Executive Summary
The main purpose of this report is to understand the consumer buying behavior. The findings that were noted are that a consumer has diverse requirements and wishes.
The marketers should search for relationships between their products and lifestyle group, for example for a middle-aged she would prioritize her needs to cosmetic surgery this is to enable her to feel like she is still young and the lowest need being tattooing and piercing and since she is mature and she would like to present herself in a respectable manner she would only prioritize on cosmetic surgery, eye surgery and laser skin treatment.
And The old lady, she would prioritized her options to eye surgery to avoid wearing glasses, followed by the laser skin treatments to prevent her from looking too old and avoid the wrinkles from appearing
Thus, buyers with different ages have different needs and spend different amounts on necessities and non necessities. Thus, the marketer should have be able to know the target market of its product and ways in which he/ she could attract these markets e.g. the could be able to attract consumers through promotions like bonus packs to prompt the consumers to buy and perhaps buy more than they otherwise would.
Introduction
Consumer behavior is a rational psychological process which allows consumers to critically evaluate their purchase options with the aim of justifying the reasons behind their purchases in order to maximize their own satisfaction. Consumer behavior involves on how consumers decide whether or not to purchase a product.
The consumers’ decision is usually based on consumers decision making process with respect to understanding what the consumer wants, consumption and disposition of goods and services, activities, decision-making units ( overtime) (Kotler 2003, 12).
Consumer behavior means more than just the way that a person buys tangible goods; it also includes consumers’ use of services, activities experiences, and ideas. Marketers are very concerned with the manner in which consumers buy products and services. However, marketers are also intensely interested in consumer related to using and disposing of a product.
This include; acquisition – the process by which a consumer comes to own the product; usage- the process by which a consumer uses the product; and disposition – the process by which a consumer discards a product (Porter 1990, 8). The sequence of acquisition, consumption and disposition can occur over time in a dynamic order.
Entire markets are designed around linking one consumer’s disposition decision to the customers’ acquisition decisions, for instance, when consumers buy used cars they are buying cars that others have disposed of and should be aware of it.
Body modification
Some of the image altering options reflecting the variety of behaviors by the illustration were: body art for fashion (tattooing and piercing); cultural body art as a reflection of ethnicity; myriad services of cosmetic enhancement- laser skin treatments for wrinkles and hair; Botox, collagen, cosmetic dentistry; body contouring using systems such as endermologie; eye surgery instead of using glasses; cosmetic dentistry i.e. veneers and whitening; and cosmetic surgery.
Marketers have to identify its customer’s reference group so as to meet the customer demands. A referenced groups influence on particular individuals varies depending on particular products and brands therefore in some instances the influence of this group may either be significant or insignificant.
Reference groups appear to influence both product and brand choice strongly e.g. Some consumers have body parts pierced as a form of self expression, while others do it to fit into a group, still others believe that body piercing is a form of beauty or that it enhances sexual pleasure.
individuals often purchase goods and services that reflect their particular age at the time of purchase. With time, consumers buy different products and services that would best suite them that time.
For example where, for a female teenager she would be more concerned with her appearance be fascinated with tattooing and piercing for beauty as well as cosmetic surgery during her teenage years, but during her middle aged when she is more mature she tends to be concerned about how her appearance will influence her children, as a mature lady and responsible and respectable lady.
People tend to relate what they believe in and how the behave with the groups they are associated with. The groups play a very big role as they tend to introduce individuals to new practices and lifestyle, they also influence the behavior expressed by an individual while they also demand a compliance of the stipulated practices.
Interview Results
Note: Each attribution is related from 0 to 10, where 10 represent the highest level. For the teenager she was more into her appearance where the highest level was in tattooing and piercing for beauty as well as cosmetic surgery, such as whitening and the lowest being laser skin treatments since their skins have not been affected by the toxins of the cosmetics and now that she is young she will not be needing the skin laser treatments.
For the middle aged, her highest level was cosmetic surgery this is to enable her to feel like she is still young and the lowest rank being tattooing and piercing and since she is mature and she would like to present herself in a respectable manner she would only prioritize on cosmetic surgery, eye surgery and laser skin treatment.
The old lady, she prioritized her options to eye surgery to avoid wearing glasses, followed by the laser skin treatments to prevent her from looking too old and avoid the wrinkles from appearing.
Once a consumer is in position to earn an attractive amount of money, he/she will be attempted to buy expensive products as opposed to a consumer who is earning very little who will only buy cheap products because that is what they can afford. (Lancaster & Withey 2006, 45) explain that economic situation of an individual influences on an individual’s power attitude toward spending versus saving.
Society is made up people with different social classes. These classes mostly are defined in terms of status, wealth, living condition among other factors. the society has the upper class these are the rich who are regarded to have too much wealth at their dispose, then there are those who define as the middle class who earn average income while the low class are the poor who have very little wealth at their disposal.
Depending on which class a consumer is from, it is always going to influence their being decision that why an individual from the upper class social status will always buy good in bulk because they can afford to pay for them while the low class consumer will only buy goods that will presently be of use because that’s only what they can afford (Ford 1990, 322; Waterschoot and van den Bulte 1992, 88).
Analysis and Comparison of results
Consumer behavior does not necessarily reflect the action of a single individual, a group of friends, coworkers, or an entire family may have an impact on the decision making of the individual and their attitudes towards the product. However, some decisions about whether to acquire, use, or dispose of a product are related to personal goals, safety concerns or desire to reduce economic, social or psychological risk.
There are several factors that may influence buyer behavior which include;
Culture
Every individual is a member of a particular cultural group or society. Depending on the cultural practices of that particular society, an individual is likely to be influenced while purchasing a product or service because of the cultural practices present. Culture can be defined as the beliefs of a group of people how they behave, and their thoughts about various subjects.
For example when a child is growing up, what the child learns from the parents and other individual relating to the child like teachers, friends, and family members would likely influence the child’s behavior as he/she grows up. That’s why people of different cultural societies end up purchasing goods and services because of the influence they have from their cultural background.
Within the cultural factors lies sub factors which also influence buyer’s behavior. In each cultural group there is a sub division of a group of people having the same kind of behavior and share values based on one common belief.
According to Anderson (1982, 14) he states that the sub cultural divisions are very important market segments as their provide markets to programs that are set up to meet their needs. Marketers are then encouraged to come up with products that best satisfy the needs of the people in a particular geographic group.
Another sub factor is social class. The society is made up people with different social classes. These classes mostly are defined in terms of status, wealth, living condition among other factors. the society has the upper class these are the rich who are regarded to have too much wealth at their dispose, then there are those who define as the middle class who earn average income while the low class are the poor who have very little wealth at their disposal.
Depending on which class a consumer is from, it is always going to influence their being decision that why an individual from the upper class social status will always buy good in bulk because they can afford to pay for them while the low class consumer will only buy goods that will presently be of use because that’s only what they can afford.
Marketers mostly choose to design products once they are sure of the kind of social class they are targeting. Clearly classification of social classes creates a distinct position in which products and services are designed and branded from clothing, home furnishings, leisure activities and automobiles Some marketers focus on their efforts on one social class thus products will not sale to the market as anticipated
Social factors
How a consumer behaves is also influenced by various social factors such as;
Reference groups
These are groups that have some kind of influence on a person’s attitude or behavior. The influence may be direct or indirect.
For example groups formed by leaders may influence the opinion of their followers, religious leaders and church groups may influence what the congregation believes in; the artists may influence their funs and so on. People tend to relate what they believe in and how the behave with the groups they are associated with.
The groups play a very big role as they tend to introduce individuals to new practices and lifestyle, they also influence the behavior expressed by an individual while they also demand a compliance of the stipulated practices. These groups put pressure on the consumer consent and influence on the choice of product and service purchase (Kotler 1999, 102).
Marketers have to identify its customer’s reference group so as to meet the customer demands. A referenced groups influence on particular individuals varies depending on particular products and brands therefore in some instances the influence of this group may either be significant or insignificant.
Reference groups appear to influence both product and brand choice strongly e.g. Some consumers have body parts pierced as a form of self expression, while others do it to fit into a group, still others believe that body piercing is a form of beauty or that it enhances sexual pleasure.
Family
Most people base their buying decision based on if it would be of use to the family members. Families are considered as one of the most important buying units within the economy and therefore of great importance to marketers. Marketers through conducting research can effectively know which role each and every member of the family plays as far as consumer behavior is concerned.
That is why the marketers have to be aware of the person who has the most influence in determining product choice. If for example the woman has the most influence then marketers would use various ways to attract that market.
Roles and statuses
A role can be explained as a set of various activities a person is required to carry out within the society. Each role is determined by the individual’s status.
Most people will choose products that communicate their role and status in the society, for instance the middle aged her highest level was cosmetic surgery this is to enable her to feel like she is still young and the lowest rank being tattooing and piercing and since she is mature and she would like to present herself in a respectable manner.
Koontz & Weihrich (2009, 59) suggest that marketers are well aware of the role which status influences the nature of purchases conducted within the society.
Personal factors
A consumer judgment to buy a product can also be subjective on individual traits. These characteristics may include: Age: Individuals often purchase goods and services that reflect their particular age at the time of purchase.
With time, consumers buy different products and services that would best suite them that time. for example where, for a female teenager she would be more concerned with her appearance be fascinated with tattooing and piercing for beauty as well as cosmetic surgery during her teenage years, but during her middle aged when she is more mature she tends to be concerned about how her appearance will influence her children, as a mature lady and responsible and respectable lady.
Occupation and economic circumstances
An individual’s occupation or line of work also influences the nature of purchase that he/she is involved in and therefore often marketers use this fact to market various products. A teenager will buy cheap cosmetics while a middle aged lady will likely buy more expensive cosmetics. Products alternatives are greatly influenced by the economic state of affairs that a consumer is exposed to.
Once a consumer is in position to earn an attractive amount of money, he/she will be attempted to buy expensive products as opposed to a consumer who is earning very little who will only buy cheap products because that is what they can afford. (Lancaster & Withey 2006, 45) explain that economic situation of an individual influences on an individual’s power attitude toward spending versus saving.
Marketers usually use research data on personal income, savings and interest rates while designing products so that they can effectively segment, place and target specific consumers. When there is an economic recession hit the commercial world marketers were force to redesign products so that more affordable products could be made available to consumers.
Lifestyle
How a person chooses to live is defined as lifestyle. An Individuals living lifestyle is articulated in the various activities, interest and opinions that surround his/her daily livelihood. Marketers look at what relationship their product has to a person lifestyle.
For example, cosmetic manufactures produce products that are beauty oriented. The marketer target individuals who are cautious about their image and thus his goal are to design a brand that is a direct reflection the lifestyle of various individuals.
Personality and self- concept
Different people have different personalities. Depending on the situation an individual is said to posses’ different personality traits. Personality can be a great influence to a consumer while deciding to purchase a product.
For example, a cosmetic company might discover that many prospectors show high self- confidence, dominance and beauty. This suggests designing the cosmetic advertisement to appeal to these traits. Marketers also try to develop brands images that match the target market’s self image.
Consumers must decide whether to acquire, use or dispose of an offering. They may need to decide whether to spend or save their money when they earn extra cash. How much they decide to spend may be influenced by their perceptions of how much they recall spending in the past (Charles et al 2009, 127).
Psychological factors
How an individual chooses to buy a product is influenced by four major psychological factors namely:
Motivation
In a given period of time as an individual there are many needs that one has. There are theories that tend to explain more about human motivation. Some are as follows:
Sigmund Freud motivation theory: This theory assumes that the psychological factors influencing individuals actions are mainly unaware, and that an individual cannot comprehensively appreciate his impulses, for instance the middle aged her highest level was cosmetic surgery this is to make her feel like she is still young and the lowest rank being tattooing and piercing and since she is mature and she would like to present herself in a respectable manner she would only prioritize on cosmetic surgery, eye surgery and laser skin treatment (Dwyer, Schurr and Oh 1987, 17).
Laddering is a method which can be used to accurately determine a person’s motivations that influence his behavior. Then marketing experts can make important strategic decisions that are involved with the design of messages that appeal to consumers.
Maslow’s theory: This theory classifies needs into: psychological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self actualization needs with the highest level being self actualization needs. Maslow suggests that individuals will attempt to cater for their most important needs first.
When an individual achieves certain needs within this hierarchy these needs will no longer motivate them and therefore will move forward to cater for other needs which motivate him most. Maslow’s theory assists marketers understand how plans, goals and motives are the main reason behind purchases made by consumers.
Herzberg’s theory: “Fredrick Herzberg came up with the factor theory that differentiates issues causing discontent from the satisfiers therefore taking centre stage in determining human behavior” (Davis 1961, 45). Herzberg’s theory has two implications.
First, sellers should do their best to avoid factors that bring about dissatisfaction. Secondly, the manufacturer should precisely identify satisfiers and therefore aim to incorporate them in production in order to motivate consumers to purchase his/her products. These satisfiers determination to formulate the key variation as to which product the customer buys.
Perception
It is the course of action by which an individual selects, organizes and understands information inputs to build a significant representation of the world. Perception depends not only on the nature of the stimuli but also on the immediate environment unto which the stimuli emanates from (Anderson and Narus 1990, 49).
People can appear to have diverse perceptions of the similar product since there are three perceptual processes: selection attention, it’s where the person screens all that she/he sees and hears and pays interest simply to preferred ones, selective distortion, it’s the affinity to change information into exceptional meanings and understand the information in a way that determine to fit the consumers’ perceptions, selective retention; people will disregard much on what they learn however, they will be likely to hold on to the information that supports their attitudes and beliefs.
Selective retention defines why marketers use presentation and repletion in delivering messages to their target market (Ford 1980, 344).
Learning
Learning it’s the changing of an individual’s performance though experience. Learning experts insist that learning occurs when different forms of stimuli are introduced within the environment to reinforce behavior and responses of individuals. Cues are slight stimuli are the main drivers that define behavior exhibited by individuals.
Learning theory enables marketers formulate various forms of stimuli that are incorporated into marketing strategy with the main aim of influencing consumer behavior. Various cues are used by marketers to reinforce consumer behavior by designing marketing messages that can easily influence human behavior
Beliefs and attitudes
Through knowledge, people achieve beliefs and attitudes. Thus it influences their consumer behavior. A belief is a vivid notion that an individual holds concerning something. Beliefs may be based on facts, view or faith. Manufacturers are greatly responsive and concerned in the values people bear in their minds regarding their goods and services.
These philosophies make up brand descriptions and associations that can lead consumers into displaying desired actions once consumers are exposed to a set of pre determined images. If a few viewpoints are mistaken and stall purchase, the manufacture will want to initiate an operation to approve these beliefs.
For example, the use of laser treatment for hair had a negative effect on the consumer; the manufacturer should launch another product that would not have the same effect to the consumers. An attitude is a set of favorable or unfavorable opinions/conclusions, about certain objects or ideas.
Ethics play a major function in consumer behavior. Some consumers may want to avoid products made by factories with questionable labor practices (Halinen 1995).
The Buying Decision Process
These are:
Problem recognition
The buying procedure begins as soon as the buyer recognizes a difficulty or need. The demand can be triggered interior or exterior stimuli. In case of interior stimuli, an individual basic need arises to a verge level and becomes a drive. In case of exterior stimuli a want is aroused by peripheral stimuli.
Information search
Recommendations
A manufacturer of goods and brands where group control is well-built must establish how to achieve and persuade the belief leaders have in these growths. A belief leader is someone in informal product connected to relations who offers information or informs regarding a precise product or product type.
A marketer ought to contact opinions leaders by identifying demographic and psychological distinctiveness allied with opinion control, identifying the medium read by opinion leaders along with directing messages at them e.g. the firm are more responsible to advertise their services of tattooing and piercing to young adult in view of the fact that they are more to beauty than selling laser treatment for wrinkles which would be more valued by the old.
Marketers should search for relationships between their products and lifestyle group, for example for a middle-aged she would prioritize her needs to cosmetic surgery this is to enable her to feel like she is still young and the lowest need being tattooing and piercing and since she is mature and she would like to present herself in a respectable manner she would only prioritize on cosmetic surgery, eye surgery and laser skin treatment.
And The old lady, she would prioritized her options to eye surgery to avoid wearing glasses, followed by the laser skin treatments to prevent her from looking too old and avoid the wrinkles from appearing (Heide 1994, 74).
Marketers should also try to develop brand images that match the target market’s self image, for instance setting up a laser treatment infirmary to an educational institution that’s full of students who range from 18 to 24 instead of body art facility for fashion or a cultural body art as a reflection of ethnicity.
The marketer should have a selection attention that means marketers have to work hard to attract consumers’ notice, for instance through the first information that is acquired through the first sight, the package of the product should catch the attention of the consumer where the model advertising the product should be appealing and the product should make sure that the aim of the achiever which is beauty should be noted on the product (BAC 2011, 13).
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