THE FAMILY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Married couples without children
The Filipino family is a unique composition
of members of the father and mother and all
the children living in the same house. In
many instances , we have extended family
where in-laws live together in the same
household.
It is our custom that the father and mother
support all the needs children until they
raise their own family, or even after they
family of their own. This close family ties has
its positive the mutual assistance of both
parties extend throughout the family life
cycle. The success of the family is gauged on
the success of the children and their
generation. At old age the father or the
mother is supposedly taken cares off by their
children.
On the negative note, the extended family
which includes the relatives of both the
father and the mother, the dwellings become
too compact and the family expenses become
difficult to manage. lhey have to share the
earnings of the father and mother for food
and other household necessities. There are
many of these cases in the urban and the
adjacent metropolis where the opportunity
for education and employment are usually
found. Many live in squatter areas where
housing is the problem of the government
and dwellings are not available to
accommodate the growing population.
Demographics of the Filipino Households
Demographics of the household refer to
the composition of the family living together
in the same house and sharing all the facilities
therein. The Filipino household can be group
into the following categories;
• The married couple with no children
• The father and mother with two or more
children
• The family with the in-laws
• The extended family that includes the
relatives
• Single father or single mother
• Single men or women living alone
Marketers take the individual consumers
within the h as a particular unit of interest.
The goal is to describe and strategies can be
developed to more effectively influence
buying process. Changes in the family
demographics can influence the design of the
marketing mix. The age brackets of the have
implications in the buying process as
consumers change the patterns of behavior
over time.
1.
Childless couples who are both working has
the buying power for almost all household
items ranging from new television sets,
appliances, and electronic gadgets of the
latest models. Married couples who are
working as junior executives would have the
latest model of cars for their personal use or
a new condominium unit. They will be eating
more in restaurants or fast food chain as
they don't have much time to cook at home.
Shopping could be done after office hours as
most malls are still open till late in the
evening.
2. The family with two or more children
The family with two or more children who
are at the affluent bracket that lives in
exclusive subdivisions within Metro Manila
have all the money to buy what they wish
and want.
The common family of this type are within
the middle d lower income bracket of the
Philippine society. The family life style and
consuming behavior is the main focus of the
marketers as they composed the major
segments of the marketing demographics.
They need the basic consumer goods found
in retail grocery stores, public markets or
even in the corner sari-sari stores. The
education of the children is mostly in public
schools or in state colleges where they can
afford the tuition and other fees.
3 The family with In—Laws
The family with the In-Laws are similarly
within the same social bracket as the family
with two or more children. The head of the
family, usually the father, takes care of the
family needs for food, clothing and shelter
and the other physiological needs. The major
buying decision is usually with the approval
Of the family members especially when the
in-laws still have great influence in the
purchase decisions.
4. The Extended Family
The extended family becomes more
complicated but the customary practice
could not be avoided as the family ties
operate within the tradition of the Filipinos.
While consumption increases, the income of
the family has not improved to meet the
basic life necessities. The meager income has
to be divided with the members of the family
for basic education and the daily need for
food, clothing and shelter.
 5. The Single Mother or Father
The growing morality of the west has
encroached and engulfed the true Filipino
values of family relationships. Separations
and annulment became prevalent in the
social order and this affected the good
Christian social values of the family. While
the buying behavior could be similar to the
previous discussions, the decision-making
process is either the single father or single
mother.
6. The Single Male or Female
There are male and female consumers who
would like to remain single not because they
like freedom but they enjoy their single
blessedness as they can buy things they want
without much conflict
THE FAMILY ROLE IN PURCHASING
BEHAVIOR
Marketers are interested on how family
members interact and one another in making
purchase decisions for the entire —holds.
Different people in the family may take
different social roles and perform different
behavior during decision making. The
amount of influence exerted by the husband,
the wife and the children varies according to
the stages of the decision process.
1. Problem Recognition
It refers to the process of analyzing the
existence of the problem of what product to
buy at which store offers the best brand, and
what price would be most acceptable.
Problem recognition is most important in
major family decision like buying a new
house or a new car. Minor decisions may be
done by any member of the family who
exerted the most influence.
2. The Search for Information
As the family experience the major decision
stage, the search for information may be
through any member of the family who have
access to the needed information.
Information may be available through
product catalogue, magazines, the Internet,
Or the product distributors themselves.
3. The Final Choice of the Product
It may pointed out that in the Filipino
context, the Head of the family who is usually
the husband has the final say authority to
make the final say but in some instances wife
exerted the authority to make the final say.
On the other hand, the more the educated
family values on the sharing of authority, the
majority rule is practice.
It is important that marketers identify
the following role behavior;
a. The Influencer
It refers to the family member who provided
the information about the product or service
in the market and influenced the decision
process. The child may influence the mother
to buy the new brand of hotdog he tasted in
the neighborhood. She may be the mother
who saw a brand new flat TV sets as a
possible replacement of their old TV in the
living room. They may be anyone who has
new information and play a great role in
making the purchase decision.
b. The Gatekeeper of Information
The gatekeeper controls the flow of
information among family members. They
may be any member of the family who has
access to product information from
magazines, televisions
advertisements, or the Internet. New and
innovative product information is available
in magazines and other mass media.
c. The Decision Maker
The decision maker is usually the mother or
the father under the Filipino concepts of
paternal authority. On the other hand, there
is a changing behavior concept that is given
to the children to buy the things they want as
they are now more aware of their rights and
obligations. Unlike the old concepts, what
mother and father wants to buy are good for
the children, For major decisions, the whole
family takes individual analysis and make
suggestions. Buying a new house or car could
be a major decision.
d. Buyer of Goods
Once decision is reached any member of the
family may be delegated to buy the product.
For most grocery items and other od stuff,
the mother or the father takes the central
stage for the purchase especially after work
or on weekends. Children who are in their
teens and have the capacity to choose the
products there is are prior given approval
the money on what to buy items what or
products they want
e. The Product Users
Usually products bought for the family are
for everybody's consumption except for
products that is intended for specific users.
Groceries and food stuff are for family
members while cellular phone is intended
for the specific member of the family. Family
computer may be shared by the members of
the household including the extended
members of the family in a limited scale.
CONFLICT IN FAMILY DECISION-MAKING
It is likely that conflict may arise when more
than one member of the family makes the
decision. Decision conflict arises when family
members disagree about some aspects of the
purchase decisions. Family members may
disagree about the desired end-goals of the
purchase. When the father wanted to have
vacation trip in an island resort for
relaxation away from the noise of the
metropolis and the wife wanted to spend
more on shopping and some night life for
pleasure, and the children would like some
adventure and excitement in amusement
parks, there exists decision conflict in the
family.
Differences in the end goals of the family
often create major conflict because very
different choice alternatives are likely to
provide these incompatible ends. To end
these differences, negotiations may be
required to resolve the issue on hand. When
financial resources are available, the
husband may agree on short shopping
activities with the wife while the children go
to the theme park for some excitement.
When financial resource is limited, all the
end-goals of the conflicting parties are put
on hold.
here are serious conflicting purchase
decisions that family may encounter in the
course of their family life cycle. the this
happened, some may ignore the problem and
hope that the situation will resolve itself.
Some members of the family may t to
influence the other members and develop
consensus for the goal objective.
The family following has factors great
influence have major resolving purchase
decisions. roles in conflict resolutions;
1. The Financial Resources of the Family
Members
The member of the family that has the
greatest contribution to the family expenses
has the greater influence in the decisions
making process. When financial resources
are limited, the head of the family who is
usually the father or the mother makes the
greater influence in the purchase decision.
working children who have financial income
that is contributed to the family budget may
also influence the buying decision. This is the
case in most Filipino family decision-making
process.
2. The Level of Importance of the
Decision Purchase
Resolving the purchase conflict is dependent
on the level of the purchase decision on the
family members. Buying a new house for the
family may have the highest level of
importance as the affective and cognitive
response involve most family members in
terms of travel convenience. The social
environment of the supposed relocation site
plays major role for the growing children.
Major conflict role behavior also arise when
decision about the school and the course the
children will take after high school as it
involves financial as well as social
implications. The state universities may offer
the best course in terms of passing board
examinations, the high standard of faculty,
and the affordable tuition fee, but the social
standing of the family would not fit e
institution's social cognitive level of
importance.
3. The Gender Role Orientation
It refers to the orientation of the spouses
who are major decision makers in family
purchase. It is the extent that the husband
and the wife follow the normative
conceptions on how male and female should
behave
THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL GROUP
Social groups and family are aspects of the
micro-social environment for consumers.
Social interactions with reference groups
and family are often direct and face-to-face.
These interaction processes can have
immediate influence on consumers'
cognitive, affective and behavior response to
marketing strategies. The social interaction
in the environment is created when two
friends go shopping together and influence
each others shopping experience. each one
influences the decision process of what
product to buy and creates the overall
satisfaction with the purchase, the social
interaction is positive.
The following types of reference groups
that influence buying decisions
Formal Groups
- This refers to groups that have clearly
specified structure like the office or the
school system Where the Consumer
belongs. There is face to face contact
everyday and direct communication.
Primary Groups
- The family is the primary group that the
consumer deals with everyday in their
buying decisions. This may also involve
reference groups of office and school
mates that the Consumer is associated
with daily.
Membership Groups
- This may refer to church organizations
and other social associations where the
consumer is an active member. The social
interaction during club meetings and
informal gatherings may influence to
some extent the buying decisions.
Aspirational Groups
- This may refer to such groups that the
consumer would like to aspire to join and
eventually emulate the kind of behavior.
This group may be the Rotary Club, Lions
and the Kiwanis International or the
Knights of Columbus.
Dissociative Group
- This refers to the group of which the
consumer would like to avoid. These are
social groups that the consumers' beliefs
and values do not jibe with personal
perception of value.
REFERENCE GROUPS
Reference groups are sets of people that
the consumer share certain values and
beliefs with and develop specific meanings
and behavior norms about things. Reference
groups are used by members to evaluate the
correctness of their action, beliefs and
attitudes. When a consumer shops with a
group, the tendency is there will be changes
in the buying decision. When consumers
alone, it becomes a planned purchase. shop
peer groups of college students may share
meanings and behavior norms about the
type of rubber shoes for physical education.
They may share the same meanings for the
kind of haircut and the kind of arm band that
is the "in thing" for the day. These reference
groups can influence the affective and
cognitive responses as well as their purchase
and consumption behavior.
Five Mean Factors that Affect Consumer
Behavior
1. Group Influence Process
Reference groups affect consumers through
norms, through information and, and
through the value-expressive needs. A norm
is defined as the behavioral rule of conduct
agreed upon by the majority in order to
establish behavioral consistency. It
represents the standard for which the group
should behave or it is the shared value
judgement on how things should be done by
the member.
Normative influence occurs when norms act
to influence individual's behavior. The use of
corporate attire for school professors and
proper decorum in the classroom is
unwritten policy yet it is followed as the
standard of ethical values for the profession.
Students should use the proper uniform
while in P.E. classes or the standard school
uniform when attending academic classes.
2. Group Role Values
A role consists of the specific behavior
expected of a person in a certain position.
The professor is a role model for all the
students under his class as he can exert
normative pressures on the students to
study well. The father being the head of the
family is presumably the decider in major
decision purchases.
Reaching the father with promotional
message on new model of car and that he is
ready to buy one at the moment, may make
the difference of making a sale.
Students in Catholic schools are supposed to
dress in th context of Christian values.
Participating in bikini contest Wi be
considered as taboo and out of the values of
modesty Th Il are expected to behave and
line silently going to their classes Unwary
behavior would mean that they will be called
to th principal's office for explanation and if
warranted suspension
3. The Development of Conformity
Pressures
Conformity pressure is the change in
behavior or belief toward the group as a real
or imaginary group pressure. The
cohesiveness of the social groups can
influence the consumer decision to buy
certain type of products that the group
prefers to use or buy. In certain instances,
the expert opinion of the members of the
group may influence change in the decision
to buy a certain car model due to the
experience of the members about its
performance. The size of the social group
may also influence the purchase decision of
the consumer as conformity to social
pressure prevails.
The social ties between the seller and the
consumer are factors that will influence the
buying decisions. A friend or associates or
members of the social organization in which
the consumer is an active member will be
influence to buy product especially when the
product is within the economic reach of the
consumer.
4. Social comparison Process
It refers to the process of assessing the
group opinions and abilities by comparing
the consumers' personal beliefs and
perception about the product. Social
comparison determines the consumers stand
on the correctness of the information and
makes assessment of their opinions, abilities
and possessions of valid data. This process
requires careful evaluation of alternatives as
presented by the social groups. The
consumer makes personal evaluation of the
information received according to his
personal beliefs, opinion and cognitive
perceptions.
presented. The alternative is viewed as to
the risks involved and the possible
consequences of the possible decision. The
expertness of the opinions and the
information presented may influence the
buying the decision.
Group polarization is commonly practiced
in corporate setting where various
alternative solutions are presented for
discussion. The risks involved and the
financial viability of the proposals are put
into the table for elaborate evaluation. The
best alternatives are discussed before final
decision is arrived.
Reference group concepts have been used
by advertisers in their effort to persuade
consumers to purchase products and brand.
Portraying products being consumed in
socially pleasant situation, the use of
prominent personalities and attractive
people in endorsing products and services
are marketing strategies to influence
consumer behavior. It is the persuasive
attempt to market products and brands to
demonstrate the belief that reference groups
expose consumers to behavior and lifestyles
of the social groups. Marketers try to
influence the development of self-concept
and contribute to the formation of values
and attitudes, and generate pressures for
conformity to the social group norm

There are two appraisal methods of analysis

of information under the social comparison
process. The first is called the reflective
appraisal which requires the consumer to
examine

the manner in which other members of the

social group interact with him. It may refer
to the manner of delivering the information
as to their honesty and sincerity in delivering
the message. The second method,
comparative appraisal, the consumer must
interact with others in the group and
evaluate his own relative standing with
respect to attitudes, beliefs, abilities and
emotions.

5. The Development of Group

Polarization

It is the process by which the consumer

engaged in deliberate discussions about the
product or service. It is an evaluation
process where alternative choices are