RMIT Classification: Trusted

MKTG 1421 -
Consumer Psychology
& Behaviour

Topic 2 – Situational Influences

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Learning Objectives
After studying this topic, you should understand:
1. Four types of situations (during the consumption process)
2. Five dimensions of situational influence
a. Physical surroundings
b. Social surroundings
c. Time (temporal perspectives)
d. Task definitions
e. Antecedent states
3. Situational influences and marketing strategy

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Types of situations - Four situations

There are 4 types of situations in which the consumption process can take
place

Communication Purchase
situation situation
Where? Alone or with Where? Alone or with
others? Surrounding others? In a hurry?
noise?

Usage situation Disposal situation

With others or alone? Before the next
For pleasure or for purchase? Trade-ins?
work? Packaging

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Communication situation: How Closeup

leveraged situations and triggered kisses?!

(Close Up n.d)
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Purchase and usage situation

What is the situation in which your consumer selects your product? Your
goal is to increase your product purchase.
Where? Alone or with others? In a hurry?

Source Source

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Disposal situation

More consumers are sensitive to disposal of product after use. Ease of

disposal can be a positive product attribute.

Before the next purchase? Trade-ins? After the purchase e.g. packaging

Source Source
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Quizzes

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Activity:
Communication and purchase situations? 
Tell a story on the situations in which you bought one of the following
products/services: 

1. your latest phone; 

2. your favourite/abandoned clothing/shoes; 

3. a likeable/troubled meal/drink/snack/street food; 

4. a satisfactory/unsatisfactory hair cut; 

5. a preferred/hated movie;

6. your favourite/problematic trip

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Role of situation in consumer behaviour

Are situational Figure 2.2 / The role of situation in consumer behaviour.

influences
Situation
important? How
will it influence
strategy? Consumer Behaviour

Product

Stimuli Organism Response

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Five dimensions of situational influence

(2)
Physical
Surroundings

Social
Task definition 4 types
of Surroundings
situations

Antecedent Temporal
states perspectives

Source Source
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Choosing a product
• Store location (Dong Khoi St)
• Interior décor (hotel lobby)
• Music (coffee shop)
• Smell/aromas (bakery)
• Temperature (air-conditioning or
heating)
• Choice provided
(by product category or across the
categories)

Source
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Physical surroundings

Source

Source

Source Source

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Typology of service environments

Figure 2.3 / Typology service environments

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Impact of background music on behaviour

Table 2.1 / The effect of background music on restaurant patrons

Slow music Fast music

Service time 29 min 27 min

Customer time at table 56 min 45 min

Customer groups leaving before 10.5% 12.0%

seated
Amount of food purchased $55.81 $55.12

Amount of bar purchases $30.47 $21.62

Estimated gross margin $55.82 $48.62

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Examples of social surroundings (1)

 Types of customers in the store
 Queues and crowding
 Whether the consumer is likely to be known by
others/recognised
 Whether there are high-profile people/celebrities
shopping at that store
Source
 Whether the product will be consumed privately or
in the presence of others

Source
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Example: Effect of social situation on

dessert attributes
Figure 2.5 / The effect of social situation on desired dessert attributes

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Discussion: Influence of social surroundings (2)

A mother is shopping with her child in a supermarket

How will this affect her purchases?
How might the supermarket exploit this opportunity?

Source Source

You are shopping with your friends 

How will this affect your purchases?
How might the mall and stores exploit the opportunity?
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Examples of temporal influences

• Whether the product is seasonal

• Whether the product is urgently required

(snack between lectures)

• Time available for shopping limited/excess

• How long the previous product lasted or was

expected to last

Source
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Temporal perspective of purchase

decisions
Exhibit 2.3 / The temporal perspective of purchase
decisions can translate into seasonal elements,
which may suggest purchase and use at specific
times of the year. For example, this product is
positioned specifically for summer use.

Source
Source
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Examples of temporal influences

The hard drive on your computer

crashes 2 days before your exams

 How does this affect your decision

process?
Source
 How might PC manufacturers/retailers
exploit this opportunity?

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Examples of task definition influences

 Is the product utilitarian or used as a status symbol?

 Is it a gift, or for oneself?
 Must the product be long-lasting/tough, or decorative? (an everyday
watch or a dress watch)
 Is the product intended for several uses?
(a family computer for study and for internet access)

Source Source

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Examples

Source
Source

Source Source

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Ritual situations

• A set of interrelated behaviours that occur in structured formats, have

symbolic meaning and occur in response to socially-defined occasions

source Source
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Ritual situations

Important to marketers as they define consumption:

 Anniversaries

 Seasonal gifts

Traditions and rituals

 Valentine's Day
Source
 Tet (Five fruits tray)

 Teachers Day

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Examples of task definition

• As a young lady, you have been invited

out to dinner by a guy you really like.
You really need a new dress

• How will this task affect your choice of

dress?
Source
• Can you predict what type of dress you
Guys: As a marketer, how will choose?
would you take advantage of
this information?
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Examples of antecedent states

Mood:
• Feeling sad triggers buying sweets or
seeing a funny movie
• Feeling rejected triggers buying games’
software
Momentary conditions
• Can’t eat ice cream because teeth hurt
• Can’t buy a book because the credit card
was left at home
• Buy more groceries because you are
hungry before shopping

Source
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Using positive mood influences in

marketing

Source
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Situational influences and marketing

strategy
• Developing a situational influence matrix

• Positioning the product based on situation

• Segmenting the market based on usage situation

 alone

 in combination with other segmentation variable

 person/situation segmentation

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Activity: Identify the situational influences

and select the restaurants
Situational Description Full service
influence restaurant/
Fast food/take
1. Physical It’s very hot and your air conditioning isn’t working away/delivery

2. Physical You’re in the city for your Christmas shopping and the streets are very crowded
3. Social Your fiancée’s parents are going to take you out for dinner and have asked you to
choose the restaurant
4. Social Your neighbor comes to visit, you are having a pleasant chat and you discover it is
time for lunch
5. Temporal You plan to go to a show at 7.30pm; it’s now 6.30pm
6. Temporal You want to have an evening meal with the family when not rushed for time
7. Task It’s your parents’ 25th wedding anniversary and you take them out for dinner
8. Task Your parents won’t be at home for dinner and you’re are wondering what to eat
9. You’re too tired to cook dinner because you’ve had a very tiring day at the university
Antecedent
10. You’ve just finished a tough semester and you’re in the mood to reward yourself
Antecedent

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Situational influence matrix

Table 2.4 / The situational influence matrix

Physical Social Time Task Antecedent
surroundings surroundings states

Communication

Purchase

Usage

Disposal

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Usage situations and product positioning

Figure 2.6 / Usage situations and product positioning

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Examples

Source

Source

Source Source Source

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Pair activity: 4 types of situation

and 5 dimensions of influences 
Describe your experience with 4 types of situations and 5 dimensions of
situational influences when you bought a favourite product or something
you abandoned; then compare your experience with your friend.

Physical Social Time Task Antecedent

surroundings surroundings states

Communication

Purchase

Usage

Disposal

Table 2.4 / The situational influence matrix

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Summary: Marketers must understand

1. When a particular situation will affect consumer behaviour

2. How strong the effect is likely to be

3. The way in which the situation will influence behaviour

It is vital that in your role as a marketer, you appreciate the likely

response(s) of your target consumer(s).

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Quizzes

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Reference list (1)

Appukuttan, A, Tong, H, Lam, S, Panda, SR 2019, Close Up Kissing

Trigger Campaign, viewed 12 April, 2021, link to external site.

Miliman, R 1986, ‘The Influence of Background Music on the Behaviour of

Restaurant Patrons’, Journal of Consumer Research, p.289.

Palmer, J & Cropnick, R 1986, ‘New Dimension Added to Conjoint

Analysis’, Marketing News, p.62

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Reference list (2)

Wakefiled, L & Blodgerr 1999, ‘Customer Response to Intangible and

Tangible Service Factors’, Psychology & Marketing, p.54, John Wiley &
Sons.

Quester, P, Neal, C, Pettigrew, S, Grimmer, M R, Davis, T, & Hawkins, D

2014, Consumer behaviour: Implications for marketing strategy. McGraw-
Hill.

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