynet to rely on)
> bv. buy more thing that your friends like
2) values:
• principles
• core beliefs about what = right/wrong, important or good/bad
• content consistent with your values = motivating
3) needs:
• = tension caused by a disequilibrium (onevenwicht) in a consumer’s internal state
cues: (that activate needs)
- commercial: something you see in an ad
- social: friend saying something
- physiological: hunger, tiredness,…
• Maslow’s hierarchy:
-> everyone has certain needs they have to meet
-> meet lower needs before you can meet higher needs
-> some brands advertise the idea that they can meet
multiple needs
• categorizing needs (types):
A. - functional need: motivates to serve consumption-related problems
bv. car breaks -> have to go to the garage, hunger -> buy food,…
- symbolic need: how we perceive ourselves, how we’re perceived by others, how
we relate to others & the esteem in which we are held by others
bv. Harley Davidson drivers who buy that clothing,…
- hedonic need: sensory pleasure (you do it for fun)
bv. drinking alcohol
B. - social needs: achievement relates to other individuals
bv. in order to serve a consumption-related problem you need someone (bv. garagist)
- non-social needs: achievement doesn’t relates to other individuals