Consumer Behavior: Concepts and Research Methods
1. Introduction: relation between theories, methods and applications
Sustainable packaging
• Packaging functions: protection, convenience, quality preservation, information, marketing
• Packaging sustainability involves: production, transport and waste processing
• All included in technical Lifecycle Analyses, of which the conclusions are sometimes
counterintuitive for consumers (conclusions also change subject to technological developments).
Determinants of consumer behavior
• Consumer characteristics
• Product characteristics (sustainable, healthy, convenient, looks)
- Process / relation aspects (between consumer and product characteristics) – lots of mediation
going on there. Brand loyalty → buying behavior. Brand loyalty itself may depend on
characteristics of the product itself.
• Situation characteristics (temporary things, location, own mood) – moderation relation between
consumers and product.
What is study of consumer behavior?
• Study of the processes involved when individuals/groups select/purchase/use/dispose of
products/services/ideas/experiences to satisfy needs/desires
• So … it is about understanding predicting interlinkages between consumers, products,
situations/contexts!, and behaviors, by …
➢ Different theories about the processes, including concepts like perception, categorization,
values (goals)
➢ Different research methods to empirically apply and validate/test them
First (core) article: Van Trijp and Meulenberg
1) Sketches relation between marketing management and consumer behavior … in the context of
foods and agribusiness
- MCB mission: apply disciplinary knowledge and contribute to it
2) Refreshes knowledge
- Consumer decision making as extended / limited problem solving and routinized response
behavior
- TPB (Fishbein and Ajzen) - Theory of Planned Behavior
- ELM (Petty and Cacioppo) - Elaboration Likelihood Model: 2 routes
Why study consumer behavior?
• For marketing management: the art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping
and growing customers through creating, delivering and communicating superior customer value
- As … the key to achieving organizational goals consists of the company being more effective than
competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value to its chosen
target markets
- In other words: meeting customer needs profitably (people, planet, profit)
• Obviously also for public policy (social marketing) … and consumer organizations
• Marketing concept involves:
- Market focus/ consumer orientation. Requires:
1. Introduction: relation between theories, methods and applications
Sustainable packaging
• Packaging functions: protection, convenience, quality preservation, information, marketing
• Packaging sustainability involves: production, transport and waste processing
• All included in technical Lifecycle Analyses, of which the conclusions are sometimes
counterintuitive for consumers (conclusions also change subject to technological developments).
Determinants of consumer behavior
• Consumer characteristics
• Product characteristics (sustainable, healthy, convenient, looks)
- Process / relation aspects (between consumer and product characteristics) – lots of mediation
going on there. Brand loyalty → buying behavior. Brand loyalty itself may depend on
characteristics of the product itself.
• Situation characteristics (temporary things, location, own mood) – moderation relation between
consumers and product.
What is study of consumer behavior?
• Study of the processes involved when individuals/groups select/purchase/use/dispose of
products/services/ideas/experiences to satisfy needs/desires
• So … it is about understanding predicting interlinkages between consumers, products,
situations/contexts!, and behaviors, by …
➢ Different theories about the processes, including concepts like perception, categorization,
values (goals)
➢ Different research methods to empirically apply and validate/test them
First (core) article: Van Trijp and Meulenberg
1) Sketches relation between marketing management and consumer behavior … in the context of
foods and agribusiness
- MCB mission: apply disciplinary knowledge and contribute to it
2) Refreshes knowledge
- Consumer decision making as extended / limited problem solving and routinized response
behavior
- TPB (Fishbein and Ajzen) - Theory of Planned Behavior
- ELM (Petty and Cacioppo) - Elaboration Likelihood Model: 2 routes
Why study consumer behavior?
• For marketing management: the art and science of choosing target markets and getting, keeping
and growing customers through creating, delivering and communicating superior customer value
- As … the key to achieving organizational goals consists of the company being more effective than
competitors in creating, delivering, and communicating superior customer value to its chosen
target markets
- In other words: meeting customer needs profitably (people, planet, profit)
• Obviously also for public policy (social marketing) … and consumer organizations
• Marketing concept involves:
- Market focus/ consumer orientation. Requires:
