3. Consumer Behaviour
• Those activities directly involved in obtaining, consuming and disposing
of products & services, including the decision process that precede &
follow these actions.
• Most large companies research consumer buying decisions in great
detail to answer questions about what consumers buy, where they buy,
how and how much they buy, when they buy, and why they buy.
• But learning about the whys of consumer buying behavior is not so
easy—the answers are often locked deep within the consumer’s mind.
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5. Cultural Factors
Marketers need to understand the role played by
the buyer’s culture, subculture, and social class.
Culture - It is the set
of basic values
perceptions, wants,
and behaviours
learned by a member
of society from family
and other important
institutions.
Sub Culture - There
are many groups of
people in nearly
every country who
share common
geographic, ethnic,
racial, or religious
backgrounds.
Social Class - Every
society has its status
groupings largely
based on similarities
in income, education,
and occupation.
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6. Social Factors
A consumer’s behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as
the consumer’s small groups, family, and social roles and status.
Groups - A person’s
behaviour is influenced
by many small groups.
Some are primary
groups such as family.
Some are secondary
groups, which are more
formal and have less
regular interaction.
Family – It is the most
important consumer
buying organization in
society, and it has been
researched extensively.
Roles and Status - A role
consists of the activities
people are expected to
perform according to
the people around
them.
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7. Personal Factors
Age & Life cycle Stage - Tastes in food, clothes, furniture, and recreation are often
age related.
Occupation - Blue collar workers tend to buy more rugged work clothes, whereas
white-collar workers buy more business suits.
Economic situation - A person’s economic situation will affect his product choices.
Marketers watch trends in personal income, savings, and interest rates.
Life Style - Life Style is a person’s Pattern of living. it includes AIO dimensions, i.e.,
Activities, Interest and Opinions.
Personality - Personality refers to the unique psychological characteristics that
distinguish a person or group.
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8. Psychological Factors
Motivation - A person has many needs at any given time. A need
becomes a motive when it is aroused to a sufficient level of intensity.
Perception – It is the process by which people select, organize, and
interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world.
Learning - Learning describes changes in an individual’s behavior
arising from experience.
Beliefs – It is a descriptive thought that a person has about something.
It may be based on real knowledge, opinion, or faith.
Attitude - It describes a person’s relatively consistent evaluations,
feelings, and tendencies toward an object or idea.
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9. Apple Inc - Introduction
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak,
and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 to develop and
sell personal computers. It was named Apple Inc. on January
9, 2007 to reflect its focus towards consumer electronics.
Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of
computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone,
and the iPad tablet computer.
Apple has continuously come up with innovative products
making it the most valuable company in the world and
leaving behind all its competitors.
9Apple - Consumer Behaviour
10. Brand Loyalty
Few brands have such intense loyalty as that found in the hearts of core
Apple buyers.
At one end are the quietly satisfied Mac users, folks who own a Mac and
use it for e-mailing, browsing, and social networking.
At the other extreme, however, are the MacHeads or Macolytes. The Urban
Dictionary defines a Macolyte as “one who is fanatically devoted to Apple
products.”
Apple knows that, to Apple buyers, a Mac computer or an iPhone is much more
than just a piece of electronic equipment. It’s a part of the buyer’s own self-
expression and lifestyle—a part of what each person is”
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11. How do they do it?
In an interview with Fortune a few
years ago, Steve Jobs explained that
Apple never does market research.
Rather, they simply preoccupy
themselves with creating great
products. This is what makes it the
most innovative company.
“It isn't the consumers' job to know what they want. It's hard for
[consumers] to tell you what they want when they've never seen
anything remotely like it. “
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12. They do market research on their own customers
and what draws them to Apple products in the first
place.
And they don’t reveal the result of these research to
outsiders because if a competitor were to find out
what drives iPhone purchases - whether it be
FaceTime, battery life, or Siri - it would serve as an
unfair competitive edge to rival companies.
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13. An analyst says, “Apple is a marketing
and creative genius with a rare ability
to get inside the imaginations of
consumers and understand what will
captivate them.”
Apple’s obsession with understanding
customers and deepening their Apple
experience shows in everything the company
does. Eg: The Apple stores invite shoppers to
stay a while, use the equipment, and soak up
all of the exciting new technology.
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14. Conclusion
The Apple example shows that factors at many levels affect consumer
buying behavior. Buying behavior is never simple, yet understanding
it is an essential task of marketing management and the one who is
able to do it successfully, comes out as the winner.
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