The Views of Buying Behavior

BIOLOGICAL VIEW
Inside our brain we have the nucleus
accumbens (a.k.a. pleasure center), which
secretes the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Dopamine plays a role on how we respond
to pleasurable stimuli and crave to repeat
the experience (Dahl, 2017).
The Views of Buying Behavior

BIOLOGICAL VIEW
Studies have shown that there are numerous physical differences
between male and female brains. Women have a thicker corpus
callosum, which is the bridge of nerve tissue that connects the left and
right side of the brain.

It allows women to use both sides of their brains to solve problems

quicker, while men predominantly use the left side of their brains
(Xin, Zhang, Tang, Yang, 2019).
The Views of Buying Behavior

BIOLOGICAL VIEW
In general, the left hemisphere is in charge of
performing logic computations and processing facts.
The right hemisphere is dominant in processing visual
imagery and interpreting context.
The Views of Buying Behavior

BIOLOGICAL VIEW
In the context of shopping, this different brain structure
leads to men tending to be mission & task-oriented
shoppers while women are more likely to be discovery-
oriented shoppers who readily adjust their initial goals if
this would result in a more satisfying outcome.
The Views of Buying Behavior

PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW
SIGMUND FREUD: we find pleasure in buying things (ID)

ABRAHAM MASLOW: buying is perceived as a motivation to satisfy

our needs (hierarchy of needs)

IVAN PAVLOV: consumers are conditioned to respond to specific

brands / products and sometime even urged to buy when they see
words such as SALE and DISCOUNTS
The Views of Buying Behavior

PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW
SIGMUND FREUD: we find pleasure in buying things (ID)

ABRAHAM MASLOW: buying is perceived as a motivation to satisfy

our needs (Hierarchy of Needs)

IVAN PAVLOV: consumers are conditioned to respond to specific

brands / products and sometime even urged to buy when they see
words such as SALE and DISCOUNTS (Classical Conditioning)
The Views of Buying Behavior

PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW
BF SKINNER: we are reinforced to buy things as a reward to ourselves
(Operant Conditioning)
INCENTIVE THEORY: we are
• Intrinsic our behavior is dictated by a desire for internal rewards
(compliments, praises, sense of achievement, etc.)

• Extrinsic our behavior is dictated by a desire for external rewards

(grades, money, awards, and other physical rewards)
The Views of Buying Behavior

PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW
Women visited more websites and contrasted different
options more thoroughly than men. They also found that while
female respondents were more likely to find online sales and
discounts, the shopping process of their male counterparts
was more efficient and quicker (Seock & Bailey, 2007).
The Views of Buying Behavior

PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW
Men’s motives for shopping appear to be more utilitarian, whereas
women’s shopping motives tend to be hedonic. Women tend to
be more comprehensive and take both subjective (customer
reviews) and objective information into consideration, while men
tend to favor objective information (make, model, speed etc.) over
subjective information (Mpinganjira, 2014).
The Views of Buying Behavior

SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW
Conspicuous consumption, along with
conspicuous leisure, is performed to
demonstrate wealth or mark social status
(Thomas, 1899).