消费者购买行为因素分析assignment

根据McInnis et al。(2009年,p.3)的定义，消费者的消费行为反映了整个市场的一种情况，包括企业之间的收购，消费者的消费，商家的服务，活动,消费体验,人们的想法等等。所罗门(2004)指出,在消费者购买行为的研究过程中可以，我们不难发现，当个人或团体选择、购买、使用或处置一个产品或享受一项服务的时候，都是为了满足自身的一种需求和欲望。当消费者在决定要购买的一瞬间，是整个消费过程的高潮，整个消费过程包括需要识别、信息搜索、选择和评价,购买,购买后评价。
 

Factors affecting Consumer Buying Behaviour:-影响消费者购买行为的因素:-
 

根据Madaan(2009年,p.82)指出，消费者行为受到多种因素的影响,但绝大多数是不受零售商的控制的。经研究，我们观察到，不同等级的产品，但是总体的趋势都是追求比较令人快乐，便利的消费，追求健康，个性的消费方式。在了解这些因素后，一些零售商和商家试图想出一些策略来影响消费者的购买行为。这些因素大致分为两个方面，即微观和宏观。
 

The Totality Of Consumers Decision Marketing Essay
 

McInnis et al. (2009, p.3) defined that consumer behavior reflects the totality of consumer’s decision with respect to acquisition, consumption and disposable of goods, services, activities, experiences, people and ideas by decision making. Soloman (2004) states that consumer buying behaviour is the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires. The decision to consume typically is the culmination of a series of stages that include need recognition, information search, and evaluation of alternatives, purchase, and post purchase evaluation.

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Factors affecting Consumer Buying Behaviour:影响消费者购买行为的因素

 

According to Madaan (2009, p.82) consumer behaviour is affected by several factors, most of them are not under control of retailers. It has been observed that across different product categories, trend is towards convience, sensory pleasure, wellness and individuality. With understanding of these factors, retailers and other marketerers try to influence buying behaviour. These factors have been divided broadly two levels i.e. micro and macro.

 

According to Biyani, group CEO, Future group India (2006) diverse society, multi-religion, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual are important factors that should be taking in consideration while making any strategy for retail business. Madaan (2009) claimed that culture is the mix of values, perceptions, beliefs, norms, customs, languages, way of life etc. learned by an individual as a member of society. It is inherited from one generation to another. It is likely inbuilt memory of a computer.  As an example in research it is found that social norms were found to have a greater impact on the buying intentions of Korean consumers than on those of US consumers (Lee and Green, 1991, p. 289-305) Same with working-class consumers tend to evaluate products in more practical terms such as sturdiness and comfort. They are less likely to experiment with new products or styles such as trying new food recipe.

 

One study in the Mexican market found that socio-economic variables, particularly social class, had a greater impact on consumer innovativeness than personality, attitude factors or communication variables (Medina and Michaels 1991, p.99-121) this segment presents a major opportunity for Western companies if they can appeal to traditional values and lifestyles. For instance, Indian middle-class consumers appreciate products like grinders, blenders and other food preparation aids which allow more easy preparation of traditional Indian foods. Product adaptation provides one avenue for Western marketers to appeal to these traditional values and lifestyles, and it might be beneficial to seek the cooperation of local manufacturers for this purpose.

 

2. Demographic factors: -人口因素

 

According to Macinnis (2008) demographic is mainly the study of population which covers gender ,age, population , household, size, residential status, growth rate of population , education, income distribution, occupation to name a few.

 

People's family and marital status influences their spending priorities. For example, young bachelors and newlyweds are the most likely to exercise, consume alcohol, and go to bars, concerts, and movies (Values & Culture, 2004). Biological and psychological changes across the life span and social demands across the life define typical life events and social roles in the person’s life that serve as turning points and determine his or her social trajectories ( Pulkkinen and Caspi 2002). People who belong to the same age group tend to share a set of values and common cultural experiences that they carry throughout life. Many products are sex typed, and consumers often associate them with one gender or the other. Marketers typically develop a product to appeal to one gender or the other.

 

Lambert (1979) investigates in an open ended interview with 510 consumers in Florida State from the respondents that were asked to express their views on what companies might do to help senior citizens. The leading desire was discounts for the elderly (cited by over 50 per cent of the sample), followed by improved retail european personnel-consumer interactions and aid in locating products (20-25 per cent), transportation services (particularly delivery services), clearer price tags and labels, faster checkout provision and the list was completed with rest facilities, purchasing assistance, parking and entrance concerns and finally package carryout. The older consumer appears to shop less frequently than other groups ( Martin,1975) and exhibits a clear preference for specific days (pension days in the UK) and times (usually before noon) on which to undertake shopping trips( Mason and Smith,1974), the explanation being that they prefer to avoid crowds and shop at quieter times.

 

In addition to above factors, political environment, economic environment and legal system are also parts of macro level factors affecting buying behaviour of consumers.

 

Micro Level factors--微观层面因素

 

1. Psychological Factors: - “Consumer Behaviour itself is a psychological” term, which constituent understanding of perception, attitude, motivation, involvement, learning, ability and knowledge help in better understanding of concepts. The business process of psychological factors identifies groups of consumers who are similar to one another in one or more ways and then devises marketing strategies that appeal to the needs of one or more of these groups. In a research Jacob et al.(1993) claimed that Japanese consumers were found to be more right brain oriented and Chinese consumers more left-brain oriented than American consumers. As a result, emotional advertising appealed more to the Japanese while factual advertising appealed more to the Chinese. While Japan is not a “developing country”, such findings illustrate the importance of studying cultural differences with respect to deeper psychological and sociological variables for marketing purposes. At the same time, Tan and Dolich (1983) indicate that there is considerable similarity between Singapore and US consumers in the way they use various information sources for buying grocery and food items. Such similarities might allow the standardization of marketing strategies used in different countries at least to a degree.

 

The Attitudes (Krafft, Murali & Mantrala , 2010) toward marketing/consumerism and the degree of customer orientation in a culture can give marketers important insights into marketing within a country. For instance, consumer-protection has historically not been given much prominence in India, and the Government has only recently attempted to set up consumer complaint forums. In some countries, consumers are reluctant to complain even when they have a problem.

 

In a research Varadarajan et al. (1991, p.121) found a high level of skepticism regarding the operating philosophy of retail business, and a general dissatisfaction with advertising, complaint handling procedures and information availability among both managers and consumers in India. Not surprisingly, consumers preferred government regulation and price controls to address these issues while managers preferred industry self-regulation.

 

2. Personal Factors:-个人因素

 

Raj (1995) states that consumer perception for different companies and their products are very different in different countries, and mainly there are three types of consumer perceptions especially important to marketers. These are perceptions relating to the country of origin, brand equity, and price-quality relationships.

 

1. Country of origin--原产国

 

In particular may be an important keepsake that creates a first impression and provokes consumers to think more specifically about a product’s attributes and the desirability of those attributes (Hong and Wyer, 1989). For example, while the phrase “made in America” is perceived positively in China and Singapore (Zimmerman, 1986) the same cannot be said of several Middle Eastern countries.#p#分页标题#e#

 

2. Brand Equity:-品牌价值

 

Brand equity is another aspect of perception. Many Western and Japanese brands are well known in eastern Europe and the south east Asian countries, and consumers often view them as being of higher quality than local brands. For example, (The Economist, 1990, p. 71) one study reported that Hungarian consumers recognized 252 Western brands, while the Poles recognized 175, and the Russian consumers recognized about 100. One useful technique for marketers is to categorize brands using the two dimensions of country equity and brand equity in order to design marketing strategies uniquely suited to specific brands (Shimp et al., 1993).

 

3. Price Quality Relationship:-价格与质量之间的关系

 

The third aspect of perception is price-quality relationships. While a positive price-quality relationship is likely to exist in most cultures, the higher prices in developing countries due to high inflation often force the consumer to discount the impact of price and resort to other means to evaluate quality. For example, Yucelt (1989, p.55-81) found that consumers in Turkey rely on word-of mouth communication more than price as a means to judge quality . Similarly, eastern Germans have been found to rely on personal experience and the opinions of friends and relatives to a greater degree than do western Germans in judging the quality of products (Johnson and Johnson, 1993).

 

Consumer Decision Making Process:-

Traditionally, consumer researchers have approached decision making from a rational perspective. In this view, consumers calmly and carefully integrate as much information as possible with what they already know about a product, weigh the pluses and minuses of each alternative carefully, and arrive at satisfactory decisions. This knowledge will enable them to develop products that emphasize appropriate attributes and to tailor promotional strategies to deliver the types of information most likely to be desired in the most effective formats.

 

Need Recognition-需求认知
 

The decision-making process begins with the stage of need recognition, when the consumer experiences a significant difference between his or her current state of affairs and some desired state. A person who is hungry recognizes a need, as does the person who becomes dissatisfied with the quality of the even though there is nothing scientifically wrong with it.

 

Information Search-信息调查
 

Need recognition prompts information search, that is, a scan of the environment to identify the options available to satisfy the need. As a rule, purchase decisions that involve extensive search also entail perceived risk, that is, the belief that a poor choice will produce potentially negative consequences. Perceived risk may be a factor if the product is expensive, complex, and hard to understand or if the consumer believes that the product will not work as promised and/or could pose a safety risk. Alternatively, perceived risk can be present when a product choice is visible to others and the consumer runs the risk of social embarrassment if the wrong choice is made.

 

Evaluation of Alternatives-选择评估
 

Information search yields a set of alternative solutions to satisfy the need. The answer varies depending on the decision-making process used. A consumer engaged in extended problem solving may carefully evaluate several brands, whereas someone making a habitual decision might not consider any alternatives to his or her normal brand. Variety seeking, or the desire to choose new alternatives over more familiar ones, can also play a role; consumers at times are willing to trade enjoyment for variety because the unpredictability itself is rewarding.

 

Purchase:-购买
 

Once a need has been recognized, a set of feasible options (often competing brands) that will satisfy the need have been identified, and each of these options has been evaluated, the “moment of truth” arrives: The consumer must make a choice and actually procure the product or service. However, other factors at the time of purchase may influence this decision. A consumption situation is defined by factors beyond characteristics of the product that influence a purchase decision. These factors can be behavioral (e.g., entertaining friends) or perceptual (e.g., being depressed, feeling pressed for time).

 

Customer Satisfaction:-顾客满意度

 

The degree to which customer expectations of a product or service are met or exceeded. Corporate and individual customers may have widely differing reasons for purchasing a product or service and therefore any measurement of satisfaction will need to be able to take into account such differences. The quality of after-sales service can also be a crucial factor in influencing any purchasing decision. More and more companies are striving, not just for customer satisfaction, but for customer delight, that extra bit of added value that may lead to increased customer loyalty. Any extra added value, however, will need to be carefully coasted. (customer satisfaction. (2009). In BUSINESS: The Ultimate Resource. Retrieved from The role of customer expectations in service quality was first conceptualized by asuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml (1985) in their widely quoted gaps model and a measurement instrument SERVQUAL. Using this instrument, the service quality is measured through the comparison customers make between their expectations and their perception on these five dimensions:

 

Tangibles: the physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of service personnel.

 

Reliability: the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately

 

Responsiveness: the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service.

 

Assurance: the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust.

 

Empathy: the caring, individualized attention the firm provides to its customers.

 

Postpurchase Evaluation and Satisfaction-购买后评价和满意度
 

Consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction (CS/D) refers to the attitude that a person has about a product after it has been purchased. This attitude, in turn, is an important determinant of whether the item will be bought again in the future. Despite evidence that customer satisfaction is steadily declining in many industries, marketers are constantly on the lookout for sources of dissatisfaction. Satisfaction is not determined solely by the actual performance quality of a product or service. It is also influenced by prior expectations regarding the level of quality. According to the expectancy disconfirmation model, consumers form beliefs about product performance based on prior experience with the product and/of*** communications about the product that imply a certain level of quality. When something performs the way in which consumers thought it would, they might not think much about it. If, on the other hand, the product fails to live up to expectations (even if those expectations are unrealistic), negative affect may result. If performance happens to exceed their expectations, consumers are satisfied and pleased. This explains why companies sometimes try to “under-promise” what they can actually deliver.

 

General model of customer expectations

 

The concept of customer expectations is intertwined with that of service quality

 

The importance of customer expectations has been well acknowledged, and it is widely accepted that expectations serve as standards with which actual performance of the service provider and the experience of customers (i.e., perceived service) are compared. However, the nature of the standards has been approached from different angles. In one approach, the standards are defined as the predictions made by customers about their experience. They represent an objective calculation of probability of performance, or an estimate of anticipated level of performance. These standards are termed pre-dictive expectations. Another approach is to interpret the standards as ideal or desired expectations, defined as the level at which customers want the service provider to perform.

 

(Customer expectations. (2005). In International Encyclopedia of Hospitality Management. Retrieved from Zeithaml, V; Berry, L.; Parasuraman, A. (1993) the nature and determinants of customer expectations of service. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 21, p1-12.

 

Parasuraman, A.; Zeithaml, V; Berry, L. (1985) A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49, p41-50.