The University of Northampton

Northampton Business School

Division of Marketing & Entrepreneurship

MKT 1001
Foundations of Marketing
Grant Timms - Week 6
Consumer Behaviour 1

Consumer behaviour is the topic for

the next 3 weeks & is the final topic
before the first Multiple Choice Test on
Tuesday November 24thth.

MCT reminder Tuesday 24th

Once we are settled we will start without you

so dont be late.
Register with ASSIST if you have special
requirements. Make contact with me.
If English is not your first language you are
allowed a paper dictionary
Failure to email me BEFORE 12.00 noon on
the 24th & failure to sit the test is grade G.

MCT test - info

The test will cover everything from the

first 8 weeks.
40 multiple choice questions in 40
minutes.
There will be a mock test during the
seminar a week before the test.

Todays objectives

Influencing factors on
consumer behaviour:
the
decision-making
process

Why is an understanding of consumer

behaviour important to marketers?

Our consumer is at the heart of our

business
If we know how they are likely to behave,
we can anticipate their actions.
Use our marketing mix (7Ps) to influence
our consumers to behave in a certain way.
With understanding comes competitive
advantage.

Problem recognition
Recognition takes place in different
ways according to the purchase.

No milk in fridge
TV explodes
Internal stimuli
External stimuli

thirst
advertisement

Information search
What kind of purchase will solve the problem
of an exploding TV?

A digital TV?
Flat screen?
HD ready or built-in?
Entertainment centre
3D?

Information search
What kind of information will solve the problem?
Internal search - consumer searches memory
External search - no info available in memory

Personal sources?
Commercial sources?
Public sources?
Experiential sources?

Information evaluation

The evoked set:

the group of products that a buyer
views as possible alternatives after
conducting the information search
In order to evaluate the evoked set the
buyer establishes a set of criteria to
compare the products of the set

Information evaluation

Salience:
the level of importance assigned to
each criterion for comparing products
in the evoked set. (What are the really
important factors.)

Decision

Not just / necessarily a rational outcome

based on the evaluation of the criteria.
Our logic is not always logical & can
be influenced by outside factors.
Availability of product
Unexpected situational factors negotiation of delivery, hidden costs...

Marketers and decision making

Can marketers influence the buying

decision process?
Do we buy stuff we dont need but
want?
Use of emotion & other techniques to
influence our behaviour.

Post-purchase evaluation

Does the product match

expectations?
Cognitive dissonance - buyer
discomfort, doubts caused by postpurchase conflict

Post-purchase evaluation

Cognitive dissonance

The marketer is concerned with

ensuring and evaluating satisfaction

product quality monitoring/improvement

positive word of mouth
customer retention

Some types of consumption

Rational (logical)
Hedonistic (emotional)
Self-identity (external)
Self-identity (internal)

Purchase behaviour types

Routine response behaviour

Limited decision making

Extensive decision making

Impulse buying

Routine Buying Behaviour

Normally bought frequently.

Usually low risk items.
Often bought without much thought
(on auto-pilot.)
Example?

Limited Decision Making

Products/brands often bought from a

rota of usual suspects.
Often associated with an evoked set.
Example?

Extensive Decision Making

What if we have little or no previous

experience?
What if it is expensive and important?
Salience becomes more crucial
what are the really important factors?
Example?

Impulse Buying

Research from TGI tells us that

students are generally impulsive.
Do we agree?
What have we bought on impulse?
Why do we buy on impulse?

Next week

More on consumer behaviour..

Please read the course book p 142174