There is no doubt that we live in a material world where life is full of temptations, riddles, and

solutions, driven by our heart's desire. From childhood through adulthood, it's not just the

process

by which our hormones and bones keep growing, it's also an increase in our shopping lists and

credit card bills. However, have we ever thought about the factors that have significantly

influenced our behavior and our decisions as consumers? We probably did not know to what

extent we were and can be affected by external and internal situations. Let's give a brief

overview of the impact demographics have on consumer behavior. Demographic factors are

generally seen as an important metric that is closely related to consumer behavior (Bashar et al,

2013). Managers need to understand the relationship and causality between various personal

factors and consumer behavior (Diallo et al, 2013).. Only when entrepreneurs understand the

basics of predicting consumer behavior to find pragmatic solutions to problems. Although

different methods of classification take into account demographic factors, despite some

differences in detail, we can find a common language between them.

Demographic factors that influence consumer behavior are, according to Kumar (2014);

(i) Age;

(ii) Gender;

(iii) Marital status;

(iv) Income;

(v) family background;

(vi) education;

(vii) Occupation;
 (viii) Family size;

(ix) Geographical factors;

(x) Psychological factors such as personality, motivation, and perception. How

demographic factors influence shoppers will be illustrated using the example as stated

by the University of Minnesota (Principles of Marketing, 2015).

Personality and self-esteem

Personality - the characteristics that set us apart from others - has an ambiguous relationship to

shopping behavior. For example, artists tend to spend more money on tourism, theater, and

cultural goods. According to market research, self-esteem is closely related to shopping

behavior. Presented as a “mirror effect”, we tend to accept products or advertising that belong to

our ideal and thus strengthen our ego.

Gender, age, and stage of life

Age is the main factor that has a strong influence on consumer behavior, as older people make

less impulsive decisions when buying fashion items and tend to focus on health benefits or

functional descriptions. Men and women have different needs and attitudes towards shopping

depending on their biological characteristics. According to common sense, we rarely see women

in awe of alcoholic beverages as compared to men.

Psychological factors

This part covers Maslow's theory - the hierarchy of needs, perceptions, learning, and attitudes.

Most of all, we need to ensure survival needs such as food, water, and sleep before we buy

overriding needs. In addition, we are usually influenced by our surroundings through sounds,

light, smells, touch, and more.

Glamorous bakery advertising is, therefore, irresistible entertainment for children. By gaining

experience and knowledge while shopping, we can become smarter about next time. We also

have

an innate bond or distrust of certain foods, for example, I disapprove of fast food for no

particular

reason. Bottom line: Given the complexity of our characters, especially the talents and quirks,

companies need to find more evidence-based on the Big Five theory (openness, awareness,

extraversion, benevolence, neuroticism). Consumer behavior changes year after year, as does the

weather. We must therefore be aware of any trends in consumer behavior.

References

Bashar, A., Ahmad, I., & Wasiq, M. (2013). A study of the influence of demographic factors on

consumer impulse buying behavior. International Journal of Marketing and Management

Research, 4(3and4), 64-76.

Diallo, M. F., Chandon, J. L., Cliquet, G., & Philippe, J. (2013). Factors influencing consumer

behavior towards store brands: evidence from the French market. International Journal of Retail

& Distribution Management.

Kumar, R. (2014). Impact of Demographic Factors on Consumer Behaviour-A Consumer

Behaviour Survey in Himachal Pradesh. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System, 6(2).

Principles of marketing. (2015). University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.

https://doi.org/10.24926/8668.1901 (Original work published 2010)