BLACK BOX

MODEL
TEAM 7:
HARSHITA ; ROHAN ; SHUBHIKA
SAHIL ; SHIV ; VISHAL
 What is a
Black Box?
EXAMPLE:
If after putting an orange in on one side, an orange fell out
the other, it would be possible to make educated guesses or
hypotheses on what was happening inside the black box. It
could be filled with oranges; it could have a conveyor belt to
move the orange from one side to the other.
A black box is one which could not be
opened to see what is inside. It is only
possible to guess what is inside based on
the inputs and outputs.
The inputs to the black box and output from the
black box are known but what happens inside the
black box is unknown. Without being able to
investigate the workings of the box, ultimately all
we can do is guess.
What is a Black Box model in Consumer Behavior?

In case of consumer behavior, black box is the human mind. Stimulus

will be the input whereas the consumer response will be the output. All
a company can do is to guess how human mind worked to give that
particular response. Companies can try providing appropriate
stimulus to the customers and try to expect the desired response from
the human mind. If the desired response is not achieved, it signifies
that the stimulus was not appropriate. The black box model shows the
interaction of stimuli, consumer characteristics, decision process and
consumer responses.
Buyer’s
Response
The black box model considers the buyer’s response as a
result of a conscious, rational decision process, in which it is
assumed that the buyer has recognized the problem.
However, in reality many decisions are not made in awareness
of a determined problem by the consumer. The buyer’s black
box comprises two sub components – the buyer’s
characteristics and the buyer decision process.

The buyer’s characteristics could be personal, social, cultural

and psychological. These are internal to the buyer and the
marketer cannot hope to bring much change into this. The
buyer’s decision making process consists of the following steps:
o Problem recognition: The consumer identifies the need for a product

o Information search: Once the need has been recognised, the consumer
will look for more information on the various products that satisfy the need.
For example, if the consumer is looking for a cellphone-he might want to
get in-depth knowledge of various phones available in the market

o Evaluation of alternatives: The set of all phones are then compared upon
certain parameters that the user will desire in his product. For example the
user might compare phones on style, design, features, aesthetics etc.

o Purchase decision: Based on the above parameters, the user ranks the
products and then buys the one which fit all criteria

o Post purchase behaviour: The user might want to revise his views on the
product or criteria of selection based on the product’s performance
Major design
projects
EARLIEST TO CURRENT YEAR
Factors influencing the
Buying Behaviour in Black
Box Model
01
INTRODUCTORY
DISCUSSION
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02
INITIAL
DESIGNS
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03
FEEDBACK AND
REVISION
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Culture

Culture is the software of the mind.

Every society has a culture, and cultural influences can differ greatly between groups. Therefore, marketers must

adjust to these variations in order to prevent embarrassing cultural blunders.

Subculture

Each culture consists of several smaller subcultures. This may be based on common experiences and situations.

Subcultures can be nationalities, religions, but also geographic regions. Often, single subcultures make up a

market segment that marketers aim add by tailoring a product to the subculture’s needs.

Social Class

The term social class refers to a certain permanent division in a society. The social class is an important factor in

the buyer black box as it determines what the consumer’s response will be. A combination of several factors such

as income, occupation and education determine the social class structure. Worthy of note is the fact that in some

societies, it is easier to move between social classes than in other societies.

Social Factors

Reference Groups

Reference groups are direct or indirect points of comparison (reference). In other words, a buyer orientates him/herself

by means of a reference group.If the reference group prefers certain brands, the buyer will do as well. Therefore,

reference groups expose a person to new lifestyles and new behaviours. Thereby, they affect the person’s attitudes. This

also means the creation of a certain pressure to conform. Obviously, the influence of reference groups is strongest when

the product is directly visible to others in the buyer’s reference group.

Family

As do reference groups, families strongly influence the buyer black box.

For instance, the husband-wife relationship and involvement may greatly affect an individual’s buying behaviour. But

also children can have a strong influence on family buying behaviour.

Roles and Status

This is nothing else than the person’s position in a certain group. The role refers to the activities that the person is

expected to perform according to the group members. Also, each role carries a certain status that reflects the general

esteem given to it by society.

Personal Factors
Age and lifecycle stage

People do not buy the same goods over their lifetimes. Instead, tastes in food, clothes, furniture and style are often

related to age. In addition, buying behaviour is also influenced by the family life cycle. Marrying, having children,

purchasing a home, divorcing etc. may change the factors in the buyer black box.

Occupation

Without doubt, the buyer black box is strongly influenced by the person’s occupation. For instance, blue-collar workers

will tend to buy more rugged clothes for work. On the contrary, executives will prefer business suits.

Economic situation

Even more evidently, the buyer’s economic situation affects the buyer black box. It will affect his/her product and store

choices. For instance, personal income, savings and other factors influence what a buyer will purchase where, when,

and how much.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle refers to a person’s pattern of living. This pattern can be expressed in the person’s activities, interests and

opinions, the so-called AIO dimensions. Therefore, a lifestyle describes more than just the buyer’s social class or

personality. Instead, the person’s whole patters of acting and interacting is contained in the lifestyle. Consumers do not

buy products, they buy the lifestyles and values those products represent. Therefore, lifestyle is a critical factor steering

the buyer black box.

Personality

The buyer black box is also affected by his or her personality. Personality means nothing else than the unique

psychological characteristics distinguishing one person from another. It is often described in terms of traits. These can be

self-confidence, dominance, aggressiveness and so further. As is the case with lifestyles, the idea is that brands also

have personalities. Consumers will therefore be likely to choose brands which have personalities matching their own.
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