“Consumer behavior” can be

defined as the study of psychological,

physical and social actions when
individuals buy, use and dispose of
products, services, ideas, and practices.
In other words, consumer behavior is the
study of how consumers will make
their buying decision and what those
factors which support or influence these
decisions.
Consumer behavior influences all
buying decisions, regardless of the product
or service. If you’re familiar with consumer
behavior related to your Knowledge
Commerce products, you can produce
marketing copy that’s more effective. We
define consumer behavior as the actions a
consumer takes before
Consumer Behavior refers to the study of
buying tendencies of consumers. An
individual who goes for shopping does
not necessarily end up buying products.
There are several stages a consumer goes
through before he finally picks up things
available in the market. Various factors,
be it cultural, social, personal or
psychological influence the buying
decision of individuals.
The Consumer behavior has often played a central role in
marketing, the consumer being seen as decision maker

Marketers need to understand the buying behavior of

consumers for their products to do well. It is really
important for marketers to understand what prompts a
consumer to purchase a particular product and what stops
him/her from buying, and it also helps them understand
what influences consumers’ buying decisions. By
understanding how the consumers decide on a product,
they can fill in the gap in the market and identify the
products that are needed and the products that are obsolete
Interpersonal Determinants of Consumer Behavior
Every buying decision you make is influenced by
a variety of external and internal factors.
Consumers often decide to buy goods and
services based on what they believe others
expect of them

Marketers recognize three broad categories of interpersonal

influences on consumer behavior
Cultural Influences
Culture is the broadest environmental determinant of consumer behavior.
Marketers need to understand their role in consumer decision making,
both in the United States and abroad.Marketing strategies and business
practices that work in one country may be offensive or ineffective in
another. Strategies may even have to be varied from one area of a country
to another
Core values in U.S culture
Some cultural values change over time, but basic core values do not. The
work ethic and the desire to accumulate wealth are two core values in
American society. Even though the typical family structure and family
members' roles have shifted over the years, American culture still
emphasizes the importance of family and home life
International Perspective on Cultural Influences
Cultural differences are particularly important for international
marketers. Marketing strategies that prove successful in one
country often cannot extend to other international markets
because of cultural variations.
Subcultures
Subcultures are groups with their own distinct modes of
behavior and understanding the differences among
subcultures can help marketers develop more effective
marketing strategies.
Social influence
As a consumer, you belong to a number of social groups. Your
earliest group experience came from membership in a family.
The Asch Phenomena
It has been called Asch Phenomena because Groups influence
people's purchase decisions more than they realize.
Reference groups
1. The purchased product must be one that others can see and
identify.
2. The purchased item must be conspicuous; it must stand out as
something unusual, a brand or product that not everyone owns.
Social classes
W. Lloyd Warner's research identified six classes within the social structures of
both small and large U.S. cities: the upper-upper, lower-upper, upper-middle,
and lower-middle classes, followed by the working class and lower class

Opinion leaders
In almost every reference group, a few members act as opinion leaders. These
trendsetters are likely to purchase new products before others in the group
and then share their experiences and opinions via word of mouth

Family Influences
The family group is perhaps the most important determinant of consumer
behavior because of the close, continuing interactions among family members
Personal Determinants of Consumer Behavior

The personal determinants of consumer behavior

include age, occupation, lifestyle, income
level and personality. These five qualities influence the
types of products a consumer selects. Consumers often
choose products based on their age. A person's taste in
music, movies and fashion may depend on their age
.
The Consumer Decision Process
The consumer decision-making process can seem mysterious, but all consumers go through basic steps
when making a purchase to determine what products and services will best fit their needs

A High involvement Product is a product where extensive thought process is involved

and the consumer considers a lot of variables before finally making a purchase decision. Many
times, high involvement purchases involve multiple buyers or multiple influencers who
influence a single buyer
High-involvement decisions are those that are important to the buyer.
These decisions are closely tied to the consumer’s ego and self-image. They also involve some
risk to the consumer. This may include financial risk (highly priced items), social risk (products
that are important to the peer group), or psychological risk (the wrong decision may cause the
consumer some concern and anxiety). In making these decisions, consumers generally feel it is
worth the time and energy needed to do research and consider solution alternatives carefully.
The full, six-stage, complex process of consumer decision making is more likely to happen with
high-involvement product purchases. In these cases, a buyer gathers extensive information
from multiple sources, evaluates many alternatives, and invests substantial effort in making the
best decision.
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Low-involvement decisions are more straightforward, require little risk,
are repetitive, and often lead to a habit. In effect, these purchases are not very
important to the consumer. Financial, social, and psychological risks are not
nearly as great. In these cases, it may not be worth the consumer’s time and
effort to search for exhaustive information about different brands or to consider a
wide range of alternatives. A low-involvement purchase usually involves an
abridged decision-making process. In these situations, the buyer typically
does little if any information gathering, and any evaluation of alternatives is
relatively simple and straightforward. Consumers are diligent enough to get a
product they want, but they generally spend no more time or effort than is
needed.
Consumers often engage in routine response behavior when they buy low-
involvement products—that is, they make automatic purchase decisions based on
limited information or information they have gathered in the past.