Richa Chaudhary

Faculty, DYPDBM
Definition:
Consumer Behavior is the Behavior that consumers display in
searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing
of products and services that they expect will satisfy their
needs.

It is the study of how individuals make decision to spend their

available resources ( time, money, effort) on consumption
related items.

Decisions related to what they buy, why they buy it, when
they buy it, where they buy it, how often they buy it, how
often they use it, how they evaluate it after the purchase and
the impact of such evaluations on future purchases and how
they dispose of.
 Consumer Behavior & Decision Making
Stages of consumer buying decision process:

Desired Search
Problem
Gap Tension for
recogniti
Actual driven alternativ
on
e

Purchase Evaluatio
Post
decision & n for
purchase
actual alternativ
behavior
purchase e
a.) Problem/ Need Recognition:
Buying process starts when consumer recognizes a problem or need.
Need can be triggered by:
Internal Stimuli
External Stimuli

b.) Search for alternatives:

Customer will now search for alternatives, so will explore for
various information sources, like:
Personal sources
Commercial sources
Experiential sources
 After learning from various sources customer form different
set from information:
• Total set
• Awareness set
• Consideration set
• Choice set
• Decision

c.) Evaluation of alternatives

It’s the stage of mental trial, during this stage customer assign
relative value-weights to different brands on the basis of
information collected and draw conclusion about their
satisfaction giving potential.
Customer is looking for:
• his need satisfaction.
• some attributes.
• Certain benefits.

d.)Purchase decision and actual purchase:

Here customer form preference among the brands in choice set and
form the intention to buy most preferred one.
 Factors intervening btw purchase intention & decision:
• The intensity of other person’s negative attitude twrds
customers preferred alternative.
• Customers motivation to withstand such negative attitude.
• Unanticipated situational factors.
• Perceived risks:
i. Functional risk
ii. Financial risk
iii.Societal risk
iv.Attribute risk
e.) post purchase behavior:
• Post purchase satisfaction
• Post purchase action
• Post purchase usage & disposal
Buying Roles:
o Initiator
o Influencer
o Decider
o Buyer / purchaser
o User / consumer

Buying behavior:
Four types of consumer buying behaviors are their based on
degree of involvement and the degree of difference among the
brands.
 High Involvement Low Involvement

Sig. Complex Buying Variety Seeking

high Behavior Behavior
Diff.
Btw.
brands

Sig. Dissonance Reducing Habitual Buying

Less Behavior Behavior
Diff.
Btw.
brands
Complex buying behavior:
When product is expensive, bought infrequently, risky, highly self
expressive & future prospects are linked with it customer exhibit
complex b.b
 Customer take lot of time
 Evaluate for alternate brands
 Check the decision
 Seek suggestion from many sources
Dissonance reducing behavior:
Customers are highly involved in the purchase, as product is
expensive, bought infrequently, risky.

Since their is very less difference btw brands customer get

dissatisfied after the purchase. Dissatisfaction occurs by noticing &
hearing favorable things about other brands so they keep trying to
reduce the dissonance by asking others about the purchase.
Variety seeking Behavior:
Product is low involvement product but there is significant
difference between brands.
Customers try lot of brand switching.
Switching occurs for the sake of variety rather than
dissatisfaction.
Habitual buying behavior:
Product is low involvement and thr is less difference btw
brands.
Customers keep purchasing the same brand coz they are in
habit of buying those brand not strong brand loyalty.
Any Queries ?
Thank You