Individual Determinants in Consumer Behaviour (Autosaved)

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR BEHAVIOR MODULE IV

- INDIVIDUAL DETERMINANTS OF

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Motivation and involvement Motiva Motivatio tion n is a drivin driving g force force within within individu individuals als that impels impels them to action action.. It is define defined d as the stimulation of any emotion operating upon ones will and prompting or driving it to action. Psychologically speaking this driving force is the result of a state of tension produced by an unfulfilled need. Individuals try to reduce this tension both consciously and subconsciously through selecting goals and behavior. Elements of motivation

1. Needs Needs - Every Every indi individ vidual ual has has need. need. hey hey are are  Innate Needs ! these are physiological need and it includes the need for food" water" air"

clothing" shelter and se#. hese are needed to sustain the biological life or biogenic needs.  $c%uired needs ! these are need in response to our culture or environment. hese include the needs for self-esteem" affection" prestige and learning. hese are generally psychological and are considered as secondary needs. &. 'ants 'ants ! wants wants are something something more more in addition addition to the needs that that will have have desirable desirable effect. effect. (or e#ample ! food is the need and type of food is want. ). *oals*oals- are the ideal ideal state that that a person desires desires as as he thinks that that it would would help him+her him+her satisfy satisfy a need. here are two type of goals and they are  *eneric goals ! *eneric goals can be defined as the general category of goals that

consumers see as a means to satisfy their needs and wants. E#ample- a consumer may want to buy a mobile Product !specific goals ! these are specifically branded products or services that the consumers consumers select to fulfill the generic goal. E#ample ! the consumer would like to buy Nokia or ,amsung  here the consumer has a specified brand choice towards the product

Selection of Goals

he goals selected by an individual depends on their • •

Personal e#perience Physical capacity 1

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR BEHAVIOR MODULE IV


CONSUMER BEHAVIOR • •

Prevailing cultural norms and values *oals accessibility in the physical and social environment

*oals *oals can be posit positive ive or negati negative. ve. Positi Positive ve goals goals is the one toward towardss which which behavio behaviorr is direct directed ed approach ob/ect and negative goals is the one form which behavior is directed away and is referred to as an avoidance ob/ect. Motives

Motives can be rational and emotional Rational motives - 'hen consumer motives are ob/ective" and when selection of goals is made on the basis of ob/ective criteria" they are referred to as rational motives. hese criteria could be price" si0e" weight etc. Emotional motives - 'hen consumer motives are sub/ective" and when selection of goals is made on the basis of personal and sub/ective criteria" like appearance and looks" colour" aesthetics etc." they are referred to as emotional motives

Motivation can be positive or negative Positive motivation  he person is driven towards an ob/ect+condition+situation. E#ample $ person goes to the gym three times a week to build up his body and muscles so that he can look good. he ob/ect in %uestion gym" work out" good body is referred to as an approach ob/ect. 2is behavior is directed towards achievement achieve ment of o f a positive goal" goa l" which is fitness" body building and great looks. Negative Negative motivation motivation  he he pers person on is driv driven en away away from from an ob/ec ob/ect+ t+co condi nditi tion+ on+si situ tuat atio ion" n" and the the corresponding effects of non usage. (or e#ample" a person decides to buy Pepsodent toothpaste for his child as it helps fight germs and tooth decay whole day long. 2is behavior is directed towards the ob/ect Pepsodent to avoid a negative goal" which is tooth decay. The Dynamic nature of motivation

multiplicity. 3arious arious kinds of physiological and psychological  Needs and wants e#hibit multiplicity. needs have been proposed and listed4 while physiological needs are few and universal" psychological needs are many and varied.  $ person may e#perience many needs and wants simultaneously and one may be sacrificed at the cost of the other.  Needs+wants+goals+motives vary from person to person. hey also vary within a person across situation to situation.

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR MODULE IV


CONSUMER BEHAVIOR  Needs+wants are never fully satisfied. 'ants are satisfied temporarily but needs are never

satisfied. hey keep on emerging. $s one need is satisfied" another emerges and so forth" and as they emerge" they trigger off desire and motives.  Needs+wants+goals+motives grow" develop and change in response to an individual and his environment.  Needs and wants may also lie dormant. hey may suddenly trigger owing to physiological factors" social factors" and+or e#ternal environmental factors.  ,uccess and failure to fulfill needs and wants also affect the future choice of goals. Arousal of motives  Physiological $rousal - when a person becomes aware of his needs due to change in his

physiological state" it will give rise to physiological motives. (or e#ample - a person who is cold may turn up the heat in his bedroom and also make a mental note to buy a warm cardigan sweater to wear around the house  Emotional $rousal ! $t times the mundane nature of routine life leads a person to fantasies or

daydream and this stimulate his latent need to satisfy his emotion. (or e#ample ! $ young women who daydream of torrid romance may spend her free time in internet single chat rooms  5ognitive $rousal ! this occurs when we come across some information incidentally and this

triggers our thought process and arouses a need in us.  Environmental $rousal ! the various signals that we come across in our environment in the

form of the sight" smell and sound surrounding us also prompt many needs. Theories of Motivation Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

$braham Maslow" a clinical psychologist in 167)" formulated a widely accepted theory of human motivation based on human needs. Maslow proposed that human needs could be classified into five basic levels" that is4 basic +primary needs" safety+security needs" social+affiliation needs" ego+esteem needs and self actuali0ation needs. Each of the needs could be ranked in order of importance from the lowest to the highest through a pyramidical structure starting from basic +primary needs to the safety+security needs to the social+affiliation needs to the ego+esteem needs" to finally the self actuali0ation needs. he first two needs" ie4 basic +primary needs and safety+security needs were biogenic in nature and were regarded as lower-order needs4 while the rest of the three" i.e.4 social+affiliation needs" ego+esteem needs and self actuali0ation needs were psychogenic in nature and were regarded as higher-order needs. $ccording to the theory" these needs are hierarchical and an individual will go level by level" starting first with the fulfillment of the lower-order needs and gradually move towards the fulfillment of the higher-order needs. $ person cannot move to the second level unless the first level is satisfied. 8nce a level is satisfied" it ceases to be a motivator and the moves to the ne#t. Physiological Needs ! in the hierarchy of needs theory" physiological needs are the first and most basic level of human needs. hese needs are re%uired to sustain biological life" include food" water " air" shelter" clothing" se#.

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR E#ample ! for the man who is e#tremely hungry" no other interest e#ists but food. 2e dreams of food" he remembers food" he thinks of food" he perceives only food and he wants only food. Safety needs ! once the physiological needs are satisfied" safety and security needs become the driving force behind an individual9s behavior. hese needs are concerned not only with physical safety but also include order" stability" routine and control over one9s life and environment.

E#ample savings accounts" insurance policies. Social needs - the third level in Maslow9s need theory include needs as love" affection" belonging and acceptance. People seek warm and satisfying human relationship with other people and are motivated by love for their families. Egoistic Needs  Esteem needs ! once the social needs are more or les satisfied" the fourth level becomes operative. his level is concerned with egoistic needs. hese needs can take either an inward or an outward orientation.

Inward orientation ! reflects an individuals need for self acceptance" self esteem" success 8utward orientation ! includes the needs for prestige" reputation" status" recognition from others etc. ,elf-actuali0ation needs - most of the people do not satisfy their ego needs sufficiently to ever move to the fifth level. his need refers to an individuals desire to fulfill his+her potential to become everything he+she is capable of becoming.

Mc !lelland’s Trio of need theory

$ccording to him" an individual9s needs are ac%uired over time and are learned and accordingly shaped by ones9 life e#periences. hese needs can be classified into three categories and they are Needs for power nPow" affiliation n$ff and achievement N$ch. Need for Power nPow ! the power need relates to an individuals desire to control his+her environment. It includes the need to control other persons and various ob/ects. his need appears to be closely related to the ego need" in that many individuals e#perience increased self-esteem when they e#ercise power over ob/ect or people. Need for $ffiliation n$ff ! affiliation is well known and well researched social motive that has farreaching influence on consumer behavior. he affiliation need is very similar to Maslow9s social need theory. People with high affiliation need tend to be socially dependent on others. $ccording to this" the behavior is strongly influenced by the desire for friendship" acceptance and belongings.

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Need for $chievement n$ch ! individual with a strong need for achievement often regard personnel accomplishment as an end in itself. he achievement need is closely relate to both egoistic need and self- actuali0ations need.

Motivation theory and mar"et strategy 

$pproach ! $pproach 5onflict ! happens when the consumer has two different choices of similar or dissimilar category of product or services" which he gives e%ual importance but unable to choose one over the other. he marketer can come in to make his offer more attractive and important in any sense and help the customer to decide in its favour. E#ample ! $ hungry man is tempted to have both pi00a and :urger.

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$pproach ! avoidance conflict - happens when the consumer has decides in favour of a product but somehow not satisfied with a particular feature or want to avoid it. he marketer can come in make some modification in the product features to suit and help the customers to decide in its favour. E#ample - is that a lady wants to have an ice-cream but is also concerned about the fact that it would mean adding to calories and weight

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$voidance-$voidance conflict- happens when the consumer has to decide between two negative choices. he choices are said to be negative in relation to certain personnel attributes of the consumer. he marketer can come in to make some suggestion in the decision making process to suit and help the customers to decide in its favour (or e#ample" the doctor prescribes to a patient of a long drawn treatment based on medicines with lower rate of success as against another option of a surgical procedure with high risk of post operative complications. #nvolvement

;efined as a psychological state that motivates people to be more aware and careful about personnel ob/ect or situations. 5onsumer involvement is defined as a state of mind that motivates consumers to identify with product + service offering" their consumption pattern and behavior. Involvement creates within consumers an urge to look for and think about the product +service category and the varying option before making decision on brand preference and the final act of purchase. Ty$es of involvement Situational involvement - his is a state of arousal directed towards attaching relevance to a person+ob/ect+situation for a short term.It is specific to a situation and is thus temporary in nature. It could vary from low to high" depending upon the situational factors. 6



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR (or e#ample - a middle aged lady suddenly decides to gift a laptop to her son on his birthday. ,he is not techno savvy and has little interest with the product category. ,he goes to the electronics mall and visits the various stores that sell computers and laptops. ,he collects information on the product features" prices" etc. and finally takes the help of her middle aged neighbor to reach a final decision. 2er involvement with the purchase activity would be regarded as a situational involvement. Enduring involvement - 'hen the level of involvement towards the product+service category e#tends over a period of time across situations" it is referred to as enduring involvement. he person shows a high-level of interest in the product category and spends time collecting and processing information and integrating it within his memory.

(or e#ample" a person desires to buy a laptop for his son to be gifted to him when he goes to college" which would be three years later. he father plans well in advance" tries to collect information through advertisements" brochures" trade /ournals" visits to dealers" and word of mouth from peers and colleagues. 'ithin this period he gets involved with the product category and after three years is in a position to take a decision based on the facts that he has collected. his is referred to as enduring involvement. Measures of #nvolvement %rand Ego #m$ortance of $urchase Product Ty$es &Situational enduring res$onse'

Personality and self(conce$t

Personality defined as a sum total of outer physiological as well as inner psychological characteristics that determine and reflect how a person reacts to his environment. It e#hibits itself through a uni%ue psychological makeup that activates behavior on the part of an individual in response to forces in his or her environment. Nature of $ersonality

1. Personality reflects individual differences ! because the inner characteristics that constitute an individuals personality are a uni%ue combination of factors " no two individuals are e#actly ali"e) 7



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR &. Personality is consistent and enduring ! personality cannot be changed easily " %uickly and fre%uently. his consistency and stability manifest itself even in buying and consumption patters and marketers need to learn how to overcome them. ). Personality can change under certain circumstances and over life span" like for e#ample in reaction to abrupt events+incidents+situations as also due to gradual maturing with age. Theories of $ersonality *reudian Theory

,igmund (reud" the (ather of psychology become famous with its psychoanalytic theory of personality. ,igmund framed his theory on certain assumptions" they are -
$ group of psychologists who believed that social interaction and resultant relationships formed the basis for the growth and development of personality. hey disagreed with their contemporary" (reud who believed that personality was i biological and rooted in genetics" and 8



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ii

ii 'as groomed as a result of early childhood e#periences.

he Neo-(reudian are i

$lfred $dler - is regarded as the father of individual psychology was a disciple of (reud. 2e broke away from the (reudian philosophy due to disagreement over the importance that (reud gave to the
power>4 they have within them a ?self perfecting? drive4 this drive is the single ?drive? or motivating force behind all behavior and e#perience  Individuals seek to overcome feelings of an#iety and feelings of inferiority4 the basic drive in human beings is to strive from an initial state of inade%uacy" or what he termed ?inferiority?" toward ?superiority?" or self-actuali0ation.  People strive for goals that can be referred to as style of life.  ,ocial drives" especially family" friends and culture have an impact on behavior and feelings4 right from birth across a life span" people involve themselves in social relationships4  he primal social influences in an individual can be modified in a manner such that that each one of us develops personal styles in dealing with our life and achieving goals.  $ccording to $dler9s theory individuals9 buy to overcome feelings of inferiority. ii

2erbert 2arry ,tack ,ullivan ! $ psychiatrist e#tended (reud9s theory of psychoanalysis and concluded that failure in interpersonal relationship were largely responsible for mental illness and disorder. $ccording to him" social relationships were e#tremely important for human beings and loneliness was the most painful of human e#periences. 2e developed a theory of psychiatry based on interpersonal relationships where social forces are largely responsible for mental illnesses. ,ullivan referred to his approach an interpersonal theory of psychiatry" to focus on =what goes on between people>" sharp in contrast to (reud" who focused on =what goes on inside people>. 2e believed that social relationships are primary" which actually lead to personality. In fact personality manifests itself in such social relationships.

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR iii

@aren 2omey ! 2omey9s approach came to be known as the psychosocial analysis. 2er work focused on the emotional relationship that e#its between parent and child early in the child9s life. 'hile focusing on child-parent relationship" she also researched on how people strive to overcome feelings of an#iety. $ccording to 2omey" people e#perience an#iety and tend to act as neurotics" the irrational defenses against an#iety become a permanent part of personality and that affect human behavior based on their approach towards overcoming feelings of an#iety " people could be classified into three group. hey are4 a. 5ompliant ! individuals are those who move towards others b. $ggressive ! individuals are those who move against others c. ;etached ! individuals are those who move away from others. Trait Theory

$ccording to the rait theorists" an individual9s personality make-up stems out of the traits that he possesses" and the identification of traits is important. People possess specific psychological characteristics that are referred to as traits4 and all those who possess a particular trait" are said to belong to a personality type. $ trait is a predisposition to behave in a certain manner. he trait theories can be of two broad categories" vi0." simple trait theories and general trait theories. i' Sim$le trait theories  $ limited number of traits are identified" and people are identified and classified on the basis of these traits. ii General trait theories  $ large variety of traits are identified. Assessment of Trait theory+


CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Trait theory and !onsumer ,ehavior

,ome of traits and their relevance for a marketer are e#plained as follows !onsumer innovativeness+  he degree to which consumers are receptive to new products" new services or new practices.  ;ogmatism 

$ personality trait that reflects the degree of rigidity a person displays toward the unfamiliar and toward information that is contrary to his or her own established beliefs.  2igh dogmatic-discomfort with new product.  Aow dogmatic-like to try new product.  ,ocial character 

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It is a personality trait that range from inner-directedness to otherdirectedness.  Inner-;irected 5onsumers who tend to rely on their own inner values o o More likely to be innovators end to prefer ads that stress product features and benefits o  8ther-;irected 5onsumers who tend to look to others for direction Aess likely to be innovators o o end to prefer ads that feature social acceptance

 Need for uni%ueness 

5onsumers who avoid appearing to conform to e#pectations or standards of others.

 8ptimum stimulation level 

$ personality trait that measures the level or amount of novelty or comple#ity that individuals seek in their personal e#periences. 2igh 8,A consumers tend to accept risky and novel products more readily than low 8,A consumers. 11



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR  ,ensation seeking 

$ personality trait characteri0ed by the need for varied" novel" and comple# sensations and e#perience" and the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such e#perience

 3ariety-novelty seeking 

$ personality trait similar to 8,A" which measures a consumer9s degree to variety seeking

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E#amples E#ploratory Purchase :ehavior
 5ognitive personality factors

wo cognitive personality traits are Need for cognition. 3isuali0ers vs verbali0ers. Need for cognition • $ person9s craving for en/oyment of thinking o o

o

5onsumers high in N5 are more likely to respond to ads rich in product-related information 5onsumers low in N5 are more likely to be attracted to background or peripheral aspects of an ad.

o •

3isuali0ers versus verbali0ers o $ person9s preference for information presented visually or verbally

!onsumer materialism+  he degree of consumer attachment to a worldly possession.  he e#tent to which a person is considered =materialistic.  5haracteristic of materialistic people  3alue ac%uiring and showing-off possessions  $re particularly self-centered and selfish 12



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 

,eek lifestyles full of possessions  2ave many possessions that do not lead to greater happiness  (i#ed consumption behavior 

5onsumers fi#ated on certain products or categories of products  5onsumers have o $ deep interest in a particular ob/ect or product category $ willingness to go to considerable lengths to secure items in the o category of interest. he dedication of a considerable amount of discretionary time and o money to searching out the product  E#amples stamp collectors" hobbyists  5ompulsive consumption behavior 

=$ddicted> or =out-of-control> consumers  5onsumers who are compulsive buyers have an addiction4 in some r espects" they are out of control and their actions may have damaging conse%uences to them and to those around them !onsumer Ethnocentrism+ 

he consumers likelihood to accept or re/ect foreign made products  Ethnocentric consumers feel it is wrong to purchase foreign-made products  hey can be targeted by stressing nationalistic themes. Self !once$t

It is the sum totals of person9s feelings" knowledge and understanding of his + her self as an ob/ect. wo components  $ctual ,elf - refers to an individual9s perception of what+who he or she is  Ideal self - refers to an individual9s perception of what+who he or she wants to be.

$s a consumer actual and ideal self come to play in the market place. 'hile a consumer tries to relate his personality with the personality of the product+service offering" and the 13



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR brand" the =actual-self>" comes into play4 on the other hand" when he tries to match the product +service and the brand personality with his aspirational group" and aspires to buy the same" the =ideal-self> comes into play. his confirms the assumption that selfconcept is closely related with personality" and individuals would buy such products+services" which match their concept and personalities.

,elf Image $rises out of the persons background" values" lifestyles" e#perience etc as well as interactions with parents" (amily" friends etc. raits" characteristics" %ualities and mannerisms of behavior" all put together create the self-image of a person. Perce$tion

;ifferent people see things" events" and ideas from different view point" and hold different opinions" views for them. In other words they have different =Perception> of the world. ;efinition of Perception Perception is defined as the process by which the individual selects" organi0es" and interprets various stimuli into a meaningful B coherent picture of the world. Marketers are deeply interested in such perceptions the consumers hold about their products B services" brands" company etc. Elements of Perception he following are the elements of Perception 1. ,ensation ! is the immediate B direct response of the sensory organs to stimuli. $ stimulus is a single input of any of the senses. 2uman beings have sensory receptors called sensory organs. hey are  a. Eyes for sights B seeing" b. Ears for sounds B hearing" c. Nose for smells B smelling" d. ongue for tastes B tasting" e. ,kin for te#tures" touch B feeling" Marketers try to stimulate the sensory organs of a consumer to create a favorable perception towards their products. 14



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR &. $bsolute threshold ! is the minimum level that the individual can e#perience a sensation. In other words" he can distinguish the difference between something B nothing. his level varies from person to person B varies with time" place B environment. Marketers often try to provide stimuli more than this level. ). ;ifferential hreshold or Cust Noticeable ;ifference CN; ! is the minimal difference that can be detected between two similar stimuli. *erman scientist Ernst 'eber discovered that the CN; between two stimuli is not absolute" but an amount relative to the intensity of the first stimulus. hus marketers try to change certain attributes which are /ust short of CN;.

7. ,ubliminal Perception ! there are certain types of stimuli which are not strong enough to e#ceed the absolute threshold" but somehow stimulate the subconscious mind B get recorded there" sometimes without the knowledge of the preceptor. $t a later stage this might surface as some form of e#pression or perception. 2ere the marketers try to stimulate the subconscious mind of an individual.

Information processing is a series of activities where the stimuli are perceived B processed to convert+transform them to information" and then stored very similar to computer data processing. Aater this info is used in selecting a product. 1. E#posure E#posure occurs when our senses detect some e#ternal cue from the various things we come in contact with. 'e are all e#posed to a plethora of marketing ads continuously. his becomes the starting point of all information processing. :ut people tend to perceive things they need or want. he stronger the need" the greater the tendency to ignore unrelated stimuli. 2ence =,elective Perception> occurs when the consumer selects the stimuli from the environment on the basis of interaction of e#pectations B motives with the stimulus itself. hese factors give rise to four important concepts concerning perception  a. ,elective e#posure ! where the consumers want to avoid unpleasant or painful messages B seek those which are sympathetic" interesting and pleasant. b. ,elective attention ! where the consumers e#ercise selectivity in terms of their attention to commercial stimuli. hey have a heightened attention regarding the stimuli that meet their needs" B minimal attention to the ones irrelevant to their needs. People also vary in terms of kind of info like price" %uality" features etc." forms of messages B type of medium they prefer. 15



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR c. Perceptual defense ! where consumers subconsciously screen out stimuli that are threatening or damaging even if the e#posure has already taken place. Aikewise sometimes they unconsciously distort the information that is not matching their needs" values" B beliefs. his may be due to psychological factors or any unfavorable past e#perience. d. Perceptual blocking ! where consumers protect themselves from being e#posed by blocking such stimuli from conscious awareness. hey do it for self protection because of the visually overwhelming nature of the world we live in. &. $ttention Normally all the stimuli of a message come thro9 the various sensory organs simultaneously. :ut an individual can remember only one of them" usually the strongest and tries to take action on that basis. Marketers try to e#ploit that situation to their advantage" to leave an impact in the consumer. his is known as attention. a. ,timulus ! is the one which prompts an individual to initiate an action by creating an attention. It has the following characteristics  ,i0e B Intensity4 5olor B Movement4 Position4 (ormat B ;esign4 Isolation4 5ontrast or ;istinction4 Information e#tent. b. Individual factors ! he attention of a consumer depends on the following factors Interest B Needs4 $bility4 Involvement" etc. c. ,ituational factors ! 8ften the situation" condition" environment or the surrounding of the consumer have an affect on its attention of certain stimuli. 2ence the marketers should devise certain methods to help overcome that. ). Interpretation ! Cust like people9s e#ercise of selective perception on the basis of certain psychological principles" the interpretation of these stimuli is also highly individual because it is based on what the individuals e#pect to see in the light of their previous e#perience" motives" interests" reasoning at the time of perception. In the case of any ambiguous stimuli" the individuals usually interpret these in such a way to serve their own needs" interests" wishes" etc. 5onsumer Imagery 5onsumers have a number of enduring perceptions or images of themselves. Products B brands have also a symbolic value for consumers" who evaluate them on the basis of their consistency congruence with the perception of themselves. his is the consumers9 self-image B they attempt to preserve or enhance it by buying products B brands or patroni0ing services which they believe are congruent with their self-images and avoiding which are not. his phenomenon is known as consumer imagery. 1. Product Image - where the consumer compares his self-image with his perception of the product or brand. 16



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR &. ,ervice Image - where the consumer compares his self-image with his perception of the service or its provider. Perception in Marketing Marketers have reali0ed that understanding the perception process of consumers help them to design better ways to help them perceive favorably. he main methods of stimuli are thro9 advertising" communication" messaging" company news etc. hus the marketers have to develop specific stimuli thro9 these methods so that the consumers perception about their products clearly B enduringly. hese are some techni%ues 1. :rand development B Perceptual Mapping ! his techni%ue helps the marketers to determine how the products or services appear to the consumer in relation the other competitive brands on one or more relevant attributes of the products or services. &. Detail ,tores ! In retail stores normally all the brands in a particular category of products are arranged at the same place" so they have a direct competitive setting. he brands which claim to be special in any respect should be specially displayed to gain attention. -earning

;ifferent theorists have different views about Aearning. :ut somehow the following are the most generally accepted definitions in the conte#t of Marketing Management. ,chiffman ;efines Aearning is a process by which individuals ac%uire the purchase and consumption knowledge and e#perience that they apply to future related behavior. he following are the salient features of Aearning 1. 5onsumer learning is a process" and thus it continuously changes and evolves as a result of newly ac%uired knowledge &. his knowledge can be obtained from reading" discussing" observing" thinking" etc. 8r from actual e#perience. ). :oth the newly ac%uired knowledge and personal e#perience serve as a feedback. 7. his also serves as a future behavior in similar situations. . Not all learning is deliberate. Aearning can be  a. Intentional ac%uired as a result of careful search for information with effort. b. Incidental ac%uired as a result of accident or by the way" without much effort.

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR F. he term =Aearning> generally covers all ranges of learning from simple refle#ive responses to abstract concepts or comple# problem solving capability. Elements of learning Motivation Motives" motivation or drive is very important for learning. People learn by being driven by some motives or motivating factor. Motives arouse individuals in increasing their readiness to respond to a leaning activity. It also activates the energy needed to do so. he degree of relevance or involvement determines the consumer9s level of motivation to search for information about a product + service. Marketers must be aware of this kind of motive so that they are ready to provide product info right at that moment. (or e#ample" showing ads for winter goods /ust before winter and summer products /ust before summer. 5ues Motives stimulate learning" whereas =5ues> are the stimuli that give direction to these motives. hese are not as strong as motives" but they can influence in the manner consumers respond to a motive. (or e#ample" in the market place" price" styling" packaging" store display all serve as cues to help consumer to decide a particular product from a group. Desponse Desponse is how the consumers react to the motives or a cue" and how they behave. Desponse can be overt open" physical or visible or covert hidden or mental" but in either case learning can occur. 8ften marketers may not succeed in stimulating a purchase. :ut over a period of time they may succeed in forming a favorable image of a particular product in the consumer9s mind. ,o when the consumer is ready" he is likely to buy that. Deinforcement Deinforcement is an important element which increases the probability of a particular response to occur in future as a result of a given set of motives and cues. :ecause reinforced behavior tends to be repeated" consumers can learn to develop successful means of responding to their needs or changing conditions. he nature and characteristics of 5onsumer Aearning. 18



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 5onsumer learning can be better e#plained by understanding the nature and characteristics of learning

a Aearning involves a change in behavior4 in terms of consumer learning" it implies that a consumer" who is e#posed to the marketing stimuli" may react to it through its purchase and consumption4 if his e#perience is satisfying" he would repeat the purchase behavior in favor of the brand. In case he is not satisfied" he would switch over to another brand. hus leaning involves a change in behavior. b he change in behavior is relatively permanent. Aearning also leads to development of attitudes.


CONSUMER BEHAVIOR i 5onsumer learning as a continual process where knowledge is ever evolving as a result of marketing stimuli4 discussion with family" friends" peers" colleagues" blogs and public forums4 and" direct e#periences self and indirect e#periences 'ord-of-Mouth. / Aearning may be specific+intentional" ongoing and incidental. -earning theories

here are two approaches to the study of learning" vi0." the behavioral approach to learning" and the cognitive approach to learning. $ccording to the behavioral theorists" learning takes place in response to events+happenings in a person9s e#ternal environment. 8n the other hand" the cognitive theorists believe that learning takes place as a result of a person9s conscious and deliberate information processing and storage activity.

 %E.A/#0RA- -EARN#NG T.E0R1

he approach defines learning in terms of an association between stimulus and response" where the stimulus is an e#ternal ob/ect+person+situation that a person senses and perceives" and response is the behavior of the person that occurs in reaction to the ob/ect+person+situation. he theories are based on the assumption that - people learn to associate the stimulus and response. - they begin to relate the stimulus and response and they generali0e the relationship" across situations4 whenever the stimulus occurs" there is a similar response. - observable and predictable responses to specific e#ternal stimuli are reflective and symbolic of learning having taken place. - thus" these behavioral theories are also referred to as stimulus-response theories . :ehavioral theorists do not concentrate on the dynamics of the learning process. heir ma/or concern is on viewing learning as a response to events+happenings in a person9s e#ternal environment. he main proponents of this approach were Pavlov" who proposed 20



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR the theory of classical conditioning" and ,kinner" who proposed the theory of operant+instrumental conditioning.

Theory of !lassical !onditioning

Proposed by Ivan Pavlov" a Dussian psychologist" in the 16&G9s" this pioneering work was based on the famous e#periments that were conducted on dogs. Pavlov believed - all living beings are passive in nature4 they can be taught how to behave through repetition or conditioning4 and" - learning occurs as a repeated connection+association between stimulus and response. - learning takes place through conditioning4 as such classical conditioning also came to be known as respondent conditioning. - learning becomes conditioned when a stimulus that is paired with another stimulus that leads to a known response serves to produce the same response when used alone. Pavlov elaborated upon the process of conditioning through a series of e#periments that he conducted on dogs. Pavlov started his e#periments on the dog by measuring the amount of salivation secreted by the dog as and when changes were made. Initially" he gave meat unconditioned stimulus" <, to the dog and as natural" there was a great deal of salivation unconditioned response"


CONSUMER BEHAVIOR I :efore conditioning Meat <,  ,alivation 
,kinner who is credited for his theory of operant conditioning. $n $merican psychologist of the 16Gs" he emphasi0ed on the role that Jconse%uences9 have to play on the process of learning. 2e spoke of a response-stimulus connection" Desponse K 22



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ,timulus or D-," rather than the ,-D connection as proposed by Pavlov. he learning took place through instrumental or operant conditioning. ,kinner based his theory on the e#periments he conducted while working with animals and birds" like rats and pigeons. 2e developed a cage" what was came to be known as the =,kinner9s :o#.> he cage had a mechanism which facilitated the learning process4 the cage had levers and keys4 it also had a bar or a pedal on one of its walls" and that when pressed" caused the mechanism to release food into the cage. he rats moved across the cage4 and suddenly" accidentally they would press the bar" and the food was released. he rat began to understand a connection between his movement and the food4 and gradually" learnt to press the bar or pedal the right key that gave him the food. ,kinner repeated these e#periments with pigeons4 as and when they pecked the right key" food was released. he food acted as a reward" where the rats and pigeons were ?rewarded? for choosing an appropriate behavior" and their behavior was positively reinforced. 8ver time" ,kinner decided to withdraw the food4 while the rats and pigeons made the right movements" food was no longer released and the creatures were disappointed. $fter several attempts with unrewarding conse%uences" they stopped pressing the right bars and pedals. his was referred to as e#tinction. ,kinner concluded that any behavior that is followed by pleasant events reinforcing stimulus" is likely to be repeated4 a positively reinforced behavior increases the likelihood of repetition of such behavior. 8n the other hand" any behavior that is followed by unpleasant events and a non-reinforcing stimulus" is less likely to be repeated4 it results in a decreased probability of that behavior occurring in the future. hus" operant or instrumental conditioning occurs when person learns to act out behaviors that are positively reinforced" and avoids those acts of behavior that lead to punishment or yield negative reinforcement.

!0GNT#/E -EARN#NG T.E0R1

here is another type of theory of learning" which doesn9t involve repeated trials or a connection between a stimulus and response. his type of learning arises out of using the mental faculty of the individual to discover things" perceive things" seeking knowledge" search for information" sudden impulsive learning" solving problems" etc. 23



CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Aearning based on the mental activity is known as =cognitive learning>. 2uman beings are the most evolved animals who have the most prominent characteristics of thinking" deliberation and problem solving.
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Individual Determinants in Consumer Behaviour (Autosaved)

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