CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

LEARNING

Prof. Manu Kanchan

Assistant Professor
ASB
CONSUMER LEARNING
 The process through which consumers acquire
knowledge from experiences with products and
observations of others’ consumption, and use that
knowledge in subsequent buying

Intentional:
 learning acquired as a result of a careful search for
information
Incidental:
 learning acquired by accident or without much effort

 Marketers must teach consumers:

 where to buy
 how to use
 how to maintain
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 how to dispose of products
Manu Kanchan
CONSUMER LEARNING
 Elements of Learning
 Motives – driving force in individuals that impels them to
act
 Cues – Stimuli that direct motivated behaviour
 Prices, Styling, Packaging, ads, etc. all are cues
 Advertisements – for health – joining a gym, drinking green tea,

sugar free food, etc.

 Responses – Reaction to a drive or cue
 Reinforcement –
 it is a reward, in the form of pleasure, enjoyment, and other
benefits, for a desired behavior
 In consumer behavior, it is the benefits, enjoyment, and utilities
that consumers receive from products purchased
 Restaurant – good meal, ambiance, price, etc.; Visit again

Manu Kanchan
CONSUMER LEARNING
 Elements of
Learning

P&G’s Febreze

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BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
 Behavioral Theories: Theories based on the premise
that learning takes place as the result of observable
responses to external stimuli.
 Also known as stimulus response theory
 Not concerned about process of learning, but rather with the
inputs and outcomes of learning
 Approaches mind as a black box & emphasizes observable
aspects of behavior

 Classical Conditioning
 Instrumental (Operant) Conditioning

 Observational Learning

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BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning
 A form of behavioral learning stating that animal and
human alike, can be taught behaviors and associations
among stimuli through repetition

 Unconditioned Stimulus
 A stimulus that occurs naturally in response to given
circumstances
 Conditioned Stimulus
 A stimulus that became associated with a particular event or
feeling as a result of repetition
 Conditioned Response
 A response to conditioned stimulus
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BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning

Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning

Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning
 Classical conditioning is the learning of associations
among events that enables consumers to expect and
anticipate events

 From this viewpoint, classical conditioning is not

reflexive action, but rather the acquisition of new
knowledge

Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning – Marketing Applications

 Message Repetition – Repetition forms Association

 When consumers hear the brand name and brand message over
and over within a period of time
 key to forming associations between brands and fulfillment of needs

 Advertising Wear-out – point an individual becomes

satiated with numerous exposures, and both attention and
retention decline
 Three hit theory - just three exposures to an advertisement
are needed:
 one to make consumers aware of the product,
 a second to show consumers the relevance of the product, &
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 a third to remind them of its benefits
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BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning – Marketing Applications

 Stimulus Generalization
 Responding the same way to slightly different stimuli
 Reason why private-label brands manufacturers’ try to
make their packaging closely resemble that of the
national brand leaders
 Panasoanic

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BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning – Marketing Applications

 Stimulus Generalization
 Responding the same way to slightly different stimuli
 Brand Extensions
 Product Line Extensions – Additions of related items to an
established brand, because they are likely to be adopted
 Product Form Extensions

 Family Branding – Marketing a whole line of products under the

same brand name e.g. Pantene: Pantene Pro V, Pantene Black, etc.
 Licensing – contractually allowing a well-known brand name to be

affixed to the products of another manufacturer (for a fee)

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Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Classical Conditioning – Marketing Applications

 Stimulus Discrimination
 the opposite of stimulus generalization, is the selection of a
specific stimulus from among similar stimuli
 whose objective is to position products and services in such a
way that differentiates them effectively from competitive
offerings
 Brand Differentiation

 Core of positioning - to “teach” consumers to

discriminate (or distinguish) among similar products
(i.e., similar stimuli) and form a unique image for a
brand in their minds
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Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Instrumental Conditioning (Operant Conditioning)
 A form of behavioral learning based on the notion that
learning occurs through a trial-and-error process, with
habits formed as a result of rewards received for certain
responses or behaviors

 the stimulus that results in the most rewarded response is

the one that is learned
 Eg: After visiting stores, consumers know which stores carry the type
of clothing they prefer at prices they can afford to pay

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Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Instrumental Conditioning (Operant Conditioning)
 Eg: After trying different brands, consumers know which
brands fit them and are at prices they can afford to pay

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Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Instrumental Conditioning (Operant Conditioning)
 Reinforcement
 it is a reward, in the form of pleasure, enjoyment, and
other benefits, for a desired behavior
 In consumer behavior, it is the benefits, enjoyment, and
utilities that consumers receive from products
purchased

 Positive Reinforcement
 Rewarding a particular behavior and strengthening the
likelihood of a specific response during the same or similar
situation in the future
 Negative Reinforcement
 Removing an unpleasant stimulus
 Taking of medicine removes the headache/cold, etc. 16

Manu Kanchan
BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Instrumental Conditioning (Operant Conditioning)
 Reinforcement

 Extinction
 A phenomenon that occurs when a learned response is no
longer reinforced and the link between the stimulus and
the expected reward is eliminated
 Unsatisfied with a product or a service (Restaurant)
 Behavior becomes “unlearned”

 Counter – quality is maintained

 Forgetting
 A point at which the link between the stimulus and the
expected reward ceases to exist because of lack of engagement
in the applicable purchase situation for a lengthy period
 Not visiting a particular Restaurant/shop 17

 Counter – with Repetition Manu Kanchan

BEHAVIORAL LEARNING THEORIES
Instrumental Conditioning (Operant Conditioning)
 Reinforcement

 Shaping
 Reinforcement before the desired consumer behavior actually
takes place, which increases the probability that the desired
behavior will occur
 Retailers – attracting customers (through discounted prices) before
they can expect those customers to do the bulk of their shopping
there
 Massed vs. Distributed Learning
 Massed – Learning schedule “bunched up” all at once
 Used when advertisers want an immediate impact
 Distributed – Learning schedule spread out over a period of
time
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 Used when the goal is long-term repeat buying on a regular basis
 Immune to Extinction Manu Kanchan