Subject: Consumer Behavior

Final Year Project

SUBMITTED BY
Usman Riaz PBA02173014
SAP ID: 70072205
SUBMITTED TO
Dr. Afia Khalid

M.Phil. MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

 FINAL YEAR PROJECT
Remember any three cousins of yours from your childhood, who have always been your
companion, then answer the following:

Question 1:
Any values that you and your cousins considered as taboo when you were very young but now it
has normalized with time.
Answer:

A taboo subject is a social or cultural value or act that is banned lawfully, religiously or socially.
Sometimes taboo is not an act that is illegal or punishable but is considered embarrassing or
shameful to commit. Taboos are more commonly social prohibitions. People raised within the
culture are highly unlikely to do the act and judge people who violate the taboo. However, in
Pakistan, there are multiple examples of taboo subjects that were considered unethical and
unlawful in the past time but with the evolution of the society and the demographics, these
taboos have become a normal act.
My cousins and I lived in a rural area and were raised there before urbanization started and we
moved with our families to a city. At that time, liberty of choice and thought on educational
issues was considered a major taboo subject. The process of acquiring knowledge was confined
only to a village school or a college in a nearby city permissible for male individuals. Female
members of the family gaining education away from the hometown in some other city, living in a
hostel and going to a co-educational college or university was a taboo subject. My cousins and I
considered these values as unethical or prohibited looking at the societal knowledge of that time.
However, I consider educating females and even males by sending them to other cities as normal
nowadays. One of my own female cousin, who considered this as restricted subject, is studying
at a medical college in Lahore residing in a hostel and this is no longer a taboo value.
Another prohibited or embarrassing social custom we believed at that time was love marriages.
Individuals of the family expressing their thoughts of like fullness or love towards a person were
considered as violating the taboo boundaries. Marriages only with the wish and desire of parents
was the societies thought and we believed in this way. Conversely, with time, this taboo is
ending and my cousins and I think that we must have the right to express our desire to our elders.
Nowadays, we see that young ones can express their wish or way of marriage towards their
elders, the elders do consider that wish and love marriages take place in today’s Pakistani
society.
One more example that comes to my mind was the concept of dowry in past days. We considered
the taking and giving of dowry at the time of marriage as a strictly unethical and major social
taboo value. My cousins and I hated the concept of dowry and thought about it as a curse or an
evil act. Nevertheless, of these thoughts in the past, dowry has become a major part of society
nowadays and we all take part in it considering dowry as a part of culture and a normal value.

Question 2:
How the demographics have changed in your and their families. (Keep in mind the family size,
traditions, gift giving on occasions, gender role, responsibilities, home location/size etc.)
Answer:

Demographics are the statistical characteristics of a human population that change with time.
Demographics include attributes based on age, evolvement of income with time, enhancement of
education, the equal role of a female with the male members of society. The enlargement of
cities and people leaving the rural areas is also a demographic change.
My family and the families of my paternal uncles used to live together in a typical joint family
system in a village near Gujranwala. The house covered a large area having enough space for
seven families to reside. The education level at that time was not quite guaranteeing and the
income was based on agriculture. The male members of family were responsible for the financial
stuff and upkeep for outdoor activities and the female members were typically housewives and
responsible for the household stuff. My cousins and I studied at a college distance enough from
the village but the female cousins were educated only to metric level at that time. The elder
members of the family were responsible for decision making and the tradition was to obey them.
Buying patterns and consumption of goods was solely based on naïve ways and expensive brands
were not considered. Mostly, monetary gifts were given on occasions.
Demographics of our family are positively enhanced on all levels since that time. The joint
family system ended and my family moved to Gujranwala city is search of better educational and
occupational opportunities. Family size is reduce to only my own family members including
parents and siblings. The revenue of the family is boosted as me and my brothers also play their
part in financial assistance of parents. Due to urbanization and exposure to education benefits, I
and my siblings including female members of the family are now studying at universities. The
responsibilities of family members are greatly influenced and females equally support the
finances other than household. Parents seek suggestions from us before making a decision and
this is part of tradition now. Buying patterns are drastically changed as consumption of goods
now are based on expensive brands and up to date technological products. All of us are
completely brand conscious and spend expenditure on shopping. Gift giving is now more
frequent and based on materialistic goods depending upon occasion.
Question 3:
Were you under the influence of your cousins or were they under your influence? Who played
the role of opinion leader in the small group? Who was your reference group in the family?
Answer:

A family is a social group of people living together as a nuclear family or a joint family of many
members under the influence of each other. Family bonds are strong and all members form a
single decision unit in case of influence of someone when consuming a product or service of
common interest. People from the same demographic profile influence people with similar
demographics. In the case of my family and cousins, I was under the influence of the eldest
cousin in the group. Being the eldest, he knew most of the stuff and we all shared same interests
so he was the one influential between us. I used to follow his influences in buying decisions of
interested things, for example, both of us played badminton so influenced by his new racket or
playing stuff I used to ask for a new one from my parents.
Opinion leaders are individuals in a community or family whose opinion in a specific subject
matter is respected and can influence consumer-buying behavior. As the question asked, the
eldest cousin in the small group also played the role of the opinion leader. All of the others
including me followed him with his opinions. His opinion mattered because he had good
interpersonal communication and observation skills, also was the one who’s influence casted
impact on us. For example, I used to seek his opinion before buying a new game DVD or a new
set of badminton rackets. He was the one aware about stuff so we would ask him about his
opinion.
A reference group is the group whose perspective or values an individual as the basis of his /her
current behavior uses. The two types of reference groups are primary and secondary. Primary is
the set of people we meet in everyday life that can be family and close friends. Secondary groups
are people bonded through specific references on a single field of interest.
I followed the reference of my eldest cousin in almost all the stuff. We shared the same interests
and he was the eldest so I would listen to him and my parents. On basis of interests, group of
badminton players’ and group of PlayStation players was my reference included cousins and
some friends. We used to play at fixes hours and challenged each other at games. We had a
formed a typical community and talked about badminton and related stuff. Buying pattern was
also according to the reference group e.g. Trousers, badminton rackets, gears etc.
Another reference group I belonged to were the PlayStation players. We used to spend hours
playing games and exchanged game DVD’s. PlayStation was a brand community as we cousins
supported a single brand of PlayStations and also the reference group I belonged to. We knew
about all the upcoming games and talked in that gaming language. Buying pattern was also
according to this reference e.g. new game DVD or newly launched PlayStations.

Question 4:
How did you use to distinguish people around you from other religions or ethnic background in
your childhood? How do you distinguish them now?
Answer:

Ethnic Subcultures are defined as those cultures who’s members unique shared behaviors are
based on a common racial, language or nationality background. Most ethnicities in Pakistan are
based on language and geographical locations. In my childhood, I lived in Punjab so was not
introduced to people from other ethnic backgrounds. We were taught in school about the
differentiations of religion and culture. In addition, I learnt about different ethnicities through
cultural TV programs and cultural days at school. People of different ethnic backgrounds were
recognizable because of their outfits or their language and accent of talking the national language
Urdu. Dressing greatly matters in the differentiation of ethnicity, Sindhi usually work ajrak
pattern clothes and Sindhi caps so this was the only recognition of ethnicity. Furthermore, asking
about someone’s religious beliefs was considered unethical back then. Only ways to distinguish a
person of different religion was by his/her name or beliefs. Sometimes, I would get to know
about any non-Muslim in the Islamiyah class when he/she would leave the class for an alternate
subject instead of Islamic Studies. The Cristian students in my class also had different names
from the Muslim students. Being a child, I used to stay away from non-Muslim classmates and
playing or eating with them in recess time was thought as an unforbidden act. Although the
behavior with people or friends of other ethnic backgrounds was normal.

After moving to Lahore and starting my degree at the university, I came across more people of
different religions and ethnic backgrounds. With knowledge, ethnicity is now easily recognizable
by the differences in language and accent, names and dressing styles. A Pathan would probably
have Khan in his name, his way of speaking Urdu will be very different or most probably he
would speak Pushto, and he would mostly be dressed in loose shalwar kameez, a Peshwari
chappal and a Pathani topi in winters. Mostly surnames of people like Khan, Khattak etc. help
me guess the ethnicity they belonged to. Furthermore, asking about religion is a common
practice. We can simply ask someone about his/her religious beliefs. Distinguishing people of
other religions is based on things learnt from their beliefs. People around me celebrating Easter
or Christmas or Holy/Diwali can easily be recognized. For example, I have a Cristian friend in
my class named Insiya Ain. I recognized by his name that he is a Cristian. Further it was
confirmed when he took the Easter holidays to celebrate with family. The thought of staying
away from non-Muslim people also diminished with time. I started thinking of them as same
fellow beings and as Islam also teaches, there is no discrimination among human beings. I have
friends now who are Christians or other religions.

Question 5:
What things and people in your environment catch your attention the most? Do you agree or
disagree with your cousins on the interpretation of things? How do you react to it? Were there
things/people/movies/events or objects in your past that you and your cousins remember
together?
Answer:

A). My particular way of catching attention of a person starts by automaticity. The activation of
senses occur when a person appears visually graceful, sounds confident and the colors contrasts
he/she wearing is appealing. All this accounts in the sensory stimuli section that are received
from a person in a sight and helps me get attracted to someone. In short, a presentable image of a
person with an excellent visual appearance that is his/her dressing sense, shoes, accessories they
carry, in addition the way they talk that is their accent is what matters to me before catching the
attention of someone.
In the case of things, I am usually attracted towards reputable things or brands. Secondly, a
reward may also catch my sight along with a favorable thing of purchase. For example, a reputed
brand of T-shirts like POLO would catch my attention and if they were at a 50% sale on my
desired items than the chances of catching attention are not to be missed.
B). Conflict of liking or interest is a normal process between friends or family. Sometimes there
is a mismatch of interpretation of things that others like and you don’t. In the case of my cousins,
we used to spend much time together and all of us had almost the same choices and interest in
our childhood. Belonging to the primary reference group, our interests and choices did not face
frequent disagreements. However, if there were a conflict between choices or buying patterns,
we would listen to one another’s opinion before making a decision.
In case of such disagreement, I always reacted in a harmless way. I would just agree with their
interpretations to just end the discussion or argument.
C). There are multiple events that I remember and movies we watched together. One of the major
one is when I was in the third standard. I have a political family background and I remember
when my maternal uncle stood for elections for the first time, all of the family gathered and spent
time until the results of election were announced. That was a memorable day with my cousins.
The second event I remember was the marriage of my first cousin. Being the first marriage in
family after a long time, it lasted for ten whole days and I rejoiced a lot with my cousins and
family. That is another memorable day. In sense of movies, my cousins and I watched Matrix 3
and all its parts multiple time in childhood. In sense of objects, badminton rackets are the objects
used and remembered most. I also remember my PS4 and gaming DVDs.

Question 6:
What learning methods operated in your mind as a child? How do you learn things now? How
would you rate your learning in terms of its strength, then and now?
Answer:
Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values,
attitudes, and preferences. Learning comprises of series of information processing steps by which
stimulus are stored and transformed into information. This information processing is based on
five theories of learning.
1. Behavioral Learning: 2. Cognitive Learning: 3. Constructive Learning:
4. Humanistic Learning 5. Connective Learning:

As a child, most of my learning of attitudes and habits were based on behavioral learning. It was
the behaviors taught by parents and teachers that I used to learn by revising them repeatedly.
Positive and negative reinforcement in the form of rewards from parents towards a good habit
and scolding on not doing something was my main way of remembering things. These
reinforcements lead to habitual learning and most of the daily life routines and behaviors became
a habit. In school, I was an active learner; I used to understand things firstly and then learnt them
by repetition. The negative reinforcements in the form of bad remarks by teachers also allowed
me to learn from the mistakes I had made in the previous tests or classes. Most of the things I
learned as a child were also based on direct exposures. For example, I learnt playing badminton
by exposure to the players and noticing their ways of playing.

Now as an adult, most of my learning is cognitive learning associated with observations from the
behaviors and skills of others. I learn ideas, concepts, attitudes and facts that contribute to my
abilities to make logics and solve problems. Most of my learning through graduation is also
based on experiential learning that is other than the academic knowledge; I acquire knowledge
through experiments, internet media and other creative sources. My learning is high involvement
now that I have to learn important and valuable data and facts so I have to show high
participation towards it. Some of the learning now is also connective learning that is gaining
knowledge from asking friends about any problem or using the internet facility to learn new
things.
 I rate todays learning strength higher than that of childhood based on some points. The
importance of data I acquire and learn now is much higher so the rate of learning is also strong. I
have an extraordinary involvement in things of my interest and academics so learning is also
strong because of high participation. In childhood, things were learnt just to solve exam papers
or because of fear of teachers. I acquire knowledge having a positive mood towards it that leads
to strengthened learning of data. A positive reinforcement earned from my knowledge or data
strengthens learnings. Repetition of things in daily life also strengthen the associative links
between concepts. All these point indicate higher learning strength now as an adult.

Question 7:
Take 20 items from your kitchen or home that your family has been using for more than fifteen
years. Make a product-positioning map for these items.
Answer:
Product positioning refers to the perception of a product in the minds of people. The possible
dimensions according to which a product is graded can be price, quality, quantity, necessity or
luxury and other features about the product. According to the question, I have to grade twenty
household items in a product-positioning map. Shown as follows:

No. Product Product Positioning

This dishwashing liquid is used at my home always. Low price and a basic quality
1 Fairy dish washer better than other dishwashers that come in the form of soaps. Can be consumed in
different packing sizes and flavors like lemon, orange, mint etc.
2 National appliances are trust worthy. High quality is guaranteed with high price.
National Juicer The juicer and blender has lasted for 15 years at my home without making any issue.
Other brand’s juicers etc. stop working even after light fluctuations in electricity.
3 Panasonic We got this cordless when it was firstly introduced. Had to buy it in a high price
Cordless Phone because of the latest innovation but the quality is excellent. It is battery-operated and
has lasted ever since we bought it.
4 Philips Iron Philips firstly introduced low weight and steam irons. Lower prices than other
brands but great innovations and quality. Steam iron is also a basic necessity.
5 Ever since at my home, I have seen my mother consuming Dalda as a cooking oil.
Dalda Oil All of us have developed an attachment with the brand. It is healthy and available as
corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil that is helpful in sense of consumption.
6 Nivea Lotion I have tried many moisturizing lotions but Nivea has it’s own place. No other brand
has given me the results Nivea gave.
7 Fair and Lovely Used as a whitening cream by family members and me. Firstly, it was just a female
Whitening Cream product but they introduced Men fairness cream and I use it regularly.
8 Dettol Soap Used as an anti-bacterial soap at my home. Other brands LUX, Palmolive etc. are
used as beauty soaps.
9 Shan spices My mother uses Shan spices in kitchen. The quality is good and we trust this brand
 with spices. They have every product available precisely for all dishes and cooking.
10 Jam e Shiri Refreshing drink used in summer and Ramadan at my home. Comparatively high
prices than other brands but has the ultimate taste and therefore the liking for it.
11 Sensodyne Sensitivity is often an issue for teeth and this is the best doctor approved toothpaste
Toothpaste for this purpose. Higher prices than other toothpaste brands but guarantees relief
against sensitivity. That’s why we use it as a medicated tootpaste.
12 Head & The best anti-dandruff shampoo. Other brands have also introduced anti-dandruff
Shoulders shampoos but head and shoulder is low price and high quality product. A necessity
shampoo for dandruff issues and have plain shampoos too to target other hair related issues.
13 Johnson’s Baby This brand is used since I was a child and now for my baby nephews. The brand has
Oil the position of ultimate baby products and everyone relies on their products for baby
care.
14 HP Desktop The oldest desktop used at my home is HP. It was comparatively cheaper then
Toshiba and Dell desktops but has a promising quality. In addition, it was available
in mini CPU size so we bought it because of the latest creativity at that time.
15 Super Asia This brand has air coolers and appliances in different prices and matching values.
Cooler Prices are according to the value of product.
16 Kuene hair color Used as a hair color my female and male members. It’s quality and lasting color
makes me consume this even after little high prices than other brands.
17 Rolex Watches My brothers and I have been using Rolex watches since long. The prices are high
but Rolex has the best quality watches relating to prices. Excellent luxury to afford.
18 Apple Phones We have used Apple Smartphones ever since. They are comparatively expensive
than local mobile phone brands but they are high-tech with amazing features and
Apple being a trusted brand we position it on the top.
19 Rose Petal tissues Used from a long time at my home. Ranges of available products like kitchen tissue
rolls, sanitary napkins, regular tissue papers makes the brand consumable.
20 Qarshi products Qarshi products like Joshanda and other herbal health care products are widely used
at my home. They have high quality and low prices and is a necessity in certain
conditions.
Question 8:
Keeping in mind the McGuire’s motivations classifications. Identify which motives apply to you
mostly and which don’t.
Answer:
Motivation is the reason for any kind of behavior a person has. McGuire’s Psychological
Motivations is a classification system that organizes theories of motives into 16 categories. The
criteria that determine the modes of motivations are cognitive, affective focused on preservation
of already made status or growth, the motivated behavior is actively initiated or is in the response
to environment. The motives from all the four categories that apply on me are as follows:

 Need for consistency: The need to maintain internal equilibrium or balance towards a
thing drives the need for consistency and motivation to be consistent in a specific field of
life. This motivation helps to preserve the already obtained position in a field of life. I
am motivated by the need of consistency in my gym routine. Being a body builder, I
clearly understand the fact that if I am not consistent with my gym routine I will lose all
the hard work. This motivation keeps me consistent with gym timings and gives the
stimulation to work out. This need also motivates me to buy whey proteins to manage
the body mass.
 Utilitarian needs: It is the need to learn new information to solve problems. I am always
motivated by the utilitarian need in daily life. I use the external environment as a
resource to grab information about cars, mobile phones, home appliances and gym
products that can be later utilized to solve problems. For example, I do a lot of window-
shopping to see how the available products can help around home and in time of need, I
know where to get the exact thing to help me. This motivation aids keeping myself
updated to new information and helps me grow.
 Need for tension reduction: This is the motivation to reduce any tension that is
generated when needs are not being satisfied. The need to reduce tension and stress
motivates me to offer Salah five times a day. Although, Salah is the act of worship but
the thoughts of reducing stress and tension and the peace I feel after offering Salah keeps
me motivated to pray on time. When I prostrate in front of Allah, the thoughts of any
needs not being completed are vanished and I feel grateful for everything.
 Need for self-expression: The motivation to express self-identity to others. To set a
positive and graceful self-expression, I am motivated to keep myself fit and consume
products that maintain my self-expression. I am motivated to buy branded things or
 products that have symbolic meanings. Mostly, I am motivated to consume conspicuous
products to enhance the prestige and self-expression.
The motives of reinforcement and assertion are the ones that do not imply to me. I am not
motivated to do any act to get a reward from someone. In addition, I am not motivated towards
assertion of power and success. I thrive to be successful in life but that does not motivate me to
be in competition with anyone else for success and assertion or attainment of power.

Question 9:
When you enter a supermarket (with cousins and family) to buy grocery for the month and some
special occasion coming up the next month, what situational and store characteristics will impact
your buying decisions?

Answer:

A number of things may affects the buying behaviors. Situational characteristics are temporary
conditions that affect how and what to buy. They include things like physical factors, social
factors, time factors, surroundings and the reason for the purchase. It may also include a specific
timing of year when purchases are made and there is a rush and crowd at stores.
In the sense of my buying patterns and behavior, when there is a special occasion like Ramadan
or ‘Eid coming up, a lot of situational factors cast an impact. For example, I along with my
family will prefer to go to a departmental store almost two weeks prior to Ramadan. I will prefer
hours of less crowd and rush so that the grocery shopping can be done peacefully. Because of a
haste and rush in the month of Ramadan, I will prefer buying complete grocery for a whole
month at a time. That is I will purchase in bulk amounts. Physical factors like my mood is a
major influencer. Because of crowd or insufficient number of supplies at a store, my mood is
tough and I would not prefer such store afterwards. Social factors like finances affect my buying
behavior. I have collected enough amount to purchase items on my list before an occasion. The
instructions of family and my reference group matters a lot. Buying is usually of the things my
family asked for the preparation of an event.
A number of store characteristics influence my buying behavior. I usually visit Imtiaz Superstore
located besides Kings Mall. My preference to visit this store include its location firstly. Being
near to my home, it is an easy access. Secondly, I prefer a store where I can find all the items of
need under one roof. The parking is quite large and I do not have to wait for a spot to park my
car. Inside the store, products are displayed in quite an attractive way. Sometimes even if I am
about to forget an item, it is easily remembered because of the display of products in specific
sections. This departmental store has range of packing’s of every item available and I can get
according to the amount I need to buy. Before events, my family usually prefers buying in bulk
amounts and this store has the products in feasible bulk packing. They have a clean environment
inside the store and plenty of workers and guides are available in each row that is a lot helpful.
When visiting the store with family and kids, it is supportive initiative as they announce if there
is misplacement of some goods or a missing child. Sectionizing of goods and display of
promotional items at the start helps me much when doing grocery. Furthermore, this store has a
creative way to attract consumers by the loyalty card scheme. 10% points are added in the
loyalty card on the shopping of specific amounts and I usually avail this offer before Ramadan
when there is much grocery to buy. Lastly, the promotional activities are quite affordable and
leaflets are available at my doorsteps before the monthly promotion. All these characteristics
influence my buying behavior and choice of a store.

Question 10:
Have you ever felt the post purchase dissonance in your purchases? Why that happens?

Answer:

Post purchase dissonance is a state of mind and perception of uneasiness after purchasing a
product or service from any brand. This sometimes results in regretting the purchase or returning
the product back where purchased. There are three levels of post purchase dissonance:

 Tolerance level – When someone is fine with the product and goes on with the purchases.
 Inconsistency level – When someone become undecided by the product and starts
considering the purchase if it was up to mark or not.
 Post purchase dissonance – The final stage when someone starts regretting the purchase.

Yes, I have faced dissonances many times in my purchases. Some of the times I faced such
situation are as follows:

 Occasionally, I get something from a brand and then find the same exact thing in lesser
price at some other market. Then I regret the purchase, as I would have bought it for less
price.
 Once I ordered my favorite perfumes online and I received the package of empty bottles.
I had even paid for the order and had no other way, but to feel sad. I greatly regretted
that purchase and made the mind to never do online shopping other than from verified
pages.
 The phone brand I always prefer is Apple. It has happened with me that I got a second
hand IPhone 7 and got battery and software issues with the phone in no time. I felt sorry
for that purchase.
 Impulse or unplanned purchases also lead to dissonance. Like once I bought a gym bottle
although I had one at home. I liked the bottle and instantly made the decisions of buying
it. Later I felt that I should not have purchased that bottle.
  Once this also happened with my mother. She bought a dress and liked the color in the
store but at home because of dimmed lights; she did not like the color and we got it
returned the next day.
In my opinion, post purchase dissonance occurs because of short information of the product we
are consuming and later on find the same thing in lesser price or better features. Sometimes,
unplanned and impulse purchases lead to such regretting and returning of the products.
Sometimes, not getting positive reviews from the family about the purchase also lead to such
dissonances.