Determinants of Consumer Behaviour

Q. What is consumes behaviour? What are the various determinants of consumer behavior? Or Q. How can we analyze consumer market and what are determinants which tell buyer behavior? Ans. The most important issue for the marketers is to identify the needs of the consumers because customer and consumer makes the marketing process complete. According the Hawkins Best and Coneef The field of consumer behavior is the study of individual groups or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of product, services, experiences or ideas to satisfy needs and the impact that these processes have on the consumer and society. The above definition conclude that consumer behavior is the study of consumer regarding what they buy, when do they buy, from where they buy, how frequently they buy, and how they use certain products. But this definition not only conclude this thing but they goes further study for post purchase and evaluation of the consumers. The consumer behavior studies that how individual groups and organization select buy use and dispose of goods and services, ideas and experience to satisfy their needs and desires. Marketing manages rely on a 7 Os framework for consumer research to understand the key questions abort any market.

Who constitute the market - occupants What does the market buy - objects Why does the market buy - objectives Who participate in buying - organisations people How does the market buy - operations When does the market buy - occasions Where does the market buy outlets

Consumer Buying Dynamic or Determinants of Consumer Behaviour

There are four factors which determine the consumes behaviour are as follows :-

1. Psychological : A persons acquired needs are influenced by certain psychological factors such as motivation, perception, learning and personality. a) Motivation : Motivation means influencing the behavior of people to do or not to do certain activities. b) Perception : It is a process by which an individual selects stimuli, organizes information about whose stimuli and interprets the information. Stimuli is a reaction of person comes out suddenly for a movement. No consumer purchase can take place unless a consumer perceives that the product or services will off the benefits her or she needs. c) Learning : It is a continuous process by which individual acquire knowledge so that it causes a permanent change in behaviour. Learning reflects both current and past experience. Consumer behaviour is largely learned behaviour. d) Personality : Personality depends on two characteristic of a person that is a persons physical appearance and his mental ability.

2. Personal Factors : A consumers decisions are also affected by his personal characteristics including age, occupation and life style. a) Age and Stage in Life Cycle : The need for different product changes with passing of age. Life for babies and children need milk powder, toys, baby foods. For adult require clothing, educational facilities and much more items related to fashion. With different stage of life there is need for different products such as unmarried needs educations facilities, married needs some home appliances, and other thing used in home. b) Education and Occupation : Level of educations also influence how decision are made. They seed books, healthies foods and entertainment. Same in occupation, people in different occupation needs different products. Like type of occupation affect the type of clothing a person boys, transportation choices, food purchases etc. c) Life Style : It is a patterns in which people live and spend their money and time. These are based on consumers motivation, learning, social class, demographics and other varieties.

d) Economic Circumstances : The choices regarding product is greatly affected by persons economic circumstances. It consists of consumers spend able income, saving, assets, borrowing, power, perception and attitude towards spending and saving etc.

3. Social : These includes family and their role and status. a) Family : These also influence the buying behaviour like women make decision related to buying household items like healthcare products, food, landing supplies and kitchenware etc. b) Role and Status : A role is a set of functions and activities that a person in a particular position is expected to perform since people possess different position within groups, institute, organization, societies and families, they have different roles to play.

4. Cultural Factor : This factor influence the consumer behaviour by his culture, subculture and social class. a) Culture : It is a process is which people come together and have formed common action and reaction patterns, common ways of doing things, forming common values and beliefs to help one decide what to do or what not to do. b) Sub-culture : A subculture is a segment of large culture whole member share distinguishing patterns of behaviour part of nationality, religious, regionality and even age characterize subculture. Eg. India as a whole consider as a culture but different states like Punjab, Haryana, J&K are considered as subculture.