Dimensions of consumer behaviour

Marketing is an activity set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society. Consumer behaviour is a study of consumers’ actions during searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and services they expect can satisfy their need. In other words consumer behaviour results due to marketing and also other factors that constitute the customer itself.

The study of consumers helps organizations as to how they should drive their marketing strategies by keeping in mind the issues listed below:

• The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products, and retailers);
• The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media);
• The behaviour of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions;
• Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities
• How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.

Except the basic definition consumer behaviour can be understood by some points below:

•  Behaviour occurs either for the individual, or in the context of a group (e.g., friends influence what kinds of clothes a person wears) or an organization (e.g.,people on the job make decisions as to which products the firm should use).
•  Consumer behaviour involves the use and disposal of products as well as the study of how they are purchased. Product use is often of great interest to the marketer, because this may influence how a product is best positioned or how we can encourage increased consumption. Since many environmental problems result from product disposal (e.g., motor oil being sent into sewage systems to save the recycling fee, or garbage piling up at landfills) this is also an area of interest.
• Consumer behaviour involves services and ideas as well as tangible products.(e.g., when going out to a fine dining restaurant the behaviour of the consumer will be definite and predictable).
• The impact of consumer behaviour on society is also of relevance. (e.g.,aggressive marketing of high fat foods, or aggressive marketing of easy credit, may have serious repercussions for the national health and economy.