CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Consumer Perception

CHAPTER 4
PERCEPTUAL
INTERPRETATION:
STEREOTYPING
People exercise selectivity as to which stimuli they perceive, and they organize
these stimuli on the basis of certain psychological principles.
The interpretation of stimuli is also uniquely individual, because it is based on what
individuals expect to see in light of their previous experiences, the number of
plausible explanations they can envision, and their motives and interests at the time
of perception.
Individuals carry biased pictures in their minds of the meanings of various stimuli,
which are termed stereotypes. Sometimes, when presented with sensory stimuli,
people “add” these biases to what they see or hear and thus form distorted
impressions
TRIGGERS OF STEREOTYPING
The triggers of stereotyping are physical appearance, descriptive terms, first
impressions, and the halo effect.
Physical Appearance
People tend to attribute the qualities they associate with certain types of people to
others who resemble them, whether or not they consciously recognize the similarity
Culturally, attractive models are likely to be more persuasive and have a more
positive influence on consumer attitudes and behavior than average-looking models;
attractive men are perceived as more successful businessmen than average-looking
men.
Product packaging, color, appearance impacts people’s percpcetion
TRIGGERS OF STEREOTYPING
Descriptive Terms
Stereotypes are often reflected in verbal messages. For example, consumers who eat
foods with elaborate names such as “succulent Italian seafood filet” are very likely to
rate those foods as tastier and more appealing than those who eat the same foods
with such mundane names as “seafood filet.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
First impressions tend to be lasting, as illustrated by the saying that “You’ll never have a
second chance to make a first impression.”
Because first impressions are often lasting, introducing a new product before it has been
perfected may prove fatal to its ultimate success; subsequent information about its
advantages, even if true, will often be negated by the memory of its early poor performance.
Halo Effect
 The Halo effect refers to the overall evaluation of an object that is based on the evaluation
of just one or a few dimensions. The linguistic definition of “halo” signifies light, honor, and
glory. Thus, in marketing, the term refers to a prestigious image of a product “rubbing off
on” other products marketed under the same brand name. For example, consumers who
admire Porsche cars will be willing to spend a lot of money on sunglasses and other
accessories sold under the same brand name
CONSUMER IMAGERY
Consumer imagery refers to consumers’ perceptions of all the components of
products, services, and brands, and to how consumers evaluate the quality of
marketers’ offerings.
Products and brands have images and symbolic values for consumers based on the
unique benefits that these products claim they provide.
BRAND IMAGE
The desired outcome of effective positioning is a distinct “position” (or image) that
a brand occupies in consumers’ minds.
This mental “position” must be unique and represent the core benefit the brand
provides.
Most new products fail because they are perceived as “me too” offerings that do not
offer consumers any advantages or unique benefits over competitive products.
The essence of the marketing concept is to create products that fulfill consumer
needs. However, as more and more brands within a given product category fulfill
consumers’ needs effectively, consumers often rely primarily on the brand’s image
and claimed benefits in their purchase decisions
PACKAGE IMAGE
In addition to the product’s name, appearance, and features, packaging also conveys
the brand’s image.
For example, the Tide detergent version that predominantly promises stain removal
comes in an orange plastic container with a large handle on its side and conveys the
“heaviness” of the product, because consumers associate heaviness with the power to
remove stains.
SERVICE IMAGE
Compared with manufacturing firms, service marketers face several unique
problems in positioning and promoting their offerings.
Because services are intangible, image becomes a key factor in differentiating a
service from its competition.
 Thus, the marketing objective is to enable the consumer to link a specific image
with a specific brand name.
Many service marketers have developed strategies to provide customers with visual
images and tangible reminders of their service offerings. These include delivery
vehicles painted in distinct colors, restaurant matchbooks, packaged hotel soaps and
shampoos, and a variety of other specialty items.
PERCEIVED PRICE
Perceived price is the customer’s view of the value that he or she receives from the
purchase.
For example, consumers generally perceive a low price for a meal at a fast-food outlet, as
well as a high price for a meal at a gourmet restaurant, as consistent with the value that
they receive in both instances and therefore as fair
How a consumer perceives a price—as high, low, or fair—strongly influences both
purchase intentions and post-purchase satisfaction.
A reference price is any price that a consumer uses as a basis for comparison in judging
another price. Reference prices can be external or internal.
An advertiser generally uses a higher external reference price (“sold elsewhere at . . .”) in
an ad offering. Internal reference prices are those prices (or price ranges) retrieved by the
consumer from memory
PERCEIVED QUALITY
Products and services can deliver high quality factually, as determined, say, by
experts’ judgments of scientific tests. However, if consumers do not perceive
offerings as superior products that satisfy their needs and provide value, they will not
purchase them, regardless of objective evidence.
The perceived quality of products and services is based on a variety of
informational cues that consumers associate with the offerings. Some of these cues
are intrinsic to the product or service; others are extrinsic
PRODUCT QUALITY
Intrinsic cues are physical characteristics of the product itself, such as size, color,
flavor, or aroma. In some cases, consumers use physical characteristics (e.g., the
flavor of ice cream or cake) to judge product quality
More often than not, however, consumers use extrinsic cues—that is,
characteristics that are not inherent in the product—to judge quality.
For example, though many consumers claim they buy a brand because of its
superior taste, they are often unable to identify that brand in blind taste tests. The
colors of such products as powdered fruit drinks and orange juice are a more
important determinant than their labels and actual taste in determining the
consumer’s ability to identify the flavor correctly
SERVICE QUALITY
It is more difficult for consumers to evaluate the quality of services than the quality
of products.
This is true because of certain distinctive characteristics of services: They are
intangible, they are variable, they are perishable, and they are simultaneously
produced and consumed.
The SERVQUAL scale measures the “gaps” between customers’ expectations of the
services that they had purchased and their perceptions of the services that they had
actually received. Measuring these discrepancies (or “gaps”) includes two factors:
SERVICE QUALITY
1. Outcomes, which focus on whether or not the services purchased were delivered
reliably. For example, did a flight you took deliver you to your destination?
2. Processes, which focus on how the core services were delivered. That is
employees’ responsiveness, assurance, and empathy in handling customers. For
example, how polite and understanding were the airlines’ people if, say, your flight
was delayed and you came close to missing a connection?
PERCEIVED RISK
Consumers must constantly make decisions regarding what products or services to
buy and where to buy them.
Perceived risk is the uncertainty that consumers face when they cannot foresee the
consequences of their purchase decisions.
 This definition highlights two relevant dimensions of perceived risk: uncertainty
and consequences.
The degree of risk that consumers perceive and their own tolerance for risk taking
are factors that influence their purchase strategies. It should be stressed that
consumers are influenced by risks that they perceive, whether or not such risks
actually exist.