Consumer Behavior and Customer Buying Behavior

Consumer Behavior or Customer Buying Behavior

Definition :- Consumer behavior is defined as the study of individual consumers, groups, and organizations and the process through which they choose, buy, use, and discard products, services, or experiences.

The study of Consumer Behavior blends Psychology, Sociology, Social anthropology, marketing and economics. It attempts to understand the decision-making processed of buyers to buy the product.

STAGES OF THE CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process (For complex decisions). Actual purchasing is only one stage of the process. Not all decision processes lead to a purchase. All consumer decisions do not always include all 6 stages, determined by the degree of complexity...discussed next.

The 6 stages are:

     1.  Problem Recognition (awareness of need) : - The Consumer should have a need of a product. If there is no need, then the consumer will not buy the product. For example :- If you are hungry then that state will stimulate your need to eat, but if you are not hungry then you will not have any desire to buy food or eat it.

It can be stimulated by the marketer through product information. For example :- You see a commercial of a new pair of shoes, then that will stimulate your need to buy new pair of shoes.

2. Information Search :-

The Consumer will search of the information he/she has for the product. The first type of information search is Internal Search. The Consumer will use his/her memory to get information about the product. And the second type of information search is External Search. The Consumer will search for more information about the product from Friends and Relatives, (words of mouth), comparison shopping, public sources, etc. A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives. the Evoked Set.

For Example :- You are Hungry, want to go out and eat, Evoked Set is,

1. Fast Food or Junk food

2.  Bar B.Q

3. Typical Pakistani food etc.

3. Evaluation of Alternatives:-

In this stage, the buyer ranks the product according to his/her need. For example :- You may decide to eat some spicy food, then from the above mentioned Evoked Set, the Second one, Bar B.Q takes the highest rank etc. If the consumer is not satisfied, then he/she will go back to search phase and will try to find other alternatives.

4. Purchase Decision:-

Choose Buying alternative, includes product, store, package, method of purchase etc.

5. Purchase:-

There should be some time lapse between the 4th and 5th stage. It may differ from The decision.

6. Post-Purchase Evaluation :-

In this stage the buyer is satisfied or dissatisfied. Cognitive dissonance, he/she will think that has he/she made the right decision. It can be reduced by warranties, after sales communication etc.

TYPES OF CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

The types of consumer buying behavior is determined by  the Level of Involvement in the purchase decision. Importance and intensity of interest in a product in a particular situation.

For Example : - High-Involvement purchases :- Motorbike, Car, High priced goods, products visible to others, etc. The higher the risk, the higher the involvement. There are three types of risks, and they are:-'

1. Personal Risk

2. Social Risk

3. Economic Risk

There are four types of Consumer Buying Behavior.

The four types of Consumer Buying Behavior

1. Routine Response/ Programmed Behavior:-

    Buying low involvement items, needs very little information search and very little decision making process. For example:- buying Soft Drinks, Milk etc.

2. Limited Decision Making:-

This Behaviour comes when purchasing items occasionally, and have a very little information about the brand, but have a good information about the class. Requires a moderate time for information search. Examples include Clothes, etc.

3. Extensive Decision Making :

Purchasing High Involvement products. In this type, the buyer has to go through all the six stages of buying. Need to spend a lot of time in information gathering.  High Degree of economic/personal/Social risks. For example :- Cars, Motobikes, Homes, computers, Education.

4. Impulse Buying:-

No conscious planning. Just to buy a product suddenly because of just one need.