Buyer Behavior

Decision-Making Unit

Purchasing Unit

Consuming Unit

…our marketing strategy just got more

complicated
 Buyer Behavior

Consumer Buying Process

Need arousal
triggering cue
internal or external

Search and Evaluation

information gathering and processing
build confidence to make purchase decision
 Buyer Behavior

Consumer Buying Process (cont..)

Purchase
overcome the risk of purchase
a transitory state

Cognitive Dissonance
post-purchase feedback
seek reassurance, information to justify purchase
key to brand loyalty
 Buyer Behavior

Learning Models

Stimulus Response
change behavior from experience
habits formed through repetition

Cognitive
experience not necessary for learning
 Buyer Behavior

Buyer Behavior Model

“Black Box”

Internal versus External Models

…psychological versus sociological

 External Internal
(sociological) (psychological)

culture
needs learning b
social class
e
motives h
reference groups a
wants personality v
family i
perception o
marketing mix awareness attitude preference
r

Buyer Behavior Model

 Buyer Behavior

Attitudes are anchored in behavior.

There are two ways to change attitudes:

…directly through awareness and perception

…indirectly through learning and the feedback loop.

 Buyer Behavior

Motivation
weight or importance of a need

rational motives
economy, efficiency, dependability

emotional motives
attract opposite gender
care of loved ones
fear of rejection
 Buyer Behavior

Motivation (cont..)

use of emotional motives in marketing

“The Thing”
 Buyer Behavior

Awareness

yes or no

key first step

“top-of-mind” awareness
 Behavior

Awareness (cont.)

enter information search

can come from internal or external triggering cue

more receptive to marketing information flows

 Buyer Behavior

Personality

pattern of characteristics unique to individual

persists across broad spectrum of situations

not a reliable predictor of buying behavior

 Buyer Behavior

Perception

process by which one receives, interprets, responds to

stimuli

selective perception

cross-sensory perception

subliminal perception
 Buyer Behavior

Perception (cont..)

perceived risk

performance risk
Will it function?

psychological risk (psycho-social risk)

Will it enhance well being?
 Buyer Behavior

Attitudes

Evaluative organization of beliefs, motives, attributes

Attitude change is a key goal in marketing

Cognitive dissonance is inconsistent with behavior

Cognitive, Affective, Behavioral

 Buyer Behavior

Sociological Influences

reference groups
influence attitudes, perceptions, motives
reduce risk
primary versus secondary
formal versus informal
aspirant versus disassociative
opinion leader/celebrity effects
 Buyer Behavior

Sociological Influences (cont..)

Social Class

lifestyle divisions of society based on occupation, wealth,

power, education

in U.S., largest class is not the lowest

individual perceptions are one social class higher than

reality
 Buyer Behavior

Sociological Influences (cont...)

Culture

set of learned responses from a society

enculturation versus acculturation

 Industrial Buyer Behavior

The industrial buying process looks different but:

….it is just more complex with renamed buying situations

Step 1(Needs) is split into three steps, 1, 2, 3,
Step 2 (Search/Evaluation) becomes steps 4, 5, 6,
Step 3 (Purchase) is step 7,
Step 4 (Cognitive Dissonance) is step 8 but is more
deliberate and intensive.

Instead of convenience and shopping goods, it is called

“new task” and “straight rebuy.”
 Buyer Behavior

Innovation Process

Bell-shaped (normal) curve of the Innovation Process is the origin of the

logistics or “S”- shaped curve. The latter is the first integral of the normal curve..
This is also the basis for the Boston Consulting Group Model.

Innovators – 2.5%
Early Adopters – 13.5%
Early Majority – 34%
Late Majority – 34%
Laggards – 16%

If you are a fan of statistics, you will have noticed that the percent classifications
of the Innovation Process are standard deviation percentages.