Introduction
00:00:00Consumer Behavior: Who Buys What, When, Where, and Why Consumer behavior covers how people search for, purchase, use, evaluate, and dispose of offerings to satisfy needs, allocating time, money, and effort along the way. It spans what is bought, why, when, where, how often it’s purchased, and how often it’s used. The goal is to pinpoint likely buyers, optimal timing, and channels to target and retain them. Two model families guide analysis: traditional models emphasize emotional wants and needs, while contemporary models map conscious decision processes, which are especially relevant today.
Howard–Sheth: From Extensive Problem‑Solving to Habitual Buying A methodical, staged journey moves from extensive problem solving to limited problem solving and finally habitual response behavior. Initial ignorance triggers wide information search, accumulated knowledge enables comparison and narrowing, and familiarity culminates in confident choice and repeat buying. Progress is shaped by inputs (social and marketing influences), perceptual and learning constructs (needs and preferences rooted in psychology), outputs (updated perceptions and actions), and external variables (environmental events). Example: Barry, needing a safe for an inherited watch, researches types and channels, compares brands and security levels, then chooses a seller after clarifying service specifics.
EKB: A Competitive Five‑Stage Decision Path In markets with many similar options, consumers pass through awareness, information processing, evaluation, purchase decision, and outcome analysis. Awareness arises via ads that surface needs; information processing weighs expected value and past experiences; evaluation contrasts alternatives using reviews and competitor offers. Purchase occurs when one option best fits price, quality, and expectations—or stops if circumstances change; outcome analysis after use determines keep/return and repeat patronage. Applied to Barry: targeted ads prompt interest, a usable site aids assessment, reviews guide comparison, and after‑sales service helps secure satisfaction.
From Stimuli to Response: Black Box and Nicosia The Black Box model connects marketing and external stimuli—4Ps (product, price, place, promotion) and PEST factors—to purchase or no‑purchase responses via the buyer’s characteristics and decision process inside the “black box.” Outcomes span brand, product, timing, amount, and channel, shaped by beliefs, values, needs, lifestyle, and the search–evaluate–purchase–post‑purchase sequence; a taste for luxury can lead to over‑specified choices that fit self‑image. The Nicosia model centers firm messaging as the prime driver through four stages: business and consumer characteristics, search and evaluation, purchasing decision, and feedback that refines advertising. An advert can trigger interest, comparative exploration keeps the seed brand salient, a resonant offer wins purchase, and marketer review determines budget and messaging continuity.
Impulse and Foundations: Quick Triggers and Classic Lenses Hawkins–Stern shows purchases need not be rational, distinguishing escape (visual appeal), reminder (in‑store cues), suggested (salesperson or algorithm prompts), and planned (timed to promotions) impulses. The learning/psychological lens (Maslow) prioritizes basic needs before higher ones—e.g., a hungry person buys food before a tie, so retailers foreground food near entry. The sociological lens maps choices to group norms, enabling tactics like stocking a corner shop with items favored by nearby club visitors. The psychoanalytical lens links buying to conscious and unconscious motives (such as attraction signaled by perfume), while the economic lens assumes need satisfaction at minimal cost via lower‑priced alternatives and loyalty incentives.