Consumer Inhaviour: The Concepts Of Consumer Behavior

2.1 CONCEPT OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Consumer behavior is a ‘term’ covering a broad variety of consumers based on diversity in age, sex, culture, taste, preference, educational level, income level etc. Example: We look at the dressing sense of women, it varies from east to west and north to south based on variety of color, pattern, design, fabric, style, method of wearing etc. same is with males too.

With all of the diversity to the surplus of goods and services offered to us, and the freedom of choice to us, one may speculate how individual marketers actually reach us with their highly definite marketing messages. It helps in understanding whom to target, how to target, when to reach them, and what message is to be given to them to reach the

Consumer uses normal basic food, clothing, shelter, transportation, education, brooms, dishes, vacations, necessary luxuries, services and even ideas.

Consumer behaviour can be defined as “The decision process and physical activity engaged in evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services.”

Who is Consumer?

A “CONSUMER” is one who involves in any one or all of the activities described in our definition. However, over time this concept has been widened to include goods and services where a monetary exchange is not involved. The logic behind this approach is that consumer of free services is also engage in the same kind of decision process and physical activity as consumer of economic goods and services. A consumer is one who actually purchases a product or services from a particular organization.

2.2 SIGNIFICANCE

For a variety of reasons, the study of consumer behaviour has developed as an important and separate branch in marketing. The size of the market in all the developed and fast developing economies of the world was extensive. The consumer preferences arechanging and becoming highly diversified. In case of industrial markets, the need for goods and services is homogenous and buyer’s preferences are becoming

It studies about what to buy, why to buy, when to buy, where to buy from, how often they buy& how they use it. It is a complex and multidimensional process and reflects the totality of consumer decisions with respect of acquisition, consumption and disposal activities. Organizations are also realizing that their marketing effectiveness in satisfying consumer needs and wants and profit depends on a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour. Our consumer related behaviour influences the development of technology and introduction of new and improved product and services.

Some of the important issues that marketing executes face are:

 What do consumers think about the products and those of competitors?

 What do they think of feasible improvements in the products?

 What are their attitudes towards the products and promotional efforts?

 What they experience about their roles in the family and society?

 What are their hopes & thoughts, ideas for themselves and their