Buyer Behavior
Definitions
Consumer Buying Behavior
– Buying behavior of individuals and households
that buy products for personal consumption.
Consumer Market
– All individuals/households who buy products for
personal consumption.
Model of
Consumer Behavior
Stimulus Response Model
– Marketing and other stimuli enter the buyer’s
“black box” and produce certain choice/purchase
responses.
– Marketers must figure out what is inside of the
buyer’s “black box” and how stimuli are changed
to responses.
Characteristics Affecting Consumer
Behavior
Cultural Culture
Social Subculture
– Hispanic consumers
Personal
– African Americans
Psychological – Asian Americans
– Mature consumers
Social Class
Cultural Groups
– Membership
Social – Reference
Personal Aspirational groups
Psychological – Opinion leaders
Buzz marketing
Family
– Children can influence
Roles and Status
Cultural Age and life cycle
Occupation
Social Economic situation
Personal Lifestyle
– Activities, interests, and
Psychological opinions
– Lifestyle segmentation
Personality and self-concept
• Brand personality
Sincerity
Ruggedness Excitement
Competence
Sophistication
Cultural Motivation
– Needs provide motives for
Social consumer behavior
– Motivation research
Personal
– Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Psychological Perception
– Selective attention, selective
distortion, selective retention
Learning
– Drives, stimuli, cues,
responses and reinforcement
Beliefs and attitudes
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Self Actualization
Esteem
Social
Safety
Physiological
The Buyer Decision Process
Five Stages:
– Need recognition
– Information search
– Evaluation of alternatives
– Purchase decision
– Post-purchase behavior
Process Stages
Need recognition Needs can be triggered
by:
Information search
– Internal stimuli
Evaluation of Normal needs become
alternatives strong enough to drive
behavior
Purchase decision – External stimuli
Post-purchase Advertisements
Friends of friends
behavior
Process Stages
Need recognition Consumers exhibit
heightened attention or
Information actively search for
search information.
Evaluation of Sources of information:
alternatives – Personal
Purchase decision – Commercial
– Public
Post-purchase – Experiential
behavior
Word-of-mouth
Process Stages
Need recognition Evaluation procedure
depends on the consumer
Information search and the buying situation.
Evaluation of Most buyers evaluate
alternatives multiple attributes, each
of which is weighted
Purchase decision differently.
Post-purchase At the end of the
behavior evaluation stage,
purchase intentions are
formed.
Process Stages
Need recognition Two factors intercede
Information search between purchase
intentions and the
Evaluation of actual decision:
alternatives – Attitudes of others
Purchase – Unexpected situational
factors
decision
Post-purchase
behavior
Process Stages
Need recognition Satisfaction is important:
– Delighted consumers
Information search engage in positive word-of-
mouth.
Evaluation of
– Unhappy customers tell on
alternatives average 11 other people.
Purchase decision – It costs more to attract a
new customer than it does
Post-purchase to retain an existing
customer.
behavior Cognitive dissonance is
common
Stages in Adoption Process
Awareness
Evaluation
Interest
Trial
Adoption
Stages in Adoption Process
Awareness — Consumers learns the brand name
and product attributes.
Interest — Consumers relate the product benefits to
their own needs.
Evaluation — Consumers compare the goods with
existing alternatives.
Trial — Consumers obtain direct or vicarious
product experience.
Adoption/Reject—Consumers choose/reject the
innovation as a permanent solution.
Adopter Categories
Innovators
Early Adopters
Early Majority
Late Majority
Laggards
Adopter Categories
Innovators
Early Early Late
Adopters Majority Majority Laggards
2.5% 13.5% 34% 34% 16%
Adopter Categories
Innovators — 2.5% — Venturesome
Very eager to try new ideas; acceptable if risk is
daring; more cosmopolite social relationship;
communicates with other innovators
Early Adopters — 13.5% — Respect
– More integrated into local social system; greatest
number of opinion leaders, role models - persons
to check with before adopting a new idea
Adopter Categories
Early Majority — 34% — Deliberate
– Adopt new ideas just prior to the average time;
seldom hold leadership positions; deliberate for
some time before purchasing
Late Majority — 34% — Skeptical
– Adopt new ideas just after the average time;
adoption may be economic necessity & from peer
pressure; approach innovation cautiously
Adopter Categories
Laggards — 16% — Traditional
– Last people to adopt an innovation; most
parochial in outlook; oriented toward the past;
suspicious of the new
