Types of Consumer Buying

Behaviour
Dr. Poonam Madan

Consider
People who buy Harley Davidson motorcycles
People who buy Mercedes
What is the buying behavior of these two types of
people?
Would the same marketing strategy work for both
groups?

 7O framework to define the market

Who constitutes the market?

Occupants
What does the market buy?
Objects
Why does the market buy?
Objectives
Who participates in the buying?Organizations
How does the market buy?
Operations
When does the market buy?
Occasions
Where does the market buy? Outlets

Types of Buying-Decision
Behavior
Difference
between
brands
Significant
Differences
Few
Differences

Involvement Level
High
Low

Complex
buying
behavior
Dissonancereducing
buying
behavior

Varietyseeking
buying
behavior
Habitual

buying
behavior

Types of Buying Behavior

Types of consumer buying behavior

are determined by:
Level of Involvement in purchase decision
Buyers level of involvement determines why he/she is
motivated to seek information about a certain products
and brands but virtually ignores others.
High involvement purchases--Honda Motorbike, high
priced goods, products visible to others, and the higher
the risk the higher the involvement.
Types of risk:
Personal risk
Social risk
Economic risk

Low-Involvement Purchases

Moderating Effects
Low-involvement

Variety seekin

Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Complex buying behavior

Dissonance-reducing buying behavior
Habitual buying behavior
Variety-seeking buying behavior

Types of buyer behaviour

Complex buyer behaviour e.g. Intel
Pentium Processor
Dissonance-reducing behaviour (brand
reduces after-sales discomfort)
Habitual buying behaviour e.g. salt - little
difference
Variety seeking behaviour - significant
brand differences e.g soap powder

Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Complex Buying Behavior
When consumers are highly motivated in a purchase
and perceive significant differences among
brands
Purchasers are highly motivated when:

Product is expensive

Product is risky

Product is purchased infrequently

Product is highly self-expressive

Complex buying behaviour

This behaviour is characterised by rigorous and
detailed involvement by the buyer as various brands
of the commodity compete for the buyers attention.
When the buyer intends to purchase an expensive
product, accompanied with a massive risk factor
and purchased very rarely, this type of behaviour
comes into play.

Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Dissonance-reducing buying behavior
occurs when consumers are highly involved
with an expensive, infrequent, or risky
purchase, but see little difference among
brands

Types of Buying Behaviour contd...

Dissonance reducing buying behaviour

When the product in question is costly or has a risky factor in its

purchase but there are different brands that have less or no difference
this behaviour comes to play.

Buyers develop a sense of dissonance or feeling a discomfort after they

purchase the product because they fear it might be a failure after
having spent a lot of money on it.

Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Post-purchase dissonance occurs when the

consumer notices certain disadvantages of
the product purchased or hears favorable
things about a product not purchased

Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Habitual buying behavior occurs when
consumers have low involvement and
there is little significant brand difference

Types of Buying Behaviour contd...

Habitual buying behaviour

This buying behaviour in consumers arises when the products in

question have few or no significant differences and the consumer buys
the product that he/she has been using for sometime, without having to
switch to another brand.

When a consumer is offered with a choice between two substitute

products that have identical features, he/she will purchase the one that
he/ she had been using earlier as he/ she is accustomed to it.

Types of Buying Decision Behavior

Variety-seeking buying behavior occurs
when consumers have low involvement
and there are significant brand differences

Types of Buying Behaviour contd...

Variety seeking buying behaviour

Such behaviour takes place when the consumer has a variety of product
choice that tend to serve the same purpose.

As a result, consumers will buy any given brand at a given time without
having to make a choice between them.

Variety-Seeking vs. Habit

Persistence
Variety-Seeking
Often driven by need for arousal
Preference-testing utility
Consumers often overestimate their variety
needs

Habit Persistence
Different from Loyalty
Typically driven by risk aversion