Consumer Perception

DEFINITION AND MEANING OF

CONSUMER PERCEPTION
• The term “perception” can be defined as the
ability to derive meaning. Derived from the word
“perceive”, it refers to the ability of giving
meaning to whatever is sensed by our sense
organs.
• It is the process through which an individual
interprets ones’ sensory impressions to give
meaning to them.
• Schiffman defines it as “the process by which an
individual selects, organizes, and interprets
stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of
the world.”
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERCEPTION
AND SENSATION?
• Sensation is the ability of our five sense organs to
sense a stimulus. It is an auto reflex mechanism
(direct and immediate) of our sense organs, i.e.
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin towards a
stimulus in the environment. This stimulus could
be anything, a person, object, situation or thing.
• Thus sensation is the reaction or response of a
sense organ or a sensory receptor towards a
stimuli.
• sensation is similar but perception is not
• Perception is much broader in scope. It is
complex process by which a person organizes
facts around the stimuli and gives meaning to it.
• The perceptual process depicts a complex and
dynamic interplay of three processes, viz.,
selection, organization and interpretation.
• While perception starts with sensation, it ends up
when meaning is given to the stimuli, through
cognitive processes.
 NATURE OF PERCEPTION
• 1. Perception is a complex process. After a
stimulus is detected by the sense organs, the
perception process comes into play and involves
the interplay of three processes, viz., selection,
organization and interpretation. It is a dynamic
process.
• 2. It is also an intellectual process; it involves a lot
of cognitive effort. Once sensation takes place,
the perception process involves the selection,
organization and interpretation of data.
 NATURE OF PERCEPTION
• 3. Perception is broad in nature; it includes a
physiological component (through sensation), as
well as sociological and psychological
components.
• 4. Perception is a subjective process as two
people may perceive the same stimuli differently.
This is because the two are impacted by their
background, learning and experiences,
motivation, personality, cultures, values and
lifestyles, social class effects etc which may be
different from each other.
 THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS AND THE
MECHANISM
• The perceptual process comprises four
components, viz., input, perceptual mechanism,
output and behavior.
• i. Input: The input to the perceptual process
refers to the various stimuli that surround an
individual and exist in his environment. The
perceptual process begins when the sensory
receptors detect a stimulus in the environment,
which acts as an input to the perceptual
mechanism.
 THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS AND THE
MECHANISM
• ii Perceptual mechanism: The perceptual
mechanism consists of three sub-processes,
viz., selection, organization and
interpretation.
• Once the sense organs detect a stimulus in the
environment, a person selects, organizes and
interprets it through perceptual selectivity,
perceptual organization and perceptual
interpretation. Put together, these are known
as perceptual mechanisms.
 Perceptual selection or perceptual selectivity refers to
a tendency within a person to select one or a few out
of the many stimuli present in the environment; this
selectivity is based on one’s demographic, socio-
cultural and psychographic factors.
 Perceptual organization refers to the process of
organizing the various stimuli with other cues around
so that a whole picture can be created. In other words,
the various stimuli are organized and given a form. It is
the process of organizing inputs into a definite,
coherent and interpretable structure.
 Perceptual interpretation refers to the process of
drawing in inferences out of the organized whole (of
stimuli), and giving meaning to it.
 THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS AND THE
MECHANISM
• iii Output: Once the input has been
interpreted, it results in an output. This output
towards the stimuli assumes various forms,
for example, in the formation of emotions and
moods, feelings and opinions, as well as
attitudes and beliefs.
 THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS AND THE
MECHANISM
• iv Behavior: The resultant behavior is an
outcome of the output. Based on his emotions
and moods, feelings and opinions, as well as
attitudes and beliefs, a person would enact
out a behavior. This behavior is a function of
and will be reflective of such emotions and
moods, feelings and opinions, as well as
attitudes and belief.
 THE PERCEPTUAL MECHANISM:
PERCEPTUAL SELECTION
• The perceptual mechanism is impacted by two
kinds of factors; i) external factors, related to
the stimuli and to the environment; and, ii)
internal factors, related to the perceiver, in the
form of demographic, socio-cultural and
psychographic factors.
• The three sub-processes viz., perceptual
selection, organization and interpretation are
discussed as follows:
 i) Perceptual selection:
• Which of the stimuli gets selected, is based on
two broad factors, viz., factors, external and
related to the stimuli, and factors internal and
related to the perceiver
• a) External and related to the stimuli: These
factors are those factors that exist in the
environment and are in the form of characteristic
features of the stimuli. These could take the form
of size, intensity, contrast, motion, repetition,
familiarity, novelty etc.
 Factors that affect perceptual selectivity:
Factors external and related to the stimuli
• Characteristic • Example
1. Size The larger the size of the stimuli, the more likely it is
to be perceived; eg., headlines in the newspaper;
brand name on the packaging of a product.

The larger the force or power of a stimuli, the

2. Intensity
greater the chances of it getting perceived; eg.,
strong smell or a loud noise; flashy colours on
the packaging or in the advertisement; strong
aroma of food.
Any stimuli that stands out from the rest of the
3. Contrast environment is more likely to be noticed; eg.,
capital and bold letters; a black and white
advertisement amongst coloured ads on TV; or a
coloured advertisement in the black and white
newspaper.
 Factors that affect perceptual selectivity:
Factors external and related to the stimuli
• Characteristic • Example
4. Motion Anything that moves has greater chances of being
perceived; eg., a scroll advertisement.

5. Repetition A repeated stimuli is more likely to be noticed; eg.,

advertisements in audio-visual media are more likely
to be noticed than in the print media

6. Familiarity and A new stimuli in a familiar setting or a familiar

stimuli in a new setting increase the chances of
Novelty
perceptual selectivity; eg., substantive variation
in advertisements, where the message content
changes, while the background or the models or
the jingle remains the same;
• b) Internal and related to the perceiver: These
factors are those factors that are related to an
individual and would differ from person to
person, viz., factors like motivation, learning,
personality and self-image, etc.
• Apart from these three, other factors that
could affect selectivity of the stimulus are:
• 1. Response disposition: it is the tendency to
select a familiar stimuli rather than one which
is unfamiliar.
• 2. Expectations: the tendency to have
preconceived notions about an input, and the
resultant tendency to select anything that
supports the expectation and vice versa.
• 3. Past experiences
 ii) Perceptual Organization:
• This is the next sub-process in the perceptual
process.
• It deals with what happens in the perceptual
mechanism once the information from the
environment is received.
• It is a cognitive process, which is responsible for
organizing the stimuli and the surrounding cues, to
develop a “whole picture”, according to one’s
physiological, socio-cultural and psychographic
principles.
• There are certain factors that affect the Gestalt
perception or the manner in which the
configuration of the stimuli takes place. These
factors are stimulus factors and individual factors.
• a) Stimulus factors: These refer to the external and
observable characteristics of the stimulus, i.e. of the
person, object, thing or situation; in marketing terms it
refers to the characteristics of the product, brand,
packaging, advertisement etc.
• Such factors would include size, intensity, motion,
repetition, familiarity and novelty, color and contrast,
position, and isolation
• Unity: Unity as a principle has an important role to play while
organizing the various stimuli into a unified group. Unity can
be achieved by applying the Gestalt principles of proximity,
similarity, and density.
- Proximity: Those stimuli that are placed close to others form
groups.
- Similarity: Those stimuli which are similar to each other form
groups.
- Density: Those stimuli that have common density units form
groups.
• b) Individual factors: These refer to factors internal to and
related to the perceiver; in marketing terms it refers to the
characteristics of the consumer. For example, motivation,
learning, personality and self-image etc.
 iii) Perceptual Interpretation - The
final sub-process
• After the input has been given attention to, and has
been organized into a coherent form, a meaning is
extracted out of it. This is referred to as perceptual
interpretation.
• It is a purely cognitive process, which is responsible
for extracting meaning out of the organized stimuli
(“whole picture”) that a person is exposed to. The
process is totally individual, based on a person’s
demographics, socio-cultural influences and
psychographic influences.
• At this stage of the perceptual process, a
perceiver may make mistakes, and this could
lead to misinterpretation of the stimuli. Such
mistakes are referred to as perceptual errors
and perceptual distortion. The various kinds of
errors are as follows:
• Selective perception: People have a tendency to
perceive things which they feel are relevant for
them. In other words, they perceive only those
things which are in accordance with their needs and
motives, interests and desires, backgrounds, learning
and experiences, attitudes, personality etc.
• Distorting influences: Often people commit
perceptual errors due to a number of
influences. Such influences are called distorting
influences and these are discussed as follows:
a. Physical appearance:
b. Stereotypes:
c. Irrelevant cues:
d. First impression:
e. Jumping to conclusion:
f. Inference:
g. Halo effect:
Consumer
Personality
 Introduction
• The sum total of an individual defines his personality.
• A person’s decision with regard to the brand as well as
the timing and place of purchase, the amount
purchased, its usage and disposal, are all based on his
personality.
• Thus, the study of consumer personality, personality
traits and types as well as general and consumption
specific personality traits is important, and holds
relevance for a marketer in the design, development
and implementation of his marketing strategies.
 Definition
• Personality is defined as a sum total of outer
physiological as well as the inner psychological
characteristics that determine and reflect how a
person reacts to his environment.
• It exhibits itself through a unique psychological
makeup that activates behavior on the part of an
individual in response to forces in his or her
environment.
– However, the emphasis is on the inner characteristics, i.e., the
qualities, attributes, traits, and mannerisms that differentiate
one individual from another individual, and make him unique in
his own way.
 Definition
• A person’s personal make up is to a large extent
influenced by his social environment, viz., the
family, friends, social class, sub culture, culture,
nationality and the environment in which he
grows up.
• Consumer personality refers to the “unique
dynamic organization of characteristics of a
particular person, physical and psychological,
which influence behavior and responses to the
social and physical environment.”
• It is a consistent repeated pattern of behavior.
• Consumer personality is defined as the
characteristics that determine and reflect how
consumers make choices with regard to
buying patterns and consumption behavior.
 CONSUMER PERSONALITY AND ITS
NATURE
• some argue it is inborn and based on heredity others
illustrate role of childhood, experiences over life span,
environmental influences as well as sudden events
that mould and change one’s personality.
• An individual’s personality remains consistent over
time and is enduring in nature. As such it cannot be
changed easily, quickly and frequently.
• Personality can change under certain circumstances
and over life span, like for example in reaction to
abrupt events/incidents/situations as also due to
gradual maturing with age.
 PERSONALITY TRAITS AND
PERSONALITY TYPES
• A personality trait is a person's inclination to
behave in a particular way while interacting with
the external environment to achieve goals; this
would be specific to an area of a person's life.
• Many personality traits put together, comprise
the personal make-up of a person and culminate
into his personality.
• For example, stubbornness may be a trait;
dogmatism would become a personality type.
 THEORIES OF PERSONALITY I
• Major contribution to the topic of study was
made by the father of psychology, Sigmund
Freud.
• Other contributions came from psychologists
like Carl Jung, the NeoFreudians (like Adler,
Sullivan and Homey) and the Trait theorists.
• Theories on personality can be categorized as
i) individual theories; ii) social learning
theories.
 Freudian theory:
• Sigmund based his theory on certain
assumptions:
• unconscious needs or drives lie at the heart of
human motivation and personality.
• the socialization process that takes place
within people in a social set up has a huge
impact on individual behavior.
 Freudian theory:
• Freud explained much of how the psyche or
the mind operates, and proposed that the
human psyche is composed of parts within our
awareness and beyond our awareness.
• Freud viewed personality as “an iceberg”;
• Based on the level of awareness, the human
mind comprises three parts, viz., conscious,
preconscious and the unconscious or the sub-
conscious;
 Freudian theory:
• The conscious mind is what one is aware of at any
particular moment of time and reflects ones present
thoughts, feelings, perceptions, fantasies, etc; it
restricts itself to the current thinking processes and
comprises a very large part of our current awareness.
• The preconscious mind or the "available memory," is
what can be retrieved and made conscious, and
brought to mind instantly or quickly; it is what we are
aware of but not paying attention to at a point of time;
it is something that can be brought into the conscious
mind.
 Freudian theory:
• The larger part of the human mind consists of the
unconscious, which is all that stays at the subconscious
level, and comprises the unaware, better known as our
drives or instincts, feelings and memories and
emotions related to trauma; this part in content and
process is out of direct reach of the conscious mind,
and thinks independently; an individual has no access
to because it is unknown and hidden.
• This unconscious part is the source of all our drives and
motives; yet we are often deny or refuse to accept and
often resist them from becoming conscious.
 Freudian theory:
• It is because of this unconscious part that we are
largely unable to control many aspects of our
behavior, especially those acts which we would
prefer to avoid.
• According to Freud, much of human behavior is
driven directly from the subconscious mind; and
so it is important that the unconscious material
needs to be brought into the conscious state so
that it can be examined in a rational manner.
 Trait theory
• A trait is a predisposition to behave in a
certain manner.
• According to the Trait theorists, an individual’s
personality make-up stems out of the traits
that he possesses, and the identification of
traits is important.
• The trait theories can be of two broad
categories, viz., simple trait theories and
general trait theories.
 Trait theory
• i) Simple trait theories: A limited number of
traits are identified, and people are identified
and classified on the basis of these traits.
• ii) General trait theories: A large variety of
traits are identified
 Personality Trait and Meaning :
Consumer Innovativeness
• Personality Trait and Meaning : Consumer Innovativeness
measures how open and receptive a consumer is towards a new
product or service/ brand OR even to changes made to any or all
of the 4 Ps.

• Types
• -High on Innovativeness: willing to try out new product/service
offerings and /or brands.
• -Low on Innovativeness: reluctant and unwilling to try out new
product/service offerings and /or brands.
 Personality Trait and Meaning :
Dogmatism
• Dogmatism - measures the extent of rigidity within a
Consumer towards something that is new, or
unfamiliar or contrary to established preconceptions,
ideas and beliefs.
• - High dogmatism: when one approaches the new
unfamiliar/alien/strange object defensively and with
great resistance and discomfort in thought and action.
They are “closed-minded.”
• Low dogmatism: when one approaches and considers
the new/unfamiliar/alien/strange object without any
resistance and without any discomfort in thought and
action. They are “open-minded”.
Personality Trait and Meaning : Social
Character
• Social Character: - reflects the degree to which a
consumer relies on self or on others in making
purchase decisions and forming consumption Patterns
• -Inner directness: when a person relies on his “inner,
deep core” values, beliefs and standards in evaluating
products and making purchase decisions
• -Other-directness: when a consumer relies on others,
particularly social influences in judging the right or
wrong. They look towards others to take a decision.
 Personality Trait and Meaning :
Optimum Stimulation Levels
• Optimum Stimulation Levels (OSL) - measures the
degree of calm or excitement that a person
desires. - each one of us has an OSL limit. - some
of us desire a calm, simple and uncomplicated or
uncluttered life; others seek a life that is busy,
complex, novel and full of excitement.
• -High OSL: when a person is high on OSL, he
seeks a life that is novel and full of excitement.
• -Low OSL: when a person is low on OSL, he
desires a life that is simple, calm and routine.
Examples of general versus
consumption specific traits:
MEANING OF SELF CONCEPT AND SELF
IMAGE
• Every individual makes a self-assessment of
himself/herself, and forms opinions of
himself/herself. He sees himself as an
“actual”, and as an “ideal”. Based on such an
image, he acts out his behavior, both general
and specific to consumption behavior.
• They hold relevance for a marketer in the
sense that consumers hold opinions of
• their own personalities, and such individual
opinions have an impact on their decision
• making as well as usage and consumption
patterns.
 Self-Concept
• The self-concept comprises two components,
viz., the “actual self”, and the “ideal self”.
• The first, i.e., “actual-self”, refers to an
individual’s perception of what/who he or she
is;
• the second, i.e., “ideal-self”, refers to an
individual’s perception of what/who he or she
wants to be. Both of these concepts are
related to each other.
 Self-Concept
• For example, the person can either act out his
“actual self” and behave as he is, consistent
with his existing personal make-up.
• The other alternative would be to act out in a
manner that is close to or similar to the “ideal-
self”, something that he wants to be, thereby
increasing his self-esteem.
 Self-Image
• Traits, characteristics, qualities and mannerisms
of behavior, all put together create the self-
image of a person.
• This self-image arises out of the person’s
background, values, lifestyles, experiences, etc.
as well as interactions with parents, family,
friends, peers etc.
• Consumers match the product and/or brand
personalities, with their self-image, and buy
those where they find a close or perfect match.
In this manner they attempt to reaffirm and
preserve their self-image.
 Self-Image
• Various kinds of self-images have been identified,
viz.,
• actual self-image (how a consumer perceive
himself),
• ideal self-image (how he would like to perceive
himself),
• social self-image (how a consumer feels others
perceive him, or how they think of him),
• ideal social self image (how the consumer would
like others to perceive him), and
• expected self-image (how the consumer expects
to see himself in future).
 Self-Image
• As a consumer, which of the self-images
comes into play would depend upon the i)
product/service offering and, ii) the situational
factors, which would include social visibility of
purchase and usage, and the
importance/relevance of the purchase for
theperson’s self-image.
 Brand Personality
• Just as individuals’ have a personal make-up with
characteristics/traits/qualities, similarly
products/services also have personalities.
• Brand personality refers to a set of
characteristics/qualities similar to human beings
that become associated with a brand.
• This association between the characteristic/trait
and the brand gets generated out of the manner
in which it is positioned by the marketer.
 Some brand personality traits
a) Sophistication: Dove, Titan Raga
b) Ruggedness: Levi’s Jeans, Bajaj Pulsar
c) Power: Surf, Rin, Hero Honda
d) Achievement: Boost, Glucon C
e) Competence: Kingfisher Airlines, IBM
f) Sincerity: Life Insurance Corporation,