Cultural Factors affecting Consumer Behaviour
February 12, 2025
International Retailing is seeing exciting times. With globalisation and availability of new market opportunities, we see a lot of aggression from International Retailers in consolidating their operations within the country and setting up new outlets in emerging markets such as South East Asia. International buying and supply chain has undergone a series of evolution since […]
Innovation is the name of the game as far as companies in the 21st century are concerned. To compete effectively in the marketplace of this decade, companies need to either innovate or perish. Hence, innovation is the latest buzzword among the corporates. The innovation cycle as applied to product management consists of three stages: The […]
The observation method involves human or mechanical observation of what people actually do or what events take place during a buying or consumption situation. “Information is collected by observing process at work”. The following are a few situations:- Service Stations – Pose as a customer, go to a service station and observe. To evaluate the […]
As an affiliate, one of the first major decisions that need to be made is selecting an affiliate program. This program then forms the basis of all the time and money that the affiliate would spend trying to generate a sustainable income. You cannot win too often if the playing field is unfavorable! Choosing the […]
Welcome to the Experience Economy We live in the New Economy or the Digital Economy where consumers no longer consume products and services not only for the intrinsic value that they get from consumption but also as a way of “experiencing” value-driven processes. In other words, when consumers buy a brand or invest money in […]
Consumer Behaviour deals with the study of buying behaviour of consumers.
Let us understand the effect of psychological factors on consumer behaviour:
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.
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:
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 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.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *