Question 3: Define hedonic consumption and provide an example.

Anwers

Consumer behaviour allows researcher to look at consumption from a variety of

aspects including psychological, social or personal aspects. Its official definition
is as follows “The study of individuals, groups, or organisations and the
processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services,
experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes
have on the consumer and society.” Outlined it as the process of decision making
and the physical activitiy involved in acquiring, evaluating, using, and disposing
of goods and services to satisfy needs and wants. Additionally, it is not just the
spending behaviour that is being examined but rather introduces an approach in
which consumption in a post-purchase environment is being experienced. It is
also important to note that pleasure can only be experienced during the moment
of consumption, however the fulfilling sensation of consumption occurs only
retrospectively. This can range from a satisfaction and gained happiness to
subcultural influences in a consumption-based environment. It allows the
outlining of consumption reasoning shown by consumers in regard to preferred
products and allows them to reach a higher state of happiness. Therefore, it is an
interesting field for possible advertising or marketing campaigns from a consumer
behavAiour perspective.

When looking at consumer behaviour an important differentiation has to be made

between two methods of consumption, utilitarian consumption and hedonic
consumption. Utilitarian consumption, as the name suggests, is the consumption
of goods that are important for the consumer's general life this includes goods
such as food, home, utilities and medication. All of these are focused on the
consumers’ well-being within basic parameters of life. However, hedonic
consumption can be described as everything that exceeds these parameters and
sometimes is referred to as luxury items products that may be classified as
hedonic consumption, such as the following examples, sports cars, villas,
extensive holiday.“Hedonic consumption designates those facets of consumer
behaviour that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of one’s
experience with products” It, therefore, draws the line between what is required
for a consumers’ life at a basic level to what the consumer desires in order to
reach a pleasurable end. Anything that may exceed the normal parameters of
utilitarian and necessary is combined under hedonic consumption. Furthermore,
hedonic consumption is focused on the consumer’s satisfaction and happiness
as these products are generally based on bringing joy and pleasure to the
consumers’ lives. Consumption of hedonic products is highly motivated by the
meaning that they can have for the consumer as “People buy products not only
for that they can do but also for what they mean”.

There needs to be a differentiation between two types of consumption,

experiential and material. Experiential consumption can vary in nature, but
examples are restaurant visits, travel, holiday, or theatre visits. In contrast to this
specific kind of hedonic consumption are material goods of a hedonic nature
simply being able to be defined as basics exceeding material goods and
therefore representing tangible assets. The consumer’s preferences in regard to
consuming either an experiential or materialistic product depends on a variety of
factors which will come into the decision-making process and ultimately the
product selection that is most suitable for the current situation the consumer finds
him/herself in at the point of decision-making. It has been argued by previous
research that experiential consumption is generally preferred as it creates the
highest level of satisfaction from a consumer perspective. However, this may
vary when considering significant investments under monetary constraint. The
definition for feeling financial constraint is not solely based on the financial
backing that the consumer has but rather the emotional desire for the
consumption of purchasing luxury items. During emotions of financial constraint,
it is argued that a shift away from experiential consumption occurs and
preferences for long-lasting material goods increase.

Conclusion, consumer behaviour combines two important fields of psychology

and sociology in order to be able to understand consumption, decision-making,
and preferences. Consumer behaviour comes into play especially when focusing
on hedonic products, products which exceed the usual standards and may be
defined as luxury items. In contrast to utilitarian products, hedonic consumption
signifies only the desire for the product and what it could mean to the consumer
rather than only having utilitarian attributes for the end user. Additionally, a
differentiation has to be made in regard to what kind of hedonic product is at
hand. On the one hand, experiential consumption represents intangible assets
such as holidays or theatre visits, whereas material goods indicate tangible
hedonic consumption such as a sports car, motorbike, or a large flat screen
television set. Age and gender distinctions have to be drawn as different
approaches to consumption are represented by each gender and age group.