C18FM - FUNDAMENATALS Of MARKETING

Tutorial
Preparation Task
Consumer Behaviour

PREP TASK:

Student Learning Objectives:

 Familiarise students with the bases of consumer-relevant theory and practice.

 Facilitate a critical, reflective understanding of consumer decision-making.
 Encourage a more critical appreciation of consumers within the marketing process.
 Encourage the use of a more formal, evidence based approach to the exposition of personal
knowledge.

Student Task:

Task a: (No need to submit answers to task 1). You may like to explore additional information to
help formulate your ideas and potential insights. Whilst, this is not compulsory, it would be a
useful starting point and a valuable future resource for you . Search for papers that consider
consumer decision making within specific contextual frameworks.

Task b: (Submission required) Complete the ‘boxed’ questions overleaf to form a basis for
this understanding.

 Submit your answers before the start of the tutorial for this topic
with your name and student number clearly marked below.
 Weekly prep tasks must be submitted to qualify for credit
 You will receive standardised feedback for the boxes and the exam/essay style question.
 Keep these safe and use as a revision tool for the assessments.

This topic will form the basis of discussion in your next Tutorial.

Your Name : Hoo Chi Tien

Matriculation Number : H00363352
th
Date Submitted : 6 October 2021

Consumer Behaviour PREP TASK

This prep task formalises your learning by asking a series of questions relating to the exam style
question below. Provide brief answers to these questions within the boxes.

‘Discuss the value of understanding consumer behaviour within effective marketing’

Now outline answers to the following questions within the boxes:

Provide at least one definition of consumer behaviour .… ?

Consumer Behaviour is when individuals or groups of people go through the process of selection, purchase,
use, and dispose of goods and services to satisfy their needs and desires.

Identify the 5 stages of the Consumer Decision-Making (CDM) process and offer an example to
illustrate how marketers may target each stage.

The Consumer Decision-Making Process is the process by which consumers become aware of and identify
their requirements, then gather information to choose the best way to meet those needs by determining
what to buy, how to buy, when to buy, and what happens after they buy. To begin with, problem recognition
occurs when consumers recognise the discrepancy between current state and the ideal states, leading them
to discover that they require a product or services. At this stage, the marketers can play a role by
establishing a discrepancy through identifying the consumer’s problems and then advertise to influence
them effectively.

Secondly, information search develops after consumers has identified their wants or needs where
consumers begin to search through alternative selections of the products to locate the best solution for
them. Marketers would therefore be able to determine where consumers look for information by ensuring
that their brand is part of the consumer's awareness set.

Thirdly, alternative evaluation comes after consumers have concluded their information search then
followed by reflecting on what they have discovered. At this stage, customers identify their consideration
set to determine what are the main criteria to focus on, as well as reasons to believe that one is better
than the other based on quality, effectiveness, price, and other factors. Moreover, marketers should focus
on the key criteria that consumers focus on by offering information about products or services that are
able to meet the consumer’s needs, allowing them to outperform their competitors.

Next, product choice occurs when consumers have already opted to make a purchase on the products they
need. Marketers at this stage should demonstrate a strong reputation by providing positive reinforcements
such as good reviews, discounts, packaging, and so on. As a result, buyers will then purchase the products
based on the brand image built by the business.

Lastly, post purchase evaluation is when consumers have made a purchase and reflects on their
dissatisfaction or satisfaction of the overall feelings with the products. A return could then take place if
the customer decides it was worth the money, but customer loyalty could be lost easily if they are
dissatisfied. Considering customers’ future purchases are unpredictable, marketers could conduct a follow
up survey to allow them to provide feedbacks on the product.

How could you make tissue paper more ‘involving’ for consumers?

Tissue papers are habitual products in which customers are clear with the exact products they need and
does not have to go through the process of information search nor the evaluation of criteria. Consumers
may not need to think too hard before purchasing as it is categorised as a lower cost commodity. However,
there are still several factors that influence a consumer’s decision to buy a product, and these factors
might have a significant impact on which brand of product consumers would purchase. For instance, a large
number of family members might purchase a greater value pack of tissue papers, whereas a person living
 C18FM - FUNDAMENATALS Of MARKETING

alone may not require as much bag of tissue papers. Another example would be that individuals has
different purchasing behaviours where some customers may choose products based on the packaging, while
others may select the cheapest one on the shelf. These customers’ decision-making behaviours varies by
different products depending on their level of involvement, information processing, and perceived risks.

Identify one situational, one internal and one social influence on CDM and offer an example for each
that illustrates how marketers may use this knowledge.

Situational influence refers to the pressures of the physical environment and time that influence how
consumers behave when making decisions. Physical environment such as in store displays, marketers would
use their understanding of what customers’ needs most then apply it to a real-life situation to capture
customers’ attention. For example, grocery stores usually place the most essential products at the end of
the store, forcing customers to walk through the entire store in order to get their products. Moreover,
internal influences are influenced by the consumer’s lifestyle and mindset. Motivation is an internal state
that drives consumers to buy the products to satisfy their own needs. For instance, when a person is
hungry, it motivates them to search for restaurants to feed their hunger leading them to make a purchase.
Furthermore, social influences include factors such as culture where the values, beliefs, customs, and
tastes produced and valued by a group of people.

Recall a personal experience of purchasing on the internet. What were the barriers you faced and
how could you make this process better for the consumer?

There was a time when I bought a headrest to go with my chair. When the package arrived, I was unsure
how to attach the item onto my chair because there were no instructions included. After that, I texted the
seller to ask for the correct assembly instructions, but the seller did not understand the language I was
speaking, which made communication difficult. To improve the customer experience, the seller could have
made the process easier by offering an instruction book or establishing a customer support center where
customers could contact seller effectively in own languages.

Explore the value/usefulness of understanding Consumer Behaviour:

Studying the behaviour of consumers allow businesses to achieve the main purpose of
marketing goods or services to satisfy the needs and desires of consumers. As
consumers are known as the heartbeat for marketers, it is essential for businesses to
take their likings and dislikes into consideration by providing them with satisfaction.
The study of consumer behaviour helps marketers to recognise and predict the
purchase pattern of customers, allowing businesses to better understand what, why,
where, how, and when consumers purchase the specific item. As marketers are aware of
the purchasing pattern of consumers, they can then follow and attract them into
purchasing the items. In this case, markets would design the best possible product or
service that would fully satisfies consumers’ needs and demands based on their liking to
which they will repurchase the item again.

Well done … perhaps you will now have a newfound respect for those consumers at the cutting
edge of your future marketing plans 