The term "consumer" refers to someone who buys things and services

to directly satisfy their desires.

The way that Indian consumers spend their money has altered in recent
years. Urbanization, changing lifestyles, increased consumer knowledge,
rising disposable income, changing demographics, penetration of social
media and the internet, and other factors are all contributing to changes
in today's consumer buying behaviour. This shift in customer purchasing
behaviour has posed a significant challenge for consumer products
manufacturers' survival and growth. Consumer behaviour is a multi-
dimensional, complicated, and dynamic process. Online shopping,
celebrity impact, increased brand consciousness, freebies, and eco-
friendly products are some of the most current consumer trends in
India.

Recent strategies used by Indian marketers to impact consumer buying

behaviour are as follows; -

1.ONLINE SHOPPING: is a process in which consumers buy products and

services directly from the seller over the internet without the need of an
intermediary provider. In recent years, it has been seen that Indian
consumers purchase the majority of their goods through internet
shopping. As a result, internet marketing is the most appropriate
method for today's marketers. www.snapdeal.com, www.myntra.com,
and www.ebay.com are some of the most popular online shopping sites
in India.
2. CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT: A celebrity endorsement is an advertising
campaign in which a well-known person promotes a product or service.
It is a significant strategy used by marketers to influence the buying
behaviour of Indian consumers. The usage of celebrities in television ads
has expanded as visual media has grown in popularity. When consumers
see their favourite celebrities promoting a product, they pay greater
attention to them and are more likely to purchase the same thing.
3. ESTABLISHED RETAIL OUTLETS: Indian customers believe that price is
a good indicator of product quality. As a result, people seek for high-end
branded goods. However, in the case of a few products for which there
are no well-known brands, buyers prefer to purchase such items from
well-established retailers in the hopes of receiving high-quality goods.
As a result, marketers of such goods use these well-established shops to
display and sell their wares.
4. FREEBIES: Freebies are consumer goods that are given away for free
in exchange for the purchase of specific products over a particular
value. Televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, toiletries, and food
products are just a few of the product categories where freebies are
frequently distributed in India.

5. ECOFRIENDLY PRODUCTS: - PRODUCTS THAT ARE ECOFRIENDLY IN

THEIR PRODUCTION, USE, AND DISPOSAL are referred to as
ECOFRIENDLY PRODUCTS. Indian shoppers are growing more
ecologically conscious, preferring to purchase eco-friendly goods.
Consumer goods marketers should choose ethical and environmentally
friendly items and packaging strategies. This will assist them in striking a
balance between environmental and commercial considerations.

INDIAN MARKET TRENDS CHANGING WITH REFERENCE TO CHANGING

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR;-

 Focusing on LIFESTYLE CHANGE: Indian customers' lifestyles are

being affected by western tendencies. The Indian consumer's buying
behaviour has changed as a result of this effect; they are getting
more adventurous in their purchases. Through the media and
Indians working abroad, the western trend has reached the minds
of Indian consumers. In India, foreign brands have also achieved
widespread recognition.

 Focusing on BULK PURCHASING: India's rapid urbanisation is having

a significant impact on consumer purchasing behaviour. The normal
customer is evolving today; rural India is gradually becoming an
urban society. Rather than frequent purchases from neighbourhood
grocery stores or vendors, bulk purchases from department stores
and super markets are taking the lead these days.

 TRANSITION FROM SELLER'S TO BUYER'S MARKET: Traditional

seller's markets have given way to current buyer's markets.
Following India's economic liberalisation policies in 1991, a wave of
new product offerings flooded the Indian market, resulting in a
tenfold increase in product variety. Consumers now have more
options when it comes to purchasing things from various brands.
This gave consumers more power because sellers now had to
 persuade them to buy their items over those of their competitors in
the market. The seller's market became a buyer's market as a result
of this.

 INDIAN Customers' SPENDING BEHAVIOR: The way Indian

consumers spend their money on various goods has shifted.
Consumers used to spend the majority of their wages on food,
which is their most fundamental need, but now other products,
such as medical and healthcare, transportation, and
communication, are becoming more important in their
expenditures. In India, it has been observed that higher-income
groups spend the majority of their earnings on luxury products,
whilst middle-income groups spend more on consumer goods.

The study of individuals, groups, or organisations and the processes

they use to select, secure, utilise, and dispose of products, services,
experiences, or ideas to meet needs, as well as the effects these
processes have on the consumer and society, is known as consumer
behaviour.

Application of Consumer behaviour in Marketing decisions: -

 The study of consumers behaviour helps firms and organizations
improve their marketing strategies by understanding issues such as
how
 The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select
between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products, and
retailers);
 The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her
environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media);
 The behaviour of consumers while shopping or making other
marketing decisions;
 Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing
abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome;
 How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between
products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they
entail for the consumer; and
 How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns
and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.

For Example
 By understanding that consumers are more receptive to food
advertising when they are hungry, we learn to schedule snack
advertisements late in the afternoon.
 By understanding that new products are usually initially adopted by
a few consumers and only spread later, and then only gradually, to
the rest of the population, we learn that
(1) companies that introduce new products must be well financed
so that they can stay afloat until their products become a
commercial success.
(2) it is important to please initial customers, since they will in turn
influence many subsequent customers’ brand choices.
CHANGIND TRENDS IN INDIAN Markets with reference to changing
CONSUMERS BUYING BEHAVIOUR
Focusing on CHANGING LIFESTYLE: The lifestyle of Indian consumers is being
influenced by the western trends. This influence has resulted in changing the
buying behaviour of the Indian consumer; they are becoming more
experimental in their purchases. The western trend has reached the mind of
Indian consumers through media and through the Indians working abroad.
Foreign brands have also gained wide acceptance in the Indian market.
BULK PURCHASING: Urbanization in India is influencing the buying behaviour of
consumers at a dramatic pace. The average consumer today is developing
himself; rural India is slowly changing into urban society. Bulk purchases from
departmental stores and super markets are taking a lead these days, rather
than the frequent purchases from the neighbourhood grocery stores or
vendors.
SHIFT FROM SELLER’S MARKET TO BUYER’S MARKET: The traditional seller’s
market has changed to modern buyer’s market. After India’s economic
liberalization various policies were initiated in 1991, many new product
offerings entered the Indian market; this led to a many times increase in the
product variety. Increase in product variety gave consumers a choice in
purchasing products of different brands. This made consumer powerful as now
the seller’s had to convince the consumers to buy their products as compared
to their competitor’s products in the market. This changed the seller’s market
into the buyer’s market.
CONSUMER’S SPENDING BEHAVIOUR: The pattern of Indian consumers
spending their earnings on various commodities has changed. Till now
consumers used to spend most of their earnings on food which is their basic
requirement, but now other items are gaining importance in their purchases
like medical and healthcare, transportation, communication etc. it has been
seen that in India the higher income groups are spending most of their earnings
on luxury goods as compared to middle income groups who spend more on
consumer expendables.

Consumer behaviour is complex and often not considered rational. A further

challenge is that consumer personalities differ across borders and also between
and within regions. The vulnerable consumer, who does not have access to the
same number of choices as the average consumer, needs to be taken into
account. Influencing consumer behaviour is in fact, targeting the right people
with the right message. In any business organization, changing consumer
behaviour is a big challenge for sustainable growth of any business
organization. In developing country like India, there is need to formulate and
successfully implement strategies related to consumer behaviour because
there are fewer resources to meet the basic requirements of the business.
Changing consumer behaviour is an obstacle in the growth of business because
it leads to heavy losses due to obsolete stock of the organization. Taste,
behaviour and preference of consumers cannot be ignored because consumers
are the “kings” of market. Consumer behaviour is a complex, dynamic,
multidimensional process, and all marketing decisions are based on
assumptions about consumer behaviour. Therefore, marketing strategies
related to consumer behaviour are made to beat cut throat competition in
global context. In modern times, prediction of consumer behaviour is much
essential for prosperity of the business. Its prediction and strategy formulation
is a challenge for the management of any business organization. Only those
organizations which formulate and implement consumer oriented marketing
strategies, can survive in global competitive era. From the market perspective,
people of India comprise different segments of consumers, based on class,
status, and income. An important and recent development in India’s
consumerism is the emergence of the rural market and market for eco-friendly
products for several consumer goods. Three-fourths of India’s population lives
in rural areas, and contribute one-third of the national income so it should not
be avoided. India is a lucrative market even though the per capita income in
India is low and it remains a huge market, even for costly products. The
retailers should spend on online marketing during recession. They should also
indulge in cost cutting, reach their customers, target markets, build long term
relationships, available at IRJMSH Vol 6 Issue 10 [Year 2015] ISSN 2277 – 9809
(0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) International Research Journal of Management
Sociology & Humanity ( IRJMSH ) Page 157 www.irjmsh.com all hours, low cost
for inventory, and increase sales promotion schemes. Lastly, creating value
along with delivering delight to the customer is what is most important. We live
in a digital age and thus need to keep up with new trends in the social media.
The Internet has become the first medium in history to allow for complex
interaction between networks of people via Face book, YouTube and many
other social networking sites.
Consumer Behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and
the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services,
experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes
have on the consumer and society.
Application of Consumer behaviour in Marketing
The study of consumers helps firms and organizations improve their marketing
strategies by understanding issues such as how
The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between
different alternatives (e.g., brands, products, and retailers);
The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment
(e.g., culture, family, signs, media);
The behaviour of consumers while shopping or making other marketing
decisions;
Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities
influence decisions and marketing outcome;
How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that
differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer;
and
How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and
marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.
Example
By understanding that consumers are more receptive to food advertising when
they are hungry, we learn to schedule snack advertisements late in the
afternoon.
By understanding that new products are usually initially adopted by a few
consumers and only spread later, and then only gradually, to the rest of the
population, we learn that (1) companies that introduce new products must be
well financed so that they can stay afloat until their products become a
commercial success and (2) it is important to please initial customers, since
they will in turn influence many subsequent customers’ brand choices.