Consumer buying behaviour is determined by:

✓ Level of involvement in purchase decision. Importance and intensity of

interest in a product in a particular situation.

✓ Buyers level of involvement determines why he/she is motivated to seek

information about a certain products and brands but virtually ignores others.

High involvement purchases:

High priced goods, products visible to others, and the higher the risk the higher the
involvement.

Types of risk:

✓ Personal risk.

✓ Social risk.

✓ Economic risk.

The four types of consumer buying behaviours are:

➢ Routine Response/Programmed Behaviour:

Buying low involvement frequently purchased low cost items; need very
little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples
include soft drinks, snack foods, milk.

➢ Limited Decision Making:

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 Buying product occasionally. When you need to obtain information about
unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires a moderate
amount of time for information gathering. Examples include clothes-know
product class but not the brand.

➢ Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement ,

unfamiliar, expensive and/or infrequently bought products. High degree of
economic/performance/psychological risk. Examples include cars, homes,
computers, education. Spend a lot of time seeking information and deciding.
Information from the retailers catalogues; friends and relatives, store
personnel, etc. Go through all six stages of the buying process.

➢ Impulse buying, no conscious planning: The purchase of the same

product does not always elicit the same Buying Behaviour. Product can shift
from one category to the next. For example: Going out for dinner for one
person may be extensive decision making (for someone that does not go out
often at all), but limited decision making for someone else. The reason for the
dinner, whether it is an anniversary celebration, or a meal with a couple of
friends will also determine the extent of the decision making.

Factors influencing the behaviour of buyers

Consumer behaviour is affected by many uncontrollable factors. Just think, what

influences you before you buy a product or service? Your friends, your upbringing,
your culture, the media, a role model or influences from certain groups? The marketer
must be aware of these factors in order to develop an appropriate MM for its target
market. There are several factors in the background which make a consumer behave
in a certain manner. The factors that come in picture while finding the answers to the
what to buy, where to buy, why to buy, when to buy how to buy, to buy or not to buy
questions are the ones which influence the buyer behaviour. These factors knowingly
or unknowingly influence the consumer; they may be in or beyond control of the
buyer. These factors can be classified into:

➢ External (Cultural and Social) and

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 ➢ Internal (Personal and Psychological) factors.

External Factors

1) Cultural factor:

Culture refers to the set of values, ideas, and attitudes that are accepted by a
homogenous group of people and transmitted to the next generation. Culture is one
factor that influences behaviour. Simply culture is defined as our attitudes and
beliefs. But how are these attitudes and beliefs developed? As an individual growing
up, a child is influenced by their parents, brothers, sister and other family member
who may teach them what is wrong or right. They learn about their religion and
culture, which helps them develop these opinions, attitudes and beliefs (AIO). These
factors will influence their purchase behaviour. Culture determines what is acceptable
with product advertising. Culture also determines what people wear, eat, reside and
travel. Cultural values in the Europe are good health, education, individualism and
freedom.

Culture deeply impacts the buying behaviour of an individual and thus

marketing professionals should focus on segmenting their markets based on the
cultural needs and wants of consumers. “Culture represents the mix of norms,
financial and moral values, convictions, attitudes and habits developed in time by

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