Consumer Behaviour: Buying Motives, Decision Process and Influencing Factors

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Meaning and importance of consumer behaviour
• Buying motives: rational vs emotional (with examples)
• Types of buying behaviour (complex/dissonance/habitual/variety seeking)
• Consumer decision-making process (7 steps)
• What happens after purchase: satisfaction, dissonance, loyalty
• Psychological factors: motivation, perception, learning, attitudes
• Personal factors: age, occupation, income, lifestyle, personality
• Social factors: family, roles/status, reference groups, opinion leaders
• Cultural factors: culture, subculture, social class
• Situational factors and marketing stimuli (4Ps)
• A simple table: factors and marketing implications
• Flow: consumer behaviour → marketing strategy link
• Common exam mistakes
• Key Terms
• Quick Recap (1-minute revision)

Overview

Consumer behaviour explains why, how, when and where consumers buy products/services. It covers both:

• the mental process (thinking, feelings, perception, attitudes), and
• the action (searching, purchasing, using, recommending).

For marketers, understanding consumer behaviour helps answer:

• What motivates the customer?
• Which factors influence brand choice?
• How can we reduce consumer risk and increase satisfaction?

Meaning and importance of consumer behaviour

Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals/groups and the processes they use to select, purchase, use and dispose products, services and experiences.

Importance (exam-friendly points)

• helps in designing products that match customer needs
• helps in segmentation and targeting (different consumers behave differently)
• supports pricing decisions (price sensitivity, perceived value)
• guides promotion strategy (which message works: rational vs emotional)
• helps in building loyalty and repeat purchase

Buying motives: rational vs emotional (with examples)

Buying motive is the reason that makes a consumer decide to buy.

Rational motives (logic-based)

• economy (low price, savings)
• quality and durability
• utility and performance
• safety and reliability

Example: buying an inverter because it gives backup during power cuts.

Emotional motives (feeling-based)

• status and prestige
• pride, fashion
• fear and security
• love and affection, enjoyment

Example: buying a premium watch to feel confident and show status.

Most purchases have both rational and emotional components.

Types of buying behaviour (complex/dissonance/habitual/variety seeking)

Consumer involvement and brand differences create four patterns:

1. Complex buying behaviour (high involvement, high brand differences)

• Example: buying a laptop, car.
• Consumer searches more information and compares features.

2. Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour (high involvement, low brand differences)

• Example: buying tiles/paint.
• Consumer may feel post-purchase doubt (dissonance).

3. Habitual buying behaviour (low involvement, low brand differences)

• Example: salt, bread.
• Purchase is routine; branding works via visibility and availability.

4. Variety-seeking behaviour (low involvement, high brand differences)

• Example: snacks, biscuits.
• Consumer switches for variety, not dissatisfaction.

Consumer decision-making process (7 steps)

A clear exam-friendly model is:

1. Need recognition

• a problem occurs (hunger, phone battery issues).

2. Information search

• internal (memory) + external (friends, internet, ads).

3. Evaluation of alternatives

• compare brands on key attributes (price, quality, warranty).

4. Purchase decision

• influenced by store, discounts, availability, payment options.

5. Purchase

• actual transaction.

6. Post-purchase behaviour

• satisfaction or dissatisfaction; word-of-mouth.

7. Disposal

• resale, recycling, replacement.

Exam tip: mention “perceived risk” and “information search” in high-involvement products.

What happens after purchase: satisfaction, dissonance, loyalty

• Satisfaction: performance meets/exceeds expectations → repeat purchase.
• Dissatisfaction: performance below expectations → complaints and negative WOM.
• Cognitive dissonance: post-purchase doubt (“Did I choose the right brand?”) especially for expensive items.

How marketers reduce dissonance:

• good warranty, after-sales service
• follow-up messages, user guides
• easy returns/refunds

Psychological factors: motivation, perception, learning, attitudes

1. Motivation

• internal drive that pushes action (e.g., safety, esteem).
• Maslow’s hierarchy is often used in marketing examples.

2. Perception

• how a person selects and interprets information.
• Different consumers may perceive the same ad differently.

3. Learning

• changes in behaviour due to experience.
• Positive experience creates brand loyalty.

4. Attitudes and beliefs

• attitudes are relatively stable; hard to change quickly.
• marketers often try to create favourable attitudes through consistent messaging.

Personal factors: age, occupation, income, lifestyle, personality

• Age/life-cycle stage: student vs married vs retired consumers buy differently.
• Occupation: a developer may prefer powerful laptops; a teacher may prefer easy-to-use tools.
• Income: affects affordability and brand choice.
• Lifestyle: health-focused people buy organic/fitness products.
• Personality/self-concept: consumers choose brands that match self-image.

Social factors: family, roles/status, reference groups, opinion leaders

• Family strongly influences decisions; roles may differ (initiator, influencer, decider, buyer, user).
• Reference groups: friends, colleagues, communities influence preferences.
• Opinion leaders: people who influence others (experts, influencers).
• Roles and status: a person may buy products aligned with their role and social status.

Cultural factors: culture, subculture, social class

• Culture: shared values and norms (food habits, clothing styles).
• Subculture: region, religion, language groups.
• Social class: affects brand choices, media habits and lifestyle.

Example: festive seasons influence buying patterns in many cultures.

Situational factors and marketing stimuli (4Ps)

Sometimes the situation changes behaviour:

• time pressure (quick purchase)
• store atmosphere (music, layout)
• discounts and limited-time offers
• online reviews at the moment of purchase

Marketing stimuli (4Ps) also shape decision:

• Product features and design
• Price deals
• Place convenience (home delivery)
• Promotion message and credibility

A simple table: factors and marketing implications

Flow: consumer behaviour → marketing strategy link

Common exam mistakes

• Writing only definition without decision process steps.
• Mixing micro/macro environment with consumer behaviour factors.
• Not giving examples for rational vs emotional motives.
• Forgetting post-purchase behaviour and cognitive dissonance.

Key Terms

• Buying motive: reason behind purchase.
• Involvement: importance of purchase to consumer.
• Perception: interpretation of information.
• Reference group: group influencing behaviour.
• Cognitive dissonance: post-purchase doubt.

Quick Recap (1-minute revision)

• Consumer behaviour studies buying process and influences.
• Motives are rational + emotional.
• Decision process: need → search → evaluate → buy → post-purchase → disposal.
• Influences: psychological, personal, social, cultural, situational.
• Understanding behaviour helps marketers design better STP and 4Ps.