MSG Team's other articles

10791 Projective Techniques

Projective Techniques are indirect and unstructured methods of investigation which have been developed by the psychologists and use projection of respondents for inferring about underline motives, urges or intentions which cannot be secure through direct questioning as the respondent either resists to reveal them or is unable to figure out himself. These techniques are useful […]

11866 What is Good Corporate Governance ?

Corporate Governance is the art of directing and controlling the organization by balancing the needs of the various stakeholders. This often involves resolving conflicts of interest between the various stakeholders and ensuring that the organization is managed well meaning that the processes, procedures and policies are implemented according to the principles of transparency and accountability. […]

10333 The Media and its Contributions to Social Movements

The previous articles in this module discussed how the media plays a prominent role in acting like a watchdog in democracies. This article looks at how media can be a force for good in oppressive regimes and how a vigilant and alert media can help the citizenry overthrow unpopular and repressive rulers. The best example […]

11252 The 7 P’s of Services Marketing

The first four elements in the services marketing mix are the same as those in the traditional marketing mix. However, given the unique nature of services, the implications of these are slightly different in case of services. Product: In case of services, the ‘product’ is intangible, heterogeneous and perishable. Moreover, its production and consumption are […]

12773 Code of Conduct in Journalism

Need for a Code of Conduct In recent months, the media world has been hit with several scandals related to the way in which they have tried to manipulate the system for their benefit. If in the UK, the Rupert Murdoch owned NewsCorp was caught bribing the police to access personal details of people and […]

Search with tags

  • No tags available.

For understanding the buying behaviour of the customers in retail stores it is very important to analyze the customer psychology, the factors which influence a customer for buying certain products/services from the stores and also an analysis of the customer’s response towards a sales promotion is very critical.

Before analyzing the customer’s buying behaviour, let us first understand the basic differences between a customer and a consumer. A consumer is the ultimate user/beneficiary of the product/service whereas a customer is the one who purchases the product or a service. For example, a mother buys a chocolate for her son, the mother, in this case, will be considered as the customer as she has purchased the product and the son will the consumer as he will be using the product. In certain cases, a customer also becomes the consumer of a product, and their purchasing decisions are based on a number of factors like personal need or requirement, buying capacity, etc.

Analyzing and Identifying the Actual Customer

A lot of times it is nearly impossible to identify the actual customer or the real decision maker who will be going ahead with the purchase of a product/service. Hence, all who enter the retail store are considered as the customers. An understanding of the composition or the origin of the actual customers will help in the analysis of the customer’s buying behaviour in a much better manner:

  • Analysis of the customer composition: This includes analysis of the demographic factors like gender, age group, occupation, religion, economic & social status and nationality.

  • Understanding the Origin of the Customers: This involves an analysis of the place or location from where the customer reaches the retail store, travel time spent by the customer for reaching the retail store and the type of area in which the customer lives.

  • Assessment of the Customer Objective: An analysis of the objective of the customer is very crucial whether a customer is actually in the mood for buying a product or simply is engaged in a shopping endeavor.

Customer Buying Behaviour and Patterns

A customer’s buying behaviour is largely governed by the needs, preferences, and tastes of the consumers for whom the product/service is ultimately purchased. Numerous patterns influence the buying behaviour of the customers:

  • Place or the Location of Purchase: Lot of customers prefer to purchase their preferred products by visiting various stores in different locations for comparing the prices and the offers. Hence, a customer does not remain loyal to a single store for a very long period. A retail store should pay a lot of importance to the store location, identifying a distributor in the closer vicinity and also the nature of merchandise and the ready availability of stocks.

  • Type of Products to be Purchased and Quantity of Purchase: This essentially implies an analysis of the type of product which a customer will want to purchase and in how much quantity. This will depend on the following factors like:

    1. Buying capacity of the customer

    2. Product Perishability or durability

    3. Availability of the product choices

    4. Customer requirement of the product

    5. Whether the product is available in abundance or there is a shortage of the product

    6. Product storage

Frequency of Purchase and the Time During When a Product is Purchased

Retailers should adjust their work hours as per the peak time availability of the customers, which includes giving adequate consideration to various factors such as weather, seasonal variations, and the customer location. The product purchase frequency will largely depend upon the following factors:

  • The product type

  • Customer Lifestyle

  • How essential or necessary the product is

  • Festivals, Rituals, and Customs

  • The extent of influence of the individual who accompanies the ultimate buyer of the product.

For example, an average middle-income group Indian customer may have the capacity of going ahead with the decision of purchasing a car for not more than three times across his/her lifetime, whereas an average middle-class customer of USA will buy cars and replace it more frequently.

Purchase Methods

This involves an analysis of the following factors such as:

  • Whether the customer is buying the product alone or is accompanied by someone else.

  • Whether a customer makes the payment by cash or by way of debit/credit cards, net banking or on a credit basis.

  • An analysis of the mode of conveyance of the customer.

Customers Response towards the Sales Promotional Techniques

Various sales promotion methods increase the impulsive buying behaviour of a customer as and when a customer enters the shop. The retailers depend upon the following sales promotion techniques for influencing the buying behaviour of their customers:

  • Product Displays: Product display create an aesthetic appeal and hence influence the buying behaviour of the customer.

  • Demonstration: Product demonstrations help a lot in motivating the customer for buying the product by making them aware of the usage of the products and or by distributing a product sample.

  • Special Schemes and Pricing: Various product schemes, offers, special prices during festive seasons or off season, coupons, special offers, contests, etc. play a crucial role in moulding the customer buying behaviour.

  • Sales talks delivered verbally by the sales reps at the store or printed advertisements also influence the buying behaviour of the customers.

It is believed an urban customer will have a different buying pattern as opposed to a rural customer. Urban customers have a fast lifestyle as a result of which they will have a preference for electronic gadgets or appliances such as Microwave ovens, mixer grinders, etc. for cooking the food faster. They will naturally be opting for ready to cook food over the raw food, but the rural customers usually come from a relaxed and a laid-back background, they have self-sufficiency in farming and would definitely prefer raw food or food grains.

Similarly, past few researches have proven that if a couple visits a store for shopping, they will usually be tending towards buying more than what is required as they will spend more time in the store, compare prices and look for the substitute/alternatives and find out newer products as well.

Article Written by

MSG Team

An insightful writer passionate about sharing expertise, trends, and tips, dedicated to inspiring and informing readers through engaging and thoughtful content.


Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Cross Merchandising – Meaning and Concept

MSG Team

Characteristics, Functions and Services of a Retailer

MSG Team