Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior

1) Cultural factors: cultural factor exert a broad and

deep influence on consumer behavior.
a) Culture: cultural norms, values, ethics and beliefs
and elements of culture influence behavior.
b) Sub culture: difference from one sub-culture to
another; culture within the culture.
c) Cross-culture: combination of different cultures;
difficult for the marketers.
d) Social class: consumption behavior is influenced
by upper, middle and lower class.
 2) Social Factors:
Social factors consumer's behavior also influenced
by different social factors, such as:
a) Groups: formal, informal or the reference groups
highly influence consumer buying behavior.
b) Family: role of women, men, children or joint
decision influence consumer buying behavior
c) Social roles and status: status lead a pattern of
behavior, office executives and buying behavior.
d) Opinion leader: role of leaders and personal
influence have a greater impact on behavior.
e) Social movement: change the social ideology or
movement of social group influence behavior.
 3) Personal Factors
a) Income: personal income of the consumer,
Positive relation between income and buying.
b) Age and life cycle: different stages of life such
as single to single old influence buying.
c) Occupation: different occupation such as army,
doctors, bankers, teachers, students influence
d) Economic situation: resources status of a
customer, high resource influence large buying.
e) Lifestyle: aggressive or miser or dynamic life
style influence buying behavior.
f) Personality: different characteristics of customer
influence buying behavior.
4) Psychological Factors: four major factors are;
a) Motivation: different motivational factors
influence customer behavior
b) Perception: perception differ from people to
people and it influence behavior.
c) Learning: experience, education, practices,
habit influence buyer behavior.
d) Beliefs: core belief, ideology, thinking of the
people influence buying behavior.
e) Attitudes: positive or negative attitude of the
customer has impact on consumer behavior.
 Consumerism
Consumerism is an organized movement of citizens and
government agencies to improve the rights and power of
buyers in relation to sellers.
Causes of Consumerism:
Adulteration: Adulteration involves cheap ingredients mixed
with the product intended for sale.
Duplication: Consumers are not able to differentiate the
original products from duplicates.
Sub-standard products: Substandard products are made
using inferior raw materials or by cutting short the required
production processes.
Product risks: Some products are valid or potent only for a
particular period. Example: medicines, drugs, fruits, etc.
Impersonal selling: problem of using e-service, online
marketing, digital business are creating problem in business.
Causes of Consumerism:
Warranty and service: If a product becomes defective after
being sold, buyers are not given any remedy for the
defect noticed in the goods.
Fitness of products: Product fitness refers to product
quality, durability and suitability in relation to the purchase
objective of the consumers.
Consumer exploitation: consumers are exploited in the
following ways: Sub standards, weight, high price, false
ads, black marketing, poor products,
Problems of assembling products: (TV) technical
components are not visible to the eye and therefore
cannot be inspected by the consumers.
Support customer: customers complaints are ignored and
can not take any legal action and they have no other
support to establish their rights.
Consumer’s Rights
• The right to safety: to ensure safety of goods. Cake
and rejected banana, & egg and low graded oil.
• The right to be informed: information available about a
product before they purchase. People don’t know.
• The right to choose: purchase from a variety of
products at competitive price.
• The Right to claim: if the business activities affect the
consumer, they can clam.
• The right to get compensation: looser from business
activities, right to compensation
• The right to education: how to buy a product, use the
product. Promotional tool will help.
• The right to healthy environment: ensure healthy
environment for customers.
Consumerism in Bangladesh
i) Product information: customers are depriving from
product information.
ii) Tendency to copy: products are being imitated
iii) Low quality of product: average quality is low.
iv) Adulteration: products are being sold by adulteration
(milk, oil, fruits, and sweets)
v) Deceptive advertising: false information in ad.
vi) Harmful product: business with harmful products.
vii) Deceptive weight: there are different types of
measuring system in Bangladesh.
viii) Price variation: the business people control price of
the products.
ix) Activities of CAB: CAB is not playing proper role; it is
now inactive.
 Consumer Influence Marketers
a) Consumer status: the business slogan is
consumer is the king, queen or the boss.
b) Consumer information: they have a lots of
information in their hand and they evaluate from
their point of view.
c) Customer awareness: they are very much aware
and avoid false slogan and unrealistic approaches.
d) Power of customer: customers are very powerful
and influence on product, price, place and
promotion.
e) Consumer terrorism: negative impact of the
customer and viral communication flow of
customer.
 Consumer Influence Marketers
f) Consumer movement: consumers are now
very united and they establish their right.
g) Consumer communication: consumers have
strong communication with radio, television or
newspaper.
h) Producers have lost control: of bad image,
over promising or create false demand.