Beyond the Purchase: Inside the Mind of the Consumer

This week in Consumer Behavior we covered the topics of information search and alternative evaluation in the process of decision making. The area of discussion that I found most valuable and interesting was the importance of external search through the internet, personal sources, independent sources, and product trial, and how a company can influence the consumer through these external search pathways. Consumers are always recognizing problems in their daily lives, whether it be with products they already own, or something they need to fill a void the is currently not being met. To help search for information to solve these problems consumers can use internal end external search tactics. These tactics can be internal, such as past searches in memory, personal experiences, or external, such as testimonials from friends, independent sources online or offline, marketing sources, or product trial. All of these sources could be offline or online, but with the rise of the internet in th...

This week in Consumer Behavior we covered the topics of situational influence and problem recognition, which covers situations of purchase, and the first step in the decision making process. More specifically, I took a liking to the topic of situational influence, and how purchase situation, which has nothing to do with the consumer themselves, can have such a big impact a consumers ultimate decision to buy. The situation a consumer finds themselves in even before they walk into a physical retail store can have an impact on their purchase decisions. Situational influence is defined as the factors particular to a time and place that have an effect on current behavior, yet do not follow from the knowledge of the stable attributes of the consumer. Breaking this down into layman’s terms, situational influence is all the components of a situation that will impact a consumers perceptions of products, attitudes, behavior, and purchase intentions. Situational factors can include many aspe...

This week in consumer behavior we covered the topics of self-concept and lifestyle. What I took a liking to was the concept of how self-concept combines with a certain product’s brand image, to create a relationship between the two, and ultimately influence consumer purchasing habits.  How Self-Concept Works Self-concept, the totality of one’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions towards their own self can be a useful tool for marketers, if acted on appropriately. The attitudes towards yourself make up how you truly think of your identity, and how you wish to be perceived by others. Since there are four basic parts that make up the self-concept, your actual self, ideal self, private self, and social self, it is important to know the relationships between each sub-section. The actual-ideal separation refers to the individuals perception of who I am now, vs who I would like to be perceived as. Lastly, the private-social separation refers to the individuals perception of how I am ...