Consumer behaviour

Under the purchasing behavior (including buyer behavior, consumer behavior or customer behavior ) refers to the behavior of the buyer in relation to the sale of goods. The behavior during the purchase of goods, from the purchase planning and purchase transaction (s), completed the purchase, which always has contractual nature, to post-purchase behavior is highly variable. The buying behavior among merchants that may appear on the solicitation process and / or long negotiations and possibly also in Shopping bodies connected differs sometimes significantly from the buying behavior of non-traders, there are state institutions, often on the basis of tenders decide, or whether they are consumers with very different patterns of behavior. More generally however, one can characterize the notion of consumer behavior so as to include all individual actions that can be observed in connection with the purchase or consumption of economic goods.

• 5.1 activation
• 5.2 motivation
• 5.3 Emotion
• 5.4 involvement
• 5.5 Setting
• 5.6 Customer Satisfaction
• 5.7 values ​​and lifestyle 5.7.1 values
• 5.7.2 Lifestyle

Overview

The first is to highlight three players in the market. Consumers in the sense of end users, the company within the meaning of producers and major public organizations. Each of these actors can now take on the roles buyer or seller, so there may be 9 different constellations between the participants. The table abstracts these relationships:

In general, the marketing research focuses on the two constellations Business-to -Consumer ( B2C) and business-to -business ( B2B), so the consumption behavior of individuals or small groups and transactions between companies within the meaning of buyers and suppliers.

The buying behavior of organizations is examined under the concept of Organizational Buying Behaviour. It is typical of the buying behavior of organizations that often several people are involved in the decision-making process.

Scientific influences

Analysis, explanation and prediction and influencing the behavior of market participants is a central task of marketing in general.

Many science and science types intertwine in this topic. There are separate areas of research which are responsible for the collection and empirical modeling and other then bring them to the application. In addition to general market research the areas of psychology, sociology and anthropology play a supporting role. Something is specialized market psychology; after Salcher (1995 ) it is the applied science "the analysis that leads beyond the mere description of behavior addition to the explanation of causes and to detect only partially conscious wishes, ideas and needs. "

Seen from a psychological point of view are consumers or purchasing decisions at the center, which draw the bow back to decision theory. Through these attempts are the questions of where, when, how and why to clarify the purchasing decisions.

The buying behavior of customers of wholesale and retail services is specially analyzed in the Study of commerce, especially in their newer branch of trading psychology.

Continued use of the results can be found in consumer products marketing and trade marketing.

Types of purchasing behavior

One distinguishes classic four types of purchasing behavior:

• Extensive buying behavior: real purchasing decisions; cognitive participation and information needs are great, also takes the decision relatively long; Most often these are high-quality, durable goods
• Habitual buying behavior: habit behavior; on the search for alternatives is waived, to stimuli is virtually unresponsive; It is mainly to convenience goods
• Limited purchasing behavior: a limited selection of products, without favoritism ( evoked set); these alternatives be compared but consciously. Condensed decision-making process: as soon as a suitable product is found, the decision process is terminated; possible reasons: time limitation, convenience (eg clothing), relying on well-known brands.
• Impulsive buying behavior: spontaneous, affective reactions at point of sale

In addition, a fifth special form of purchasing behavior is well known:

• Variety -seeking buying behavior: is rarely considered, since there are unclear transitions, because of the variety desire often arises " impulsive ", so it is partially not "real"

However, this classification of purchasing behavior is not to be applied by analogy to the consumers as a whole. A decision-maker may be forced by circumstances to make a choice in a very short time; then there is no time for extensive planning and comparisons. It is also likely that a consumer who habitually behaves at the bakery ( always buys the same bun places ), nevertheless extensively deals with the purchase of a new car.

Models of purchasing behavior

Heribert Meffert categorized two ways in the literature enforced models:

• Total models ( try all significant determinants of purchasing behavior to integrate ) Structural models ( explain relationships between the constructs of purchasing behavior )
• Process models ( look at different stages of the purchase decision)

Regardless of model type in which one processes information collected can be relatively accurately tell which factors need to be investigated. For the purpose of the SOR paradigm is divided into:

• Intrapersonal or psychological factors and
• Interpersonal and social factors

The individual is shaped by society, values ​​and norms, family and culture. To influence these factors is not the task of marketing.

Total models

• Class model by Engel, Blackwell and Kollat

• Model of Howard and Sheth (1969 )

Partial models

• Psychological approaches ( emotion theory, design theory, attitude theory, risk theory )
• Sociological approaches ( diffusion theory, model theory group, peer groups )
• Microeconomic Approach ( homo economicus )

Central constructs to explain consumer behavior

Christian Homburg and Harley Krohmer turn call eight central constructs with which the consumer behavior can largely explain:

Activation

Activation refers to the excitation ( " mental activity" ) of consumers who stimulates them to action, as well as the supply of consumers with energy to put him into a state of efficiency. The Enabled awareness, in turn, is the basis of all other factors. It describes the internal state of excitation of the people, especially the excitation of the central nervous system. Thus, the motivation is characterized for information acquisition and processing.

Generally, there are two types of activation:

• Tonic activation: general, only slowly changing performance of individuals.
• Phasic activation: short-term activation, which is triggered by certain stimuli; in that it leads to attention, which in turn in the context of information acquisition plays an important role, it is highly relevant for the marketing and therefore also for consumer behavior.

A model for representing the relationship between activation level and performance is the so-called lambda hypothesis, which states that with increasing activation of the performance of an individual up to a maximum increase ( stage of " waking attention "); the area between non-activation ( sleep) and alert attention is called normal activation. After this area, there is an over- activation of the individual to panic, wherein the efficiency, and thus the ability to receive information ( on products ), and to process decreases.

The task of marketing is to know the degree of activation of the consumers and to influence profitable, that is to weak or strong awareness Enabled by stimuli (emotional, cognitive, physical) is to increase or attenuate to both inattention and the boomerang effect overactivation be avoided. This one is confronted at the present time rather irritable or information overload ( especially on the Internet, the lost in hyperspace phenomenon or banner blindness ). Human behavior in this respect is relatively well known, so that the use of color, music ( Muzak ) or odors ( perfume marketing) is widespread. Another example of the relevance of activation is reflected in the so-called auction fever, in which the excitation of the Mitbietenden (activation ), this lead to impulsive buying decisions.

Motivation

Motivation refers to the activating orientation of a person on a positive ( or negative) rated the target state and is aimed at the satisfaction of needs. The marketing here are a variety of motivational models available that can be used to find out what is the motivation for the behavior of consumers and how these can be addressed by the marketing. Here, the motivation theory of Maslow (1970, 1975) is in the consumer behavior research most widely used model.

So the individual has certain needs that must be recognized in order to edit it later as a concrete demand. However, individuals can not generate needs. As mentioned, there are knock-outs by the environment, cause we have certain preferences. In relation to products and services that certain associations can be. An important concept is the image.

With regard to the question of the origin of motivation usually the motivational psychology expectancy-value model and the VIE theory of Vroom (1964 ) are used.

The issue of how effective motivation can be analyzed and addressed by the marketing, can refer to the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, means-end analysis and laddering method above.

Emotion

An emotion refers to a spontaneous or prolonged emotional state of an individual, which is usually associated with physical arousal. Emotions influence the buying and consumer behavior significantly, by influencing the assessment and retrieval of information (pertaining to products) and the resulting judgment.

There are many different kinds of emotions and as many categorizations of emotions; examples which may be of affect, sensation, passion, mood, mood and lifestyle called, which were categorized in descending order according to the criterion of the situation dependency. Concerning the origin of emotions emotion research provides two key approaches, the first emotions sees as results of the interpretation of subjective events, and the second assumes that the emotions on biological cues that are anchored in the genome, based, for example, a pleasure response in the performance of pleasant stimuli (eg scents).

The marketing will use those findings to differentiate products through emotional experiences; one speaks here of emotional conditioning. The attempt to achieve such conditioning, usually happens on communication policy and aims to address of those emotions, which would most likely connect with the relevant product, the consumer.

Involvement

Involvement refers to a targeted form of activation of the consumer information search, information acquisition, information processing and storage, which allows the consumer behavior is affected. The involvement of an individual can be classically according to three criteria differentiate, namely the temporal continuity, the recourse of the consumer in the purchase decision on either cognitions or emotions, and finally the severity of involvements:

• Criterion of continuity over time: Long-term involvement: the consumer has for a long period of time interest in a reference object (or product).
• Situational Involvement: the consumer has a passing interest in a reference object; this form of involvements occurring much more often than the long-term involvement.

• Criterion of recourse of the consumer on cognitions or emotions: Cognitive Involvement: the consumer is willing to learn relevant for the considered product information to reflect and process.
• Emotional Involvement: the consumer has with regard to a specific product special feelings (eg a fan of Tokio Hotel, who would be interested in buying a CD of this music group).

• Criterion of the degree of intensity of involvements: Low involvement: a low - level involvement is usually characterized as the product considered for the consumer is connected relatively unimportant and only a low risk. This results in a passive / recurring behavior decision (decision routine). Furthermore, low-involvement purchases are characterized in that they are based on a few simple criteria. Since the consumer in such a low -involvement purchases only searches for an acceptable level of satisfaction, he buys mostly the brand, which he assumes that it would cause the least problems.
• High involvement: a high involvement level in turn is given if the consumer holds the product considered as important and the product purchase is often subject to a high risk. This has an active / complex purchasing decision-making process the result according to which the purchase is done on the basis of a detailed comparison of different brands with many complex criteria. Finally, that brand is purchased, of which assumes the consumer that they would provide the greatest benefit, with which he tries to maximize his satisfaction by dropping an optimal decision.

The degree of involvements and the use of cognitions and emotions are the two characteristics by which the buying behavior typically impulsive, habitualisiertes, extensive primary and rational purchasing behavior ( Homburg / Krohmer ) can be divided (see types of purchasing behavior ).

In marketing, this in turn means basically three aspects that need to be taken into account:

• Compliance with the associated with the relevant product average involvement with customers; any differentiation of the distribution channels for corporate products with different levels of involvement.
• Use of high situational involvement for customer marketing.
• Possibility of influencing the marginal involvements of consumers by raising awareness among customers for these products.

Setting

An attitude is a relatively time -resistant inner attitude of mind of the consumer relative to a reference object (eg a person, idea or thing), in conjunction with a summary or an expectation. A setting affects the behavioral intention of consumers - and therefore their purchasing behavior - directly. It is important to note that although the setting has a very strong influence on the behavioral intention, which in turn plays an important role in the buying behavior, the setting itself has only a small direct impact on the actual behavior, which significantly influenced by other factors such as the available budget, is influenced and sometimes limited.

General settings can be in different types of settings in terms of a typology of five different criteria:

• Component: cognitively dominated setting: the setting of the reference object based on theoretically valued information about the object.
• Emotionally dominated setting: the setting relating to the Underlying results from feelings toward the object.

• Underlying: specific setting: refers to concrete objects (eg, over the wine at a winery ).
• Categorical setting: refers to object categories (eg product categories), but not on individual objects.

• Origin: attitude adopted: based on external information.
• Experience-based setting: results from the personal experience of the consumer with the reference object.

• Temporal stability: stable setting: strong anchoring of the setting in long-term memory of the consumer, by marketing only slightly changed.
• Unstable setting: minimal anchoring the setting in long-term memory of the consumer greatly changed by marketing.

To answer the question of the origin of settings, the model of Fishbein can be used, which explains the origin of settings from the fact that the consumer perceives and evaluates different product or object properties.

For marketing in turn settings mean three things: first, the influencing attitudes through the use of appropriate communication tools and adequate design of the communication presentation, on the other influencing attitudes in the context of product policy, in which the design of existing and new products and brand management can make a significant contribution. Last settings for the marketing in terms relevant to the marketing policies, especially in the design of marketing activities.

Customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is a special form of adjustment of the customers in terms of satisfaction with the transaction or the relationship with the provider. Customer satisfaction is relevant for consumer behavior, as that customer satisfaction has an impact on customer loyalty and the price-related behavior of customers.

Regarding customer loyalty is important to note that satisfied customers buy more often the same product again, are willing to make additional purchases and are willing to the company and its products to their environment - and thus to other (potential) buyers - recommend.

The relationship with the price-related consumer behavior in turn is that the willingness to pay of the customer and their satisfaction are strongly correlated positively with the same company previously purchased products. This runs graphically addition to a function in which the first section, the willingness to pay with customer satisfaction rises sharply, followed by indifference region with constant willingness to pay follows, after which the willingness to pay again with customer satisfaction increases.

To explain the formation of customer satisfaction, the C / D- paradigm ( Konfirmations / disco company Auditions paradigm ) can be used, which is based on the comparison process an expected target performance, the standard of comparison, and a real actual performance, perceived performance. From this comparison process then results in three scenarios:

• Negative disco company Transportation ( actual value
• Confirmation ( actual = nominal ): has a satisfaction confirmation level result
• Positive disco company Transportation ( > Set ): has a customer satisfaction level on confirmation result (high satisfaction)

Depending on how the confirmation or disco company -tion fails, a corresponding customer behavior developed on the basis of the above-described effects of customer satisfaction on the purchase and consumer behavior.

The marketing in turn can use this knowledge to increase customer satisfaction as far as it is in the interest of the company ( customer satisfaction should not necessarily be maximized as otherwise emerge very high comparison standards that can no longer meet the company ). This means that marketing should strive to increase the quality of the service or the products sold to influence the quality perception of customers through positive communication policy and ultimately to influence the expectations of the customers so that they remain realistic.

Values ​​and lifestyle

Values

Values ​​are enduring beliefs that a specific behavior is positive; comprises all the values ​​of a consumer then makes his value system. The relevance of values ​​results from the fact that values ​​are standards of judgment and thus influence directly or indirectly on the purchasing behavior.

Generally, a distinction is taken between social and personal values ​​:

• Social values ​​: values ​​that are shared and accepted by most members of a society and are based on a cultural orientation framework.
• Personal values ​​: unconscious or conscious evaluation standards for themselves

The buying behavior is most strongly influenced by societal values ​​, as these are the personal values ​​influence significantly.

Lifestyle

A lifestyle is a way outwardly perceptible patterns of behavior, which is influenced by personal and social values ​​. In market research, consumers are grouped on the basis of their lifestyle to customer segments; one speaks here of lifestyle typologies. Lifestyle typologies are again very useful to explain or estimate of the consumption behavior of individuals as members of a lifestyle typology to exhibit similar buying behavior. Examples of lifestyle typologies sinus milieus be mentioned.

Environment factors

Generally leaves the environment of a people divided into three categories: physical environment, social environment and cultural environment.

• Physical environment: natural environment and created by man (artificial ) environment
• Social environment: closer social environment and other social environment
• Cultural environment: values, norms, attitudes and typical modes of behavior, but also language, symbols and religion

In terms of buying behavior the physical environment is relevant insofar as it creates natural and artificial conditions in which takes place the consumer behavior.

The social environment plays a much larger role, since consumer behavior is strongly influenced by role expectations. These relationships and interactions are discussed in the role theory. There is so much said about it than that the individual consumer be purchasing and consumption behavior according to the expectations that be closer or further social environment at him, aligns, where he often subordinates individual preferences societal expectations. The actors, in which the consumer oriented with respect to his role and his behavior, his reference group.

These reference groups have on the buying behavior of both a comparative influence, as they are standards of self-assessment for the individual, as well as a normative influence. The normative influence arises from the fact that the consumer believes the behavioral expectations of the reference group (standards ) to have to meet, with the purpose of increasing the acceptance of one's own reference group. A special role to play to the opinion leaders, which can strongly influence as a supposed expert and person with high credibility consumer behavior.

Perception, knowledge and the process of information processing

The perception in general is the process of information acquisition ( selection) and information processing (organization and interpretation). In marketing, this is important that the consumer recognizes an objectively good performance or a product as such. Condition is Enabled awareness.

A much debated issue is the subliminal, " subliminal " perception and whether and how these can be used by advertising or is utilized.

An additional factor is the knowledge and learning, from the viewpoint of conditioning. First, one can use unskilled reflexes, such as the grasp reflex: Customers on the fly back advertising in the form of flyers in hand. On the other hand, can also be specifically conditioned, such as in the associative advertising.

To improve customer loyalty or brand loyalty instrumental conditioning can be applied to help with adoption of the principle of reinforcement in psychology. There is a distinction between positive and negative reinforcement, often positive in marketing amplifier ( rewards ) are used. In practice this can be done in the form of debit cards, discounts or promotions ( "Take 2 paid 1").

Of further importance is the concept of learning in the model. In this case, the consumer pre- shows something and he shall be to imitate it. The celebrity status / popularity of Exhibiting plays a big role in this.

Analysis of purchasing patterns

The analysis of purchasing patterns can be done in many ways. Considering the number of interpersonal determinants to rate, you get a checklist, with the help of which one can, for example, manipulate and explore each factor individually.

The Enabled awareness may be physiologically investigated by measuring the electrical skin resistance ( electrodermal activity). The interrogation of attitudes toward products or brands can be done empirically, eg through interviews (in person, by telephone, online) or observation.

If one assumes a certain degree of customer loyalty and customers are already in possession of so-called loyalty cards, can you purchase behavior, and specifically analyzed in the context of the legal provisions, so that a customer profiling is possible.

A classic example of the match from an anonymous customer information provides the social commerce mail order amazon.com, the products proposed on the basis of their own purchasing decisions and the preferences of other customers who comply with their own preferences.

The market research, as one of the most important tools of marketing can provide new approaches for the systematic collection, processing and analysis of data on consumer behavior ( among others).

Expiration of the purchase decision

The process that leads to a purchase decision and thus the acquisition of a good may be a model divided ideally into six steps:

The decision requires a stimulation, which may be either internal or external nature to achieve a desired position, or sensation. Prerequisite for the creation of this stimulation is not or only inadequately unmet need.

Frequently run purchasing decisions but also simplified in the first four decision steps. The following typology of purchasing decisions were therefore made ​​.

• Extensive purchasing decision - purchase only comes after careful consideration
• Limited purchase decision - simplified purchase decision
• Habitualised purchase decision - habitual buying decision
• Impulsive buying decision - stimulus-controlled purchase decision, impulse buying

The involvement, ie the cognitive or emotional involvement of the consumer decision-making process is differently high. While the extensive purchasing decision a very high cognitive involvement occurs when habitualized this purchase is very low. Even with the impulsive purchase decision almost no cognitions are in the game, but the emotional involvement, in turn, can be very high.

When habitual Buying Decision Process is greatly shortened and the buyer selects an alternative from his Evoked Set of. In the limiting case of addiction purchase even omitted a conscious decision-making process concerning the selection of the purchase object. The impulse buy is sometimes referred to as unplanned purchase (which was not planned at entering a store ). Unplanned but is not a purchase. Only the decision-making process is running extremely quickly: unexpected perception of an article, a short examination of needs and existing financial resources, purchasing decisions - all in a split second.

Influence methods

The producers try the buying decision, using the tools of the marketing mix to influence for their benefit, and the trading companies set themselves a broad spectrum of psycho strategic and tactical instruments of trade marketing. Since most buying decisions are made in the outlets of the stationary retail trade, it is important to use the same stimuli stimulating and relaxing elements in the purchase situation. " Will it be possible to put customers in a positive (re) tuning, this leads to a positive perception of the commercial service offered as well to greater buying pleasure to increased acceptance and to greater sales success of the shopping center. "

In the phases 2-5 of the above-mentioned Process of purchase decision is particularly the systematic follow-up by the relevant providers to attract customers.

Differing importance

Sometimes the term consumer behavior is also used to express the basic willingness of a person or a group to consume.