Consumer Who? Consumer You?
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MKT 345 - Consumer Behavior - Module 1 Blog
What type of consumer are you?
I am an individual consumer who makes purchases based on my wants and needs. I also make purchases that are for other people that also include gifts. Other than purchasing essential, everyday items such as food, water, shelter, and transportation, I also like to buy services that help me enjoy my life.
What influences your buying decisions, and how?
What influences me in my buying decisions is a mix of my own research, online product/service reviews, recommendations from family, friends, and colleagues, and public policy which is “the establishment of laws and regulations that govern business practices to protect consumers” (Kardes, Frank, et al., 2020). I like to use information that not only comes from the company itself but also from other sources because what others say about a product or service matters to me so I can see both the positive and negative sides. Looking at both sides, helps me make better-informed buying decisions because I will have my own bias when trying new brands as they will be new and something I never tried before. However, if it is a brand that I am already familiar with, it will be a faster buying decision for me to make since I already “trust” the brand.
Which stage actually leads to your purchasing decisions?
The stage that actually leads to my purchasing decisions is always the research stage. Before I purchase anything, I always make sure to do my research first, especially if it’s a new brand or a new product or service I have never purchased before. If I need it right away or right now, I can easily make a decision to make a purchase such as buying groceries, paying household bills, and so on. There won’t be much need for me to think about it because I know that it needs to be done. Now when I am deciding on buying a non-essential item, this is a want and not necessarily a need so I know that I can do without it and I will have to justify to myself when I wanted to buy it and usually, it becomes an emotional purchase based on my mood and feelings at the moment.
When making a buying decision, how are you influenced by marketing research and marketing design?
I am very influenced by marketing research and by marketing design because I like to make sure that what I am buying makes sense. It has to be form and function over aesthetics for me. It can be the most beautiful object in my eyes, but if it doesn’t solve my problem, or save me time or money, then the functionality and purpose of it are lost.
Do you experience any post-purchase behavior?
If I am satisfied with my purchase, I don’t experience any post-purchase behavior. Sometimes I might feel guilty if a product or service is expensive or that I could have used that money for something else, saved it, or invested in it. When I am on vacation, I do tell myself not to feel guilty and to enjoy it because it is a vacation and that I am using money that I had already saved up to go on that vacation. So for that, there won’t be any post-purchase remorse because I know I am buying an experience and not material things! These purchases are considered to be part of Use Activities since they “describe where, when, and how consumption takes place” (Kardes, Frank, et al., 2020). I also do notice that my feelings after I make a purchase have a lot to do with my overall satisfaction with the product and that I use that as an indicator. This would be the Feelings-as-Information Theory which states that “mood and other types of feelings are often treated like any other piece of information, and this information is integrated along with other information when consumers form an overall evaluation of a product” (Kardes, Frank, et al., 2020).
References:
Kardes, Frank, et al. Consumer Behavior. Available from: MBS Direct, (2nd Edition). Cengage Learning US, 2020.
