Unit – I

Lesson 1.5
Buyer Behaviour
Objectives
In this lesson, we will introduce you to the process through which the ultimate
buyer
makes purchase decisions. After you work out this lesson, you should be able to:
 Identify what stimulates a consumer to consider buying
 Describe the buyer’s decision making process and the several factors which
influence this decision
 Understand the response of the buyer to the marketing and other stimuli
In this lesson, we will discuss the following:
 What is buyer behaviour?
 Models of consumer/buyer behaviour
 Determinants of consumer behaviour
 The consumer decision process
 Marketing implications of consumer behaviour
Introduction
Why do people buy one product and not another? Answering this question is the
basic task of every marketer. The answer directly affects every aspect of marketing
strategy, from product development to pricing and promotion. Discovering that
answer
requires an understanding of buyer behaviour, the process by which consumers and
business-to-business buyers make purchase decisions. Buyer behaviour is a broad
term
that covers both individual consumers who buy goods and services for their own use
and
organizational buyers who purchase business products. A variety of influences
affect both
individuals buying products for themselves and professional buyers purchasing
products
for their firms. This lesson focuses predominantly on individual consumer
behaviour.
What is Buyer Behaviour?
Consumer behaviour is the process through which the ultimate buyer makes
purchase decisions. Here is a sample of popular definitions for consumer behaviour:
44
‘… the study of the buying units and the exchange processes involved in
acquiring, consuming, and disposing of goods, services, experiences, and
ideas’ (Mowen)
‘… the decision process and physical activity individuals engage in when
evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services’ (Loudon
and Della Bitta)
‘… reflects the totality of consumers’ decisions with respect to the
acquisition, usage and disposition of goods, services, time and ideas by
(human) decision making units (over time)’ (Jacob Jacoby)
The definition by Jacoby can be further illustrated. The totality of consumers’
decisions include whether to buy or not, what to buy, why to buy, how to buy, when
to
buy, where to buy and also how much/ how often/ how long. The idea of consumption
not only includes purchasing and using, but also disposing. The marketer’s offering
can
mean many things – be it product, service, time, ideas, people and so on. The term
decision making units obviously refers to people involved. In a typical purchase,
many
people may be involved and they play different roles such as information gatherer,
influencer, decider, purchaser and user. In a consumer buying context, it may mean
a
family or group influence where as in the industrial buying context, it means a
crossfunctional
team with each member of the team performing a particular role in the buying
decision. The word ‘time’ could mean different units of time like hours, days,
weeks,
months and years.