Consumer Involvement and buying

behavior | Types of Consumer Involvement

Involvement too is an internal state of mind which a consumer
experiences. It makes one analyze and rationalize his/her choice.
Involvement of consumers can be induced by external sources and
agencies. Involvement is the embodiment of time, effort, consideration
given and the enjoyment that is derived by consumer while choosing a
product or service.

The involvement theory holds that there are low and high involvement
purchases. Consumers’ involvement depends on the degree of
involvement of purchase to a consumer. For example, while buying a
loaf of bread, the consumer does not feel very much involved. It is
because the life of the product is very short. Once it is consumed, it
gets exhausted. If the consumer is not satisfied with the particular
bread brand, he will purchase some other brand next time.

In the case of purchase of consumer durable (Laptop, refrigerator,

household furniture, two wheeler etc), the involvement of the
consumer in making the purchase decision is high. Consumers take a
decision after much deliberations. These products have long-term
consequences. Consumers make lot of inquiries before they purchase
the products which have a high degree of involvement. The following
table shows various degrees of involvement depending upon the
nature of the product or service.

Motivational Behavior

The behavioral aspect of consumer motivation concerns the actions

someone takes before purchasing and consuming goods or services. A
person might do a lot of research--evaluating alternatives, testing and
sampling--before making a selection. She might decide to buy
something based on which goods or services most closely meet and
satisfy motivational wants and needs. Marketers aim to gain the most
impact and eventual sales by linking their products and services to
clearly defined consumer needs and by understanding what motivates
people to buy.

Degree Productor Service Examples

Low involvement Short life Fast moving consumer goods.

Medium involvement Medium Furniture, crockery, ordinary medical treatment

Automobiles, surgery, purchase of immovable assets,

High involvement Long
insurance policy etc.

Categories of Consumer involvement

Types of consumer involvement in buying

Certain factors affect the degree of involvement of buyers in making

purchase decisions. These include their level of knowledge,
information, psychology, culture, lifestyle, social system, etc. Even for
the same product or service the degree of involvement of an individual
may vary depending upon the circumstances. There are five types of
involvement.

Ego involvement:  Ego involvement is intended to satisfy one’s ego. For

example, all the members of the family involve themselves in
purchasing a product for a single member belonging to that family.
Wife involves herself in the purchase of garments for her husband and
husband involves himself in the purchase of cosmetics for his wife.
Sons and daughters of the family significantly influence the purchase
of laptop, TV, car, household furniture, etc. The ego of each family
member is satisfied by consulting him/her before the purchase.
2. Commitment: Commitment is another important form of
involvement. When a member of the family falls sick, the other family
members are committed to arrange medical treatment for the
suffering members. Similarly, functions like marriages entail the
commitment of the entire family.

3. Communication in involvement: Communication involvement

signifies sharing the available information with others in the family or
organization. If one member has some information on the subject
matter of decision, he should communicate it with the other members
before arriving at a decision.
4. Purchase importance: Involvement of individuals depends upon the
degree of importance of purchase. Suppose e flat costing lakhs of
rupees is purchased, then the purchase decision assumes a great deal
of importance in respect of location and area of the flat. The title deeds
should be free from encumbrance.

5. Extent of information: Once the consumer recognizes the need, he

then engages in a search process. Search means acquisition of
information from the environment. The extent of information search
is part of purchase importance. When the purchase is important,
information is sought from all possible sources. But in the case of
routine purchase of products and services, information search will be
rather minimum.
Needs:
Every individual has needs, they are innate and acquired. Innate needs
are also called physiological needs or primary needs which include
food, water, air, shelter , etc. Acquired needs are those needs that we
learn from our surroundings / environment or culture. These may
include need for power, for affection, for prestige, etc. These are
psychological in nature; therefore they are also called as secondary
needs.

(1) Physiological — housing, food, drink, clothing.

(2) Safety — insurance, burglar alarms (Wesco, Auto cop), tire alarms,
cars with air bags.

(3) Self-esteem — high status brands, goods or services like owning

microwave etc.

(4) Social — greeting cards, holiday packages, team sports equipment.

(5) Self-actualization — educational services etc.

Consumer choice is very important in satisfying all these needs, even

the physiological ones is of particular importance to marketing. We
can see that how the cola companies have replaced themselves with
tap water to quench people’s thirst. And in particular why choose Coke
rather than Pepsi or vice versa. It is also important to note that many
products can be used to satisfy several different levels of needs for
example- a car, a book, telephone etc.