Consumer Behaviour

CHAPTER SUMMARY

As students will soon see, the field of consumer behavior covers a lot of ground. Whether the consumer is on a shopping trip to the mall or surfing on the Internet, general principles and theories of consumer behavior apply. The formal definition of consumer behavior used in the text is "the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires."

Consumers can be seen as actors on the marketplace stage. As in a play, each consumer has lines, props, and costumes that are necessary to put on a good performance. The roles that consumers perform are among the most important elements to be studied in consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is also an economic process where exchanges take place. These exchanges often involve many players. In fact, consumers may even take the form of organizations or groups. Whatever the composition, the decisions made by the consumer and these other players are critical to an exchange being carried out successfully to the benefit of all concerned parties.

Market segmentation is an important aspect of consumer behavior. Consumers can be segmented along many dimensions. One such dimension is demographics (the statistics that measure the observable aspects of a population, such as age or birth rate). One of the important reasons for segmenting markets is to be able to build lasting relationships (relationship marketing) with the customers. Marketers are currently implementing many practices that seek to aid in forming a lasting bond with the often fickle consumer. One of the most promising of these practices is database marketing wherein consumers' buying habits are tracked very closely. The result of this practice is that products and messages can be tailored to people's wants and needs.

For better or for worse, we all live in a world that is significantly influenced by the actions of marketers. Marketers filter much of what we learn. Therefore, consumer behavior is affected by the actions of marketers. Domestic and global consumption practices are examined in this chapter with an eye toward the role of the marketer and the influence of such social variables as culture.

The field of consumer behavior and its application is not, however, without its critics. Ethical practices toward the consumer are often difficult to achieve. "Do marketers manipulate consumers?" is a serious question. Perhaps the answer may be found by examining several secondary questions such as: "Do marketers create artificial needs?" "Are advertising and marketing necessary?" or "Do marketers promise miracles?" The responses to these questions are formulated in this chapter.

As there was a "Dark Force" in the Star Wars trilogy, consumer behavior