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To better understand why consumers buy as they do, many marketers turn to behavioral sciences for help.
Specific consumer behaviors vary a great deal for different products and from one target market to the next. In today's global markets, the variations are countless. That makes it impractical to try to catalog all the detailed possibilities for every different market situation. For example, how and why a given consumer buys a specific brand of shampoo may be very different from how that same consumer buys motor oil; and different customers in different parts of the world may have very different reactions to either product. But there are general behavioral principles — frameworks — that marketing managers can apply to learn more about their specific target markets.
Most economists assume that consumers are economic men — people who know all the facts and logically compare choices in terms of cost and value received to get the greatest satisfaction from spending their time and money. A logical extension of the economic-man theory led us to look at consumer spending patterns. This approach is valuable because consumers must at least have income to be in a market. Further, most consumers don't have enough income to buy everything they want. So most consumers want their money to stretch as far as it can.
This view assumes that economic needs guide most consumer behavior. Economic needs are concerned with making the best use of a consumer's time and money — as the consumer judges it. Some consumers look for the lowest price. Others will pay extra for convenience. And others may weigh price and quality for the best value. Some economic needs are:
1. Economy of purchase or use.
2. Convenience.
3. Efficiency in operation or use.
4. Dependability in use.
5. Improvement of earnings.
Clearly, market managers must be alert to new ways to appeal to economic needs. Most consumers appreciate firms that offer them improved value for the money they spend. But improved value does not just mean offering lower and lower prices. Many consumers face a "poverty of time". Carefully planned place decisions can make it easier and faster for consumers to make a purchase. Products can be designed to work better, require less service, or last longer. Promotion can inform consumers about their choices — or explain product benefits in terms of measurable factors like operating costs or the length of the guarantee.
The "economic value" that a purchase offers a consumer is an important factor in many purchase decisions. But most marketing managers think that a buyer's behavior is not as simple as the economic-man model suggests. A product that one person sees as a good value — and is eager to buy — is of no interest to someone else. So we can't expect to understand buying behavior without taking a broader view.
Just below you can see a model of how consumers make decisions. It shows that psychological variables, social influences, and purchase situation all affect a person's buying behavior. Do you share this point of view?
Vocabulary
behavioral — поведенческий
target market — целевой рынок
countless — бесчисленный, несчетный
general — общий, общего характера; всеобщий
frameworks — рамки, пределы
in terms of — на языке, с точки зрения
approach — подход
to stretch — растягивать; тянуть
to guide — вести; руководить; быть причиной, основанием
to judge — судить
convenience — удобство
efficiency — эффективность
dependability — надежность
alert — бдительный, настороженный
poverty — бедность, нужда
benefit — выгода; преимущество
attitude — отношение surroundings — среда, окружение
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