INTRODUCTION
- SCHIFFMAN & KANUK
"Consumer behaviour may be defined as the behaviour
that consumers display in searching for, purchasing
suing, evaluating and disposing of produces, services and
ideas which they expect will satisfy their needs."

Characteristics Of Buyer Behaviour
 Comprises both mental and physical activity of consumer.
 Buyer behaviour is a integral part of human behaviour
 Buyer behaviour is the process by which individuals decide
whether, what, when, from whom, where and how to buy.
 Buyer behaviour is very dynamic and complex
 In many cases, it is the sum total of the behaviour of a
number of persons
 It is influenced by internal factors such as
needs, habit, attitudes etc.. And external factors like
family, social group, culture etc…
 Consumer behaviour starts before buying and goes even
after buying

NEED OR IMPORTANCE OF STUDY OF
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
It is important for the marketers to
understand the buyer behaviour due to the following
reasons:
It helps in formulating effective marketing strategy.
It gives information regarding colour, design, and
other features that a consumer want in his product.
Thus it helps in formulating production policy.
It is important for framing suitable pricing policies.
Consumers demand more for quality products at
reasonable prices. Marketers should first study the
needs of consumers and then try to satisfy them.

NEED OR IMPORTANCE OF STUDY OF
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
 Rapid technological advancement compels the marketers
to study consumer behaviour.
 Understanding of consumer behaviour helps avoid or
minimise market failures.
 For effective market segmentation and target marketing, it
is essential to have an understanding of consumer and
their behaviour.

Types Of Consumer Buying Behaviour
 Complex buying behaviour
Eg: cars, homes, computers, education etc.
 Dissonance reducing buying behaviour- Cognitive
Dissonance
Eg: Mobile phone
 Variety seeking buying behaviour
Eg: Soap, Detergent, tooth paste etc..
 Habitual buying behaviour
Eg: Salt, Matches, Oil etc..

Stages Of The Consumer Buying Process

Stimuli
• Hunger
• Thirst
• A person’s normal
needs
Need Recognition
Difference between an actual state and a desired state
The Buyer Decision Process
Step 1. Need Recognition
External Stimuli
• TV advertising
• Magazine ad
• Radio slogan
•Stimuli in the
environment

•Family, friends, neighbors
•Most influential source of
information
•Advertising, salespeople
•Receives most information
from these sources
•Mass Media
•Consumer-rating groups
•Handling the product
•Examining the product
•Using the product
Personal Sources
Commercial Sources
Public Sources
Experiential Sources
The Buyer Decision Process
Step 2. Information Search

Product Attributes
Evaluation of Quality, Price, & Features
Degree of Importance
Which attributes matter most to me?
Brand Beliefs
What do I believe about each available brand?
Total Product Satisfaction
Based on what I’m looking for, how satisfied
would I be with each product?
Evaluation Procedures
Choosing a product (and brand) based on one
or more attributes.
The Buyer Decision Process
Step 3. Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase Intention
Desire to buy the most preferred brand
Purchase Decision
Attitudes
of others
Unexpected
situational
factors
The Buyer Decision Process
Step 4. Purchase Decision

Consumer’s Expectations of
Product’s Performance
Dissatisfied
Customer
Satisfied
Customer!
Product’s Perceived
Performance
Cognitive Dissonance
The Buyer Decision Process
Step 5. Postpurchase Behavior

Model of Consumer Behavior
Marketing and
Other Stimuli
Buyer’s Response
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
Economic
Technological
Political
Cultural
Characteristics
Affecting
Consumer
Behavior
Buyer’s
Decision
Process
Product Choice
Brand Choice
Dealer Choice
Purchase
Timing
Purchase
Amount

Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior

CULTURAL FACTORS
 Culture
 Sub Culture
 Social Class

SUB CULTURE
 Religion
 Geographical location
 Gender (male/female)

SOCIAL CLASS

SOCIAL FACTORS
 Reference Groups
 Family Members
 Relatives
 Role in the Society
 Status in the society

Table showing a traditional family life cycle
STAGE CHARACTERISTICS BUYING PATTERN
Bachelorhood Young people not living at
home
Fashionable and recreation
goods
Newly married couples Young couples without
children
Fashionable and leisure
articles, furnishings,
utensils
Full nest stage I Begins with the birth of the
first child in the family
Child’s clothes, food and
medical expenses
Full nest stage II Youngest child is at least six
years old
Child’s toys to bicycles and
education of children
Full nest stage III Teen aged or college going
children
Educational expenses
Empty nest I stage Older married couples
without any dependent
children living with them
Travel or home
improvement
Medical expenses
Solitary stage Death of a life partner Special needs for attention,
loving care and security.

PERSONAL FACTORS
 Occupation
 Age
 Economic Condition
 Lifestyle
 Personality

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
 Perception
 Learning
 Beliefs and Attitude
 Motivation

Two of the best - known theories of motivation are-
 Abraham Maslow
 Frederick Herzberg

Abraham Maslow – Hierarchy of Needs
Dfdsf
Dfdsf

HERZBERG’S THEORY
Frederick Herzberg developed a two factor theory that
distinguishes dissatisfiers (factors that cause dissatisfaction)
from satisfiers (factors that cause satisfaction). The absence
of dissatisfiers is not enough to motivate a purchase; satisfier
must be present .
Example- A computer that does not come with a warranty
would be a dissatisfier. Yet the presence of a product
warranty would not act as a satisfier or motivator of a
purchase, because it is not a source of intrinsic satisfaction.
Ease of use would be a satisfier.

TOOLS TO STUDY COSUMER BEHAVIOUR
 Surveys
 Projective Techniques
 Focus Group Discussions

CONCLUSION
As customer is the king, it is very important for
every organisation to understand the needs and wants of
their consumer and try to satisfy them. For this the study of
consumer behaviour is very essential.
Consumer Delight:
when the actual product performance exceeds the buyer’s
expectations, consumer will be highly satisfied . So excess of
actual product performance over the expectation is called
“consumer delight”.
Today consumer delight has therefore become a buzz word.