Summary consumer behavior ch. 1-14

Consumer behavior
Hoyer, McInnis & Pieters




Door: Merel Tielen

Tilburg University

,Inhoud
Part one: An Introduction to Consumer Behavior
Chapter 1. Understanding Consumer behavior...................................................................................... 3
Part two: The Psychological Core
Chapter 2. Motivation, Ability and Opportunity ..................................................................................... 7
Chapter 3. From Exposure to Comprehension ...................................................................................... 10
Chapter 4. Memory and Knowledge ..................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 5. Attitudes Based on High Effort ............................................................................................ 17
Chapter 6. Attitudes Based on Low Effort ............................................................................................. 21
Part 3: The Process of Making Decisions
Chapter 7. Problem Recognition and Information Search .................................................................... 25
Chapter 8. Judgment and Decision-Making Based on High Effort ........................................................ 29
Chapter 9. Judgment and Decision-Making Based on Low Effort ......................................................... 34
Chapter 10. Post-Decision Processes .................................................................................................... 37
Part 4: The Consumer's Culture
Chapter 11. Social Influences on Consumer Behavior .......................................................................... 41
Chapter 12. Consumer Diversity............................................................................................................ 45
Chapter 13. Households and Social Class Influences ............................................................................ 48
Chapter 14. Psychographics: Values, Personality and Lifestyles ........................................................... 52




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,Chapter 1. Understanding Consumer behavior
Defining consumer behavior
Consumer behavior reflects the totality of
consumers’ decisions with respect to
acquisition, consumption and disposition of
goods, services, activities, experiences, people,
and ideas by human decision-making units (over
time).

Consumer behavior involves goods, services,
activities, experiences, people and ideas. We
also use the simple term offering that includes
all consumptions above. Also, researchers are
not just interested in the buying of offering. They
are interested in;

• Acquiring an offering: acquisition: the process by which a consumer comes to own an offering
• Using an offering: usage: the process by which a consumer uses an offering
• Disposing of an offering: disposition: the process by which a consumer discards an offering

The sequence of acquisition, consumption, and disposition can occur over time in a dynamic order.
Also, consumer behavior doesn’t necessarily involve the actions of a single individual. There are several
roles;

• Information gatherer
• Influencer
• Decider
• Purchaser
• User

Consumers behavior involves many decisions, like;

• Whether
• What
• Why
o Among the most important reasons, are the ways in which an offering meets
someone’s needs, values or goals. Sometimes our reasons are filled with conflict, like
when smoking cigarettes (you know it’s harmful, but you want to fit in)
• How
o Ways of acquiring an offering: buying, trading, renting/leasing, bartering (exchanging),
gifting, finding, stealing
o Ways of using an offering: what we use with the offering (e.g., chips with salsa) and
how we store and organize the items in our homes.
o Ways of disposing of an offering
▪ Find a new use for it
▪ Get rid of it temporarily
▪ Get rid of it permanently
• When; when consumer behavior takes place, depends on the following factors

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, o Timing
o Need for variety
o Transitions: like marriage, birthdays, graduation
o Others: when they will (not) buy an item
• Where
o Where to consume the product
o Where to dispose of the product
• How much, how often, how long
o Sales of a product can be increased when the consumer (1) uses larger amounts of the
product, (2) uses the product more frequently or (3) uses it for longer periods of time.

Positive and negative emotions as well as specific emotions like loneliness, hope, fear, regret, guilt,
embarrassments and general moods can affect how consumers think, make choices, feel after a
decision, what they remember and their overall experience. Consumers often use products to regulate
their feelings.

What affects consumer behavior?
The many factors that affect acquisition, usage and disposition decisions can be classified into four
broad domains;

1. The psychological core: internal consumer processes. Before consumers can make decisions,
they must have some source of knowledge upon which they base their decisions. This source
– the psychological core – covers;
a. Motivation, ability, opportunity (MOA)
b. Exposure, attention, perception and comprehension
c. Memory and knowledge
d. Attitudes about an offering
2. The process of making decisions
a. Problem recognition and information search
b. Judgment and decision-making
c. Post-decision processes
3. The consumers culture: culture refers to the typical or expected behaviors, norms and ideas
that characterize a group of people.
a. Social influences on consumer behavior: reference group is a group of people
consumers compare themselves with for information regarding behavior, attitudes or
values.
b. Consumer diversity
c. Household and social class influences
d. Psychographics: values, personality and lifestyles
4. Consumer behavior outcomes
a. Innovations: adoption, resistance and diffusion
b. Symbolic consumer behavior: symbols are external signs that consumers use to
express their identity.
c. Marketing, ethics and social responsibility in today’s consumer society

Who benefits from the study of consumer behavior?
• Marketing managers: Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating,
communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings with value for individuals, groups and


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