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w2 Situational Influence
w2 Situational Influence
MKTG 1421 -
Consumer Psychology
& Behaviour
Topic 2 – Situational Influences
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Learning Objectives
After studying this topic, you should understand:
1. Four types of situations (during the consumption process)
2. Five dimensions of situational influence
a. Physical surroundings
b. Social surroundings
c. Time (temporal perspectives)
d. Task definitions
e. Antecedent states
3. Situational influences and marketing strategy
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Types of situations - Four situations
There are 4 types of situations in which the consumption process can take
place
Communication Purchase
situation situation
Where? Alone or with Where? Alone or with
others? Surrounding others? In a hurry?
noise?
Usage situation Disposal situation
With others or alone? Before the next
For pleasure or for purchase? Trade-ins?
work? Packaging
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Communication situation: How Closeup
leveraged situations and triggered kisses?!
(Close Up n.d)
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Purchase and usage situation
What is the situation in which your consumer selects your product? Your
goal is to increase your product purchase.
Where? Alone or with others? In a hurry?
Source Source
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Disposal situation
More consumers are sensitive to disposal of product after use. Ease of
disposal can be a positive product attribute.
Before the next purchase? Trade-ins? After the purchase e.g. packaging
Source Source
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Activity:
Communication and purchase situations?
Tell a story n the situations in which you bought one of the following
products/services:
1. your latest phone;
2. your favourite/abandoned clothing/shoes;
3. a likeable/troubled meal/drink/snack/street food;
4. a satisfactory/unsatisfactory hair cut;
5. a preferred/hated movie;
6. your favourite/problematic trip
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Situational influence
Consumer Figure 2.1 / Situation influences combine with individual
characteristics to affect presences and subsequent behaviour.
behaviour is
product–person– Weather
situation
situation specific
Preferences
Behaviour
and Desires
Individual
characteristic
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Role of situation in consumer behaviour
Are situational Figure 2.2 / The role of situation in consumer behaviour.
influences
Situation
important? How
will it influence
strategy? Consumer Behaviour
Product
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Five dimensions of situational influence
(2)
Physical
Surroundings
Antecedent Temporal
states perspectives
Source Source
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Choosing a product
• Store location (Dong Khoi St)
• Interior décor (hotel lobby)
• Music (coffee shop)
• Smell/aromas (bakery)
• Temperature (air-conditioning or
heating)
• Choice provided
(by product category or across the
categories)
Source
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Physical surroundings
Source
Source
Source Source
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Typology of service environments
Figure 2.3 / Typology service environments
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Impact of background music on behaviour
Table 2.1 / The effect of background music on restaurant patrons
Slow music Fast music
Examples of social surroundings (1)
Types of customers in the store
Queues and crowding
Whether the consumer is likely to be known by
others/recognised
Whether there are high-profile people/celebrities
shopping at that store
Source
Whether the product will be consumed privately or
in the presence of others
Source
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Examples of social surroundings (2)
A mother is shopping with her child in a supermarket
• How will this affect her purchases?
• How might the supermarket exploit this opportunity?
Source Source
You are shopping with your friends
• How will this affect your purchases?
• How might the mall and stores exploit the opportunity?
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Example: Effect of social situation on
dessert attributes
Figure 2.5 / The effect of social situation on desired dessert attributes
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Examples of temporal influences
• Whether the product is seasonal
• Whether the product is urgently required
(snack between lectures)
• Time available for shopping limited/excess
• How long the previous product lasted or was
expected to last
Source
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Temporal perspective of purchase
decisions
Exhibit 2.3 / The temporal perspective of purchase
decisions can translate into seasonal elements,
which may suggest purchase and use at specific
times of the year. For example, this product is
positioned specifically for summer use.
Source
Source
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Examples of temporal influences
The hard drive on your computer
crashes 2 days before your exams
How does this affect your decision
process?
Source
How might PC manufacturers/retailers
exploit this opportunity?
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Examples of task definition influences
Is the product utilitarian or used as a status symbol?
Is it a gift, or for oneself?
Must the product be long-lasting/tough, or decorative? (an everyday
watch or a dress watch)
Is the product intended for several uses?
(a family computer for study and for internet access)
Source Source
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Examples
Source
Source
Source Source
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Examples of task definition
• As a young lady, you have been invited
out to dinner by a guy you really like.
You really need a new dress
• How will this task affect your choice of
dress?
Source
• Can you predict what type of dress you
Guys: As a marketer, how will choose?
would you take advantage of
this information?
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Examples of antecedent states
Mood:
• Feeling sad triggers buying sweets or
seeing a funny movie
• Feeling rejected triggers buying games’
software
Momentary conditions
• Can’t eat ice cream because teeth hurt
• Can’t buy a book because the credit card
was left at home
• Buy more groceries because you are
hungry before shopping
Source
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Using positive mood influences in
marketing
Source
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Ritual situations
• A set of interrelated behaviours that occur in structured formats, have
symbolic meaning and occur in response to socially-defined occasions
source Source
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Ritual situations
Important to marketers as they define consumption:
Anniversaries
Seasonal gifts
Traditions and rituals
Valentine's Day
Source
Tet (Five fruits tray)
Teachers Day
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Situational influences and marketing
strategy
• Developing a situational influence matrix
• Positioning the product based on situation
• Segmenting the market based on usage situation
alone
in combination with other segmentation variable
person/situation segmentation
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Activity: Identify the situational influences
and select the restaurants
Situational Description Full service
restaurant/
influence Fast food/take
1. Physical It’s very hot and your air conditioning isn’t’ working away/delivery
2. Physical You’re in the city for your Christmas shopping and the streets are very crowded
3. Social Your fiancée’s parents are going to take you out for dinner and have asked you to
choose the restaurant
4. Social Your neighbor comes to visit, you are having a pleasant chat and you discover it is
time for lunch
5. Temporal You plan to go to a show at 7.30pm; it’s now 6.30pm
6. Temporal You want to have an evening meal with the family when not rushed for time
7. Task It’s your parents’ 25th wedding anniversary and you take them out for dinner
8. Task Your parents won’t be at home for dinner and you’re are wondering what to eat
9. You’re too tired to cook dinner because you’ve had a very tiring day at the university
Antecedent
10. You’ve just finished a tough semester and you’re in the mood to reward yourself
Antecedent
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Situational influence matrix
Table 2.4 / The situational influence matrix
Physical Social Time Task Antecedent
surroundings surroundings states
Communication
Purchase
Usage
Disposal
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Usage situations and product positioning
Figure 2.6 / Usage situations and product positioning
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Examples
Source
Source
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Activity: 4 types of situation
and 5 dimensions of influences
Describe your experience with 4 types of situations and 5 dimensions of
situational influences with the matrix when you bought
a favourite/abandoned product;
Communication
Purchase
Usage
Disposal
Table 2.4 / The situational influence matrix
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Summary: Marketers must understand
1. When a particular situation will affect consumer behaviour
2. How strong the effect is likely to be
3. The way in which the situation will influence behaviour
It is vital that in your role as a marketer, you appreciate the likely
response(s) of your target consumer(s).
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Reference list (1)
Appukuttan, A, Tong, H, Lam, S, Panda, SR 2019, Close Up Kissing
Trigger Campaign, viewed 12 April, 2021, link to external site.
Miliman, R 1986, ‘The Influence of Background Music on the Behaviour of
Restaurant Patrons’, Journal of Consumer Research, p.289.
Palmer, J & Cropnick, R 1986, ‘New Dimension Added to Conjoint
Analysis’, Marketing News, p.62
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Reference list (2)
Wakefiled, L & Blodgerr 1999, ‘Customer Response to Intangible and
Tangible Service Factors’, Psychology & Marketing, p.54, John Wiley &
Sons.
Quester, P, Neal, C, Pettigrew, S, Grimmer, M R, Davis, T, & Hawkins, D
2014, Consumer behaviour: Implications for marketing strategy. McGraw-
Hill.
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