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Behavior

This document discusses theories of consumer buying behavior. It outlines two main paradigms - the cognitive paradigm, which views consumers as rational decision makers, and the behavioral paradigm, which treats consumers as "black boxes" responding to external stimuli. Several theories are described under each paradigm to explain how consumers process information and make purchasing decisions. Key factors that influence buying behavior like attitudes, perceptions, learning, and memory are also summarized.

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Njuguna Reuben
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63 views

Behavior

This document discusses theories of consumer buying behavior. It outlines two main paradigms - the cognitive paradigm, which views consumers as rational decision makers, and the behavioral paradigm, which treats consumers as "black boxes" responding to external stimuli. Several theories are described under each paradigm to explain how consumers process information and make purchasing decisions. Key factors that influence buying behavior like attitudes, perceptions, learning, and memory are also summarized.

Uploaded by

Njuguna Reuben
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BUYING

BEHAVIOUR

Introduction
What

makes buyers buy? This


question has troubled marketing
scholars for over a century. What is
certain is that the answer is not
straightforward.

Every

consumer is different as a
result of their own unique
characteristics and the effect society
has upon them. Marketing
communicators, whilst recognizing
this complexity, need to be aware of
what stimulates audiences and what
does not.

This

is very far from being an exact


science. Theories of decision making
generally fall into two schools of
thought: the cognitive paradigm and
the behavioral paradigm.

The Cognitive Paradigm


The

cognitive paradigm is co-called


because it focuses on an individuals
thought processed and sees consumer
choice as a problem-solving and decisionmaking series of activities the outcome
of which is determined principally by the
buyers intellectual functioning and
rational goal-orientated processing of
information (Pickton and Broderick 2001).

This

makes the rather rash judgment that


consumers are highly rational, willing to
put themselves Out of their way, problem
solvers. It also makes the assumption
that most product choices are routinized
problem solving characterized by
habitual behaviors buying experience.
The simple buying model is an example
of this perceived rational process.

Simple Buying Model


Post-Purchase

Evaluation
Purchase
Decision
Evaluation
Information Search
Problem Recognition

The Behavioural
Paradigm
The

behavioral paradigm is derived


from operant behaviorism research
by Skinner. Proponents of this
paradigm believe it is not possible to
study what goes on in the
consumers mind because it is so
complex. Instead, it is proposed,
output is measured following a given
stimulus.

In

effect the consumer is a black


box into which stimuli flow and out
of which behavior occurs, with the
consequence that this behavior
might then influence or reinforce
future behavior and thus increase its
occurrence.

Behavioral

theories believe that


marketing communications activity
should be based on creating the
correct environmental cues for the
individual and monitoring the
responses to these cues as a guide to
future activity.

According to Foxall (1993), for example, the


behavioral paradigm makes two assumptions.
These are that:

The frequency with which the behavior is


performed is a function of the consequences of
such behavior in the past. That is the success of
previous outcomes are likely to determine the
number of times that the stimulus is repeated

The determinant of behaviors must, therefore, be


found in the environment rather than the
individual. The triggers to that behavior can,
therefore, be applied by the marketer.

Cognitive Dissonance
The

theory was developed by


Festinger (1957) and remains
somewhat controversial. It is based
on the presumption that is an
individual holds two conflicting
cognitions (or views) he or she will
experience mental discomfort
(cognitive dissonance).

In this event individuals will seek to reduce or


eliminate this dissonance by either changing
one or the other viewpoint or by introducing a
third view that will account for and reduce the
dissonance. In marketing terms this cognitive
dissonance is most likely to shows up after a
purchase (post-purchase dissonance) because
any purchase involves some form of selfjustification particularly if high costs
(momentary or emotional) are involved in the
purchase.

Blythe (2000) suggests that there are four general


approaches to reducing dissonance and these are:
1.

Ignore the dissonant information (e.g. accept a


cars poor performance as one of those things!)

2.

Distort the dissonant information (pretend the


car works well in certain circumstances such as
in the rain)
Play down the importance of the issue (e.g. look
for the positive features and benefits such as
comfort).
Change the behavior or situation (e.g. get rid of
the car).

3.

4.

Factors Affecting Buying


Behavior
Basic demographic factors (age, sex,
income etc.) are traditional
discriminators as they are seen to
have an effect on purchase decisions.
Other aspects (employment,
motivation, etc.) are used as the
traditional basis for creating
groupings of consumers.

Trait theory it is where an individual is viewed as


a composite of several behavior traits or
characteristics (Sheth et al. 1999).
These traits are of particular interest to marketing
communicators who are interested in the
relationship between broad personality traits and
general types of behavior.
There are very many examples of this consumer
typology indeed some major brands have their
own typologies describing in some detail the
types of consumer of their product or service.

Attitudes
Personal

attitude plays a central part


in consumer behavior. Attitudes are
what drives a human being to act in a
certain way. Attitudes form an
important part of consumer theory
because it is believed to be the
crucial link between what consumers
think and what they buy in the
marketplace (Foxall et al. 1998: 102).

Perception
Effective

marketing management rests


on two fundamentals (Foxall et al.
1998: 102).
Consumers act on their perceptions
and these come from the information
they receive.
Managers need to understand the
nature of the perceptions their
customers and potential

Behavioral Learning
Three

factors are important to


behavioral learning: association,
reinforcement and motivation.
Behavioral learning theory suggests
that an individual develops a pattern
of behavioral responses because of
the rewards and punishments offered
by his/her environment (Sheth et al.
1999).

Classical Conditioning
Ivan

Pavlov was a Russian


psychologist who experimented on
doge. He began by presenting food
to the animals that made them, on
sight of t the food, begin to salivate.
He then noticed that, over time they
began to salivate before the food
was presented to them.

The reaction was triggered on hearing the


footsteps of his assistants who brought the
food to them. He began to experiment with
a bell being run as food was presented.
After some time the dogs began to salivate
just upon hearing the bell. The salivation
response to the food itself did not have to
be learned as it existed as an instinctive
response. The food, therefore, was the
unconditioned stimulus.

Operant Conditioning

B.F. Skinner worked with rats that had learned to


press levers in order to receiver food and who
later learnt only to press the lever when a light
was switched on (discriminative stimulus). This
aspect of reinforcement following a specific
response is an essential feature of operant (or
instrumental) conditioning. The response of the
individual is likely to be affected by positive
reinforcement (reward) or negative reinforcement
(punishment), although the affect is likely to
cease when these reinforcement are taken away.

Cognitive Learning
Cognitive

learning theory suggests


that humans store information for
different periods of time in order to
manage their memory to greatest
effect and have three basic levels of
access:

Sensory storage: Information that is sensed for a splitsecond. If an impression is made this will be transferred to the
short-term memory.
Short-term memory: Maximum number of items
stored(perhaps four or five) for short periods of time (perhaps
8 seconds)
Long-term memory: information stored for extensive periods
of time although constant reorganization and re-categorization
takes place as new information is received.
Four functions of memory increase the likelihood that
information will be transferred from the short-term to the longterm memory (Foxall et al. 1998):

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