НАУЧНАЯ БИБЛИОТЕКА - РЕФЕРАТЫ - Consumer behavior

Consumer behavior

Contents

Introduction

1. Consumer Behaviour. Types of Consumer Buying Situation

2. Factors influencing a consumer's behavior

3. Buyer Decision Making Processes

4. Implications for Marketing Strategy

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

An important part of the marketing process is to understand why a customer or buyer makes a purchase. Without such an understanding, businesses find it hard to respond to the customer's needs and wants. Marketing theory traditionally splits analysis of buyer or customer behaviour into two broad groups for analysis - Consumer Buyers and Industrial Buyers Consumer buyers are those who purchase items for their personal consumption. Industrial buyers are those who purchase items on behalf of their business or organization.

The purposes of this report is to display an understanding of the theoretical framework of buyer behaviour, to appraise the links between marketing communications and buyer behaviour theory and to discuss the impact of the major variables influencing buying behaviour.

1. Consumer Behaviour. Types of Consumer Buying Situation

We are not perfectly rational, sensible buyers. We do not always choose goods and services solely on price, performance and availability. The truth is that many purchases are influenced by a whole host of emotional reasons like esteem and image. Many of these non-rational reasons are hidden deep in our subconscious.

In-depth research probes into the darker depths of our unconscious. Some research presents such bizarre explanations that many marketers reject the findings.

Research helps find the real reasons why we buy what we buy. This requires time, money and expertise. Surprisingly many other organisations don't really know exactly why their customers buy or don't buy from them. Yet understanding customers is at the heart of marketing. Once the reasons why people buy or don't buy are discovered, the marketing mix can be changed to suit the buyer's needs and wants.

Buyer behaviour involves both simple and complex mental processes. Marketers cannot capture human nature in its entirety but we can learn a lot about customers through research, observation and thinking. Here's Professor Theodore Levitt:

I think it is a process of trying to think your way through why peop