Consumer behavior

Schiffman
Chapter 2
 The personal consumer buys goods and services for:
• his or her own use
• use by the whole household, or a household member
• a gift for someone else.
In all contexts, the products are bought for final use by individuals (end-users).

Examples of websites targeted at personal users:

• The organisational consumer includes:
• commercial for-profit businesses
• non-profit businesses
• public sector agencies (government departments)
• institutions (e.g. schools, churches, sports clubs)
• Organisational consumers buy products to help run their organisations.

• Websites targeting organisational users:

• As a result of consumer research and lobbying, marketers have
become more aware of their responsibility to protect consumer
interests.
• The ACCC ensures that companies act responsibly and ethically in
their dealings with consumers.

• ACCC takes Apple to court

• Australia’s service sector forms a large part of the economy.
• Marketing service offerings can be difficult as services are:
• intangible
• perishable
• inconsistent.

•A knowledge of consumer needs and interests is recognised as being

essential to develop effective marketing strategies.
• Companies that are responsive to changing technology, and advances
in the way that consumers interact with companies through
technology, are able to leverage greater relationships.
• This technology ranges from websites, to electronic or mobile
ordering.
• Consumers have access to more information than ever before and can
easily find, or provide, reviews quickly.
• Due to continual social, economic and technological changes,
marketers need to know which markets to target.

• Marketers seek to identify key similarities and differences and then

segment their markets accordingly.

• This is done by identifying common characteristics among groups of

consumers.