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Synopsis
Consumer Behaviour
1. People as Consumers
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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To place consumption in the context of human behaviour
The positivist and interpretivist approaches to its study
The concept of real cost
The production orientation and the marketing concept
Sections
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
Introduction
Buyers, Customers and Consumers
Consumer Behaviour
The Consumer Environment
The Consumer and the Marketplace
Markets and Marketing
Learning Summary
Consumer behaviour is an integral part of our daily lives. The psychological and social
processes involved in buying and consuming goods and services form the subject
matter of this text. The objective positivist approach to studying cause and effect in
consumer behaviour (as in any other kind of behaviour), will be combined with the
interpretivist emphasis on trying to understand the emotional, non-rational aspects of
the process.
The environment that the consumer operates in, including the nature of the
marketplace for goods and services, also needs to be considered. Finally, the change
from a production orientation to a marketing concept has been instrumental in
fostering the study of consumer behaviour over recent decades.
2. Consumer Society
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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Synopsis / Consumer Behaviour
 How the notion of consumer culture has come about
 The meaning of globalisation and its implications for marketers and consumers
 How people choose to dispose of products and the existence of alternative
marketplaces
 The ways in which consumers act unethically and implications for marketers
 How marketing might be used for the good of society
Sections
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
Introduction: Consumer Society in the Twenty-first Century
Globalisation and Consumer Behaviour
Alternative Markets
Marketing and Social Responsibility
Learning Summary
Marketing is both embedded in and contributes to the broader cultural context of a
society. It is part of our everyday lives, and this is hardly surprising since consumption is such an integral part of our existence. With an abundance of choice,
consumers have become more demanding. Society’s fixation with consumption and
using consumption as a means of constructing identity has led to the notion that we
live in a consumer culture. Globalisation is transforming marketplaces. It refers to
the increasing integration of economies, societies and civilisations. It is a complex
and uneven process which is always subject to local and individual interpretations. It
raises awareness of local heritage and spreads new ideas and styles, and it is changing the way consumers think about themselves and connect with others across
borders. It seems globalisation increases consumer choice and spurs the trend for
more demanding consumers.
Today’s consumer culture means disposing of products is a major issue and marketers are increasingly aware of consumers’ desire for sustainable consumption. The
second-hand market is a large and important market it its own right. Counterfeit
goods represent another major, more controversial market. The thriving counterfeit
market is just one example of how consumers do not always act in an ethical way.
Other unethical behaviours include shoplifting and fraud, which present major
challenges for marketers globally. Marketing can be used for the good of society, for
example by encouraging people to lead more healthy lifestyles or give to charitable
causes. It is not only public sector and not-for-profit organisations that apply
marketing to social causes. Commercial organisations are increasingly promoting
efforts to act in a more socially responsible manner, and this can be an important
means of differentiation from competition.
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3. Market Segmentation
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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The effect of the marketing concept on segmentation
The origins and importance of segmentation
The contribution of segmentation to marketing
The different forms of segmentation
The particular importance of psychographic and behavioural segmentation
The importance of positioning
Sections
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
Introduction: The Origin of Segmented Markets
Why Use Market Segmentation and Target Marketing?
Geographic Segmentation
Demographic Segmentation
Psychographic Segmentation
Behavioural Segmentation
Segmenting Business Markets
Positioning
Learning Summary
Market segmentation began when producers realised they could no longer sell
whatever they produced, but had to begin competing for business. Three common
targeting strategies are mass market, growth market and niche strategies. Market
information and an understanding of consumer behaviour are critical to the success
of a segmentation strategy. Four forms of segmentation were identified as being
particularly important: geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural. A
great deal of work has been done on psychographic segmentation, producing
various attempts at classifying consumers according to personality factors. Finally,
positioning is an important aspect of marketing which follows the segmentation and
target marketing process. Perceptual positioning is particularly important but
inherently difficult as it is subjective, occurring in the consumer’s mind.
4. New Products and Innovations
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 The factors involved in introducing new products to the market
 The effects of personal influence factors on success
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 How new products and innovations are diffused
 How and why new products and innovations are adopted
 The social and cultural implications for innovations
Sections
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
Introduction
Developing New Products
The Product Life Cycle
The Effects of Personal Influence
The Diffusion of New Products and Innovations
The Adoption of New Products and Innovations
Cultural and Social Implications for Innovations
Learning Summary
Thousands of new products are marketed every year in supermarkets alone, and
most of them fail. Because of declining birth rates, shortening lead times on the
profitability of new products and intensified global competition, innovation is now
regarded as a crucial function of all organisations. Levitt’s total product concept is a
useful model for marketers in thinking about the benefits of the product they are
introducing.
Successful innovation seems to imply some far-reaching social change in the life
of the consumer, or in the relationship between the consumer and the producer of
goods or services. Every new product seems to go through a five-stage life cycle
from its introduction to its inevitable decline. By the latter stage, replacement
products should, rationally, be in the process of development. However, because of
the influence of non-rational psychological processes within organisations, this does
not always occur.
Personal influence is often exerted on the introduction of successful products
both in the form of product champions within the producers and opinion leaders among
consumers. Diffusion of new products may be accomplished by three forms of
innovation: continuous, dynamically continuous and discontinuous. The adoption of new
products is never total and immediate, but often takes longer to be profitable than
producers anticipate. However, large profits may still be made from products that
are only adopted by a relatively small percentage of the population. The wider social
and cultural context has a significant influence on the adoption and spread of new
products and services. Organisations now put significant effort into monitoring
emerging trends, and a general understanding of both the individual and social
perspectives of consumer behaviour is crucial to the success of an innovation.
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5. Perception
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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The nature of sensory information
How this information is used in perception
How perceptual cues from the environment are organised
How consumers perceive different products and the role of symbolism
How consumers perceive risk when buying products
Sections
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
Introduction: Can We Trust Our Senses?
Using Our Senses
Common Properties of the Senses
Perception: Processing Sensory Information
Organising Perceptual Cues
Subliminal Perception
Self-images, Symbolism and Consumer Behaviour
Perceiving Risk
Learning Summary
Perception involves the construction of reality by the brain with the information it
receives from the senses. All the senses, but especially the dominant modes of vision
and hearing, are used by marketers and advertisers in selling products. All the senses
have common properties, notably thresholds of awareness between sensing or not
sensing a given stimulus (absolute threshold), distinguishing between two different
stimuli (difference threshold) and adaptation to a given level of sensory stimulation.
The processing of sensory information, which is the basis for perception, normally works so efficiently that we are unaware of it. At the same time there are
situations, involving both internal, or personal, factors and external, environmental
factors, in which the brain is subject to illusions and perceptual distortion. The
existence, and possible effects, of subliminal perception has long been a matter of
some debate in consumer behaviour. It certainly exists, but is probably not susceptible to manipulation except in rather trivial ways. The perception of products that
consumers have is an important reality for marketers to deal with. Symbolic
consumption is bound up with a consumer’s self-image. Finally, a perception of risk
in making a purchase may apply to a given product for a given consumer. Marketers
need to be aware of this possibility so they can help the potential purchaser minimise this perceived risk.
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6. Personality and the Self
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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The way the term ‘personality’ is used in psychology
An outline of the major theories of personality
Practical applications of personality theories in marketing and advertising
The concept of self and its implications for consumer behaviour and marketing
Sections
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
Introduction: How Does Our Personality Affect What We Buy?
What Is Meant by Personality?
Formal Theories of Personality
Freudian Psychoanalysis
Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysis
Trait Theory
Self Theory
Learning Summary
Personality factors are of great importance to consumer behaviour and have already
appeared in previous modules. Both professional psychologists and laypeople use
the term personality as a kind of shorthand for trying to make sense of someone’s
characteristic behaviour. Of the many formal theories that attempt to do this
systematically, the most influential generally, and in terms of consumer behaviour
specifically, is psychoanalysis – both Freudian and neo-Freudian. The development
of some widely used psychometric techniques based on Freudian theory has been
particularly important. Trait theory has also been noteworthy in increasing our
understanding of consumer behaviour. Self theory is particularly important in
helping us understand why consumers make specific choices and the role and
importance of symbolism for marketers. Finally, one interesting offshoot from this
work has been the development of the idea of brand personality.
7. Learning, Memory and Thinking
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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Why learning is so important to our lives
The major approaches to studying learning
Consumer applications of behaviourism
How we make learning meaningful
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Synopsis / Consumer Behaviour
 How we process information and the implications for marketers
 How we observe and model behaviour and what this means for marketing
Sections
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
Introduction: How Do We Learn?
What Is Learning?
The Behaviourist Approach
The Cognitive Approach
Modelling
Learning Summary
Learning is a key psychological process that has been intensively studied for many
years. There are two main approaches to this research, representing two major
schools of thought in psychology, the behaviourist and the cognitive approaches.
The behaviourist approach is based on the link between stimulus and response
and deals solely with behaviour rather than thoughts or feelings. Its key technique
for influencing behavioural responses is that of conditioning. The two major forms of
conditioning are classical, or Pavlovian, and operant, or Skinnerian. Both forms
have direct consumer applications in advertising and marketing.
The cognitive approach deals with mental processes such as memory, information processing and thinking in general and is concerned with insight as a form of
learning rather than the trial-and-error learning of the behaviourist approach. The
search for meaning in what we learn is a crucial part of the cognitive approach.
Tapping into this search and directing it in a chosen direction is the ultimate
objective of a great deal of advertising and marketing.
Finally, learning by modelling the behaviour of other people is an important
aspect of everyday life from earliest childhood and one that is widely used to sell a
great variety of products.
8. Motivation
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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The psychological sources of motivation
How the term is used in marketing and advertising
The relationship between needs and buying behaviour
The unconscious influences on individual buying decisions
Sections
8.1
Why Do People Buy What They Buy?
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8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6
What Is Meant by Motivation?
Defining Motivation
The Fulfilment of Needs
The Motivational Mix
Unconscious Motivation
Learning Summary
Motivation ramifies throughout the study of consumer behaviour, appearing in
discussions of learning, personality, market segmentation and attitudes. It is primarily concerned with the links between cause and effect in observed behaviour. The
most important theories in this field, especially that of Maslow, deal with individual
needs and their fulfilment. Some needs, such as those for achievement, affiliation
and power, have been of particular interest to researchers. The relationship between
these specific needs and Maslow’s hierarchy is illustrated by ‎Figure 1.
Table 1
Relationship between Maslow’s hierarchy and specific needs
The degree of psychological involvement a consumer has with a given product is
thought to be crucial to understanding his or her motivation towards actually buying
it. As much of our motivation is unconscious, the symbolic interpretation of
consumer responses to products has an important place in this field.
9. Family Influences
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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How we first learn to be consumers
How family buying decisions are made
The family roles we play as consumers
The difference between a household and a family
Effects of being at different stages of the life cycle
How our generation contributes to our consumer identity
Sections
9.1
Introduction: How Does Our Upbringing Affect Us as Consumers?
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9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
What Is a Family?
Socialisation
Family Buying Decisions
Life-cycle Effects
Non-family Households
Age and Consumer Identity
Learning Summary
Our families provide the emotional environment in which we are reared, however
nurturing or dysfunctional that may be. Usually the family experience occurs within
a household of people sharing the same accommodation. The family is the first
major social institution to socialise its members, followed by the school and the
nation state. Socialisation is the process which is brought to bear on individuals with
the aim of bringing out the social nature of their personality and providing them
with knowledge of the appropriate behaviour expected from them in a given
situation. Socialisation into the role of consumer is part of that process.
Family buying decisions are very complex processes indeed. Different members
of the family have traditionally taken particular roles in this process, although that
seems to be changing. Following the stages in a family’s life cycle is a useful way of
analysing the effects of family life on consumer behaviour. Nine different stages
have been identified, from bachelorhood to retirement, and these are of varying
interest to the marketer. Finally, significant events during our formative years help
to shape our values and behaviour, meaning our generation can be an important
part of our identity and provide some insight into our behaviour as consumers.
10. Social and Developmental Influences
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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Stages of psychological and social development
How we develop economic concepts
Effects of school experience on consumer socialisation
Effects of social norms
Effects of advertising and marketing
Sections
10.1 Introduction: How Does Our Psychological Development Affect Our Consumer
Behaviour?
10.2 Maturation
10.3 Stages of Development
10.4 Development of Economic Concepts
10.5 External Influences on Consumer Socialisation
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Learning Summary
We all go through similar stages of development in our understanding of the world
and of human behaviour. The nature of this understanding is affected by the
particular language and culture we are born into. This holds as true for consumer
behaviour as for any other kind of behaviour. Thus, the development of economic
concepts like profit, investment and credit have both a universal developmental
aspect to them and a specific aspect, depending on the social environment a child is
reared in. The most important influences of the social environment are those of
parents, school, general social norms and the specific effects of advertising and
marketing.
11. The Influence of Small Groups
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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How membership of different groups can influence consumer behaviour
How group dynamics operate
How group norms are formed and their influence on consumer behaviour
The importance of reference groups
Sections
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
What Are the Effects of Group Pressure on the Individual Consumer?
Types of Group
Properties of Group Life
Reference Groups and Consumer Behaviour
Learning Summary
We live our lives in groups, and an understanding of the interaction between
individuals and the groups they belong to is crucial to an understanding of consumer behaviour. This is particularly true of small, primary groups where the
psychological dynamics involved have been intensively studied for many years. But
larger, secondary groups are also important, as are an individual’s membership and
reference groups. Patterns of interaction between people are a key feature of group
life. Word-of-mouth contact has a very potent effect on many buying decisions,
especially when opinion leaders are involved.
Perhaps the single most important aspect of any group’s life is the pressure on
individuals to conform to the group’s expectations. The effects of it on many forms
of purchase decisions are immediately evident in our lives. This is perhaps most
apparent when consumers aspire, by their buying behaviour, to be seen as members
of a particularly valued reference group.
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12. The Influence of Social Class
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 The concept of social class: how it is used and measured
 The importance of status symbols in consumption
 The effects of social class membership on consumer behaviour
Sections
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7
12.8
How Does Our Social Class Affect What We Buy?
Social Stratification
Social Status and Symbols
Life Chances and Lifestyles
Measuring Social Class
Social Class Categories
Changing Social Class
Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
Learning Summary
The term social class is sometimes used interchangeably with socioeconomic status (SES),
a standard form of market segmentation. However, while this might be relevant for
much of the social aspect of the term, it does not deal with its psychological aspects.
Social class therefore includes factors of status and the symbols of status which
people respond to as individuals. It also includes the whole issue of individual
lifestyles and the way those lifestyles are chosen and acted upon by people as
consumers – and this is another key form of market segmentation.
There are various methods by which social class is measured and people are
assigned to different categories, and these may vary in different countries. This
categorisation process changes over time as research methods become more refined.
Moreover, individuals may move between social classes over time, both socially – as
defined by external indices – and psychologically – as individuals redefine themselves. This categorisation and redefinition of categories affects the way products
may be marketed to consumers and the way consumers may take themselves into, or
out of, a market for a given product.
13. Cultural Influences
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 The concept of culture in consumer behaviour
 Similarities and differences between cultures and their practical effects
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 The concept of subculture
 The effects of cultural changes
Sections
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
13.6
How Does Our Culture Affect What We Buy?
Similarities across Cultures
Differences between Cultures
Cultural Values
Subcultures
Changes in Culture
Learning Summary
Culture, in the social scientific sense of the term, is important to an understanding
of consumer behaviour. This is true of the assumptions about the world that people
never talk about, as well as the more obvious beliefs and attitudes of a society.
Similarities between different cultures are often difficult to see, but they cover the
whole range of human behaviour. Moreover, it has been argued that, with the
development of global systems of communication and the marketing and advertising
which accompanies them, there is a trend towards convergence between cultures in
their patterns of consumption.
Differences between cultures are still more apparent, however, than similarities.
This is true of both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. These can
present marketers and advertisers with many potential pitfalls and lead to the failure
of an otherwise successful product. But these are the means of communication
between cultures; cultural values themselves have still to be understood, and these
may be very complex and exhibit apparent contradictions. The issues of influential
subcultures within a parent culture must also be dealt with. Finally, all these factors
must be considered against a background of ongoing cultural change throughout the
world.
14. Attitudes
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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How the term attitude is used
What attitudes consist of
How attitudes are formed
Ways of analysing attitudes
How attitudes change
The relationship between attitudes and behaviour
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Sections
14.1
14.2
14.3
14.4
14.5
14.6
14.7
Where Do Our Attitudes Come From and How Do They Change?
What Are Attitudes?
Characteristics and Components of Attitudes
Forming Attitudes
Theories of Attitudes
Changing Attitudes
Attitudes and Behaviour
Learning Summary
Attitudes have been intensively researched in psychology for many years and are
more complex than we might suspect from the popular usage of the term. An
individual attitude can be divided into three components: affective (feelings), behavioural (intentions) and cognitive (beliefs). It is important to note that all attitudes are
learned, in the various ways that people are capable of learning, and are therefore
open to change. The source of our attitudes towards a specific product may be our
family, our friends or our own direct experience. The study of the attitudes involved
in making consumer decisions has led to the development of multi-attribute models
of attitudes. Some of these models attempt to quantify likely buying intentions.
The psychological processes that lead to the formation of attitudes are also very
influential in any changes which occur in them, though other processes may be
involved, some of which are discussed in other modules. However, the leading
companies in any market are primarily interested in strengthening consumer
attitudes towards their products; it is their competitors who are most interested in
changing those attitudes. There are various strategies for changing consumer
attitudes depending on how much involvement the consumer has in making a
particular decision; that is, how important it is to the consumer to differentiate
between the products on offer.
Finally, the relationship between attitudes and behaviour was considered. It appears that, while a change in attitudes can lead to a change in buying behaviour, the
reverse is also true; a change in buying behaviour can lead to a change in attitudes
about a product. The key factor here appears to be the amount of consumer
involvement in making the decision. With high involvement, attitudes can change
behaviour, but, with low involvement, behaviour can change attitudes.
15. Communication and Persuasion
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 How advertising affects consumer behaviour
 An analysis of the communication process
 How we deal with advertising communications
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 Cultural effects on advertising communications
Sections
15.1
15.2
15.3
15.4
15.5
How does Advertising Affect Our Behaviour?
The Importance of Advertising
The Process of Communication
Feedback and Evaluation
Cultural Factors in Advertising
Learning Summary
Advertising is a long-established and pervasive aspect of most societies. Its influence
on consumer behaviour is great, but sometimes in ways that are not always generally
understood. Fear of advertising is probably mostly unfounded, but we can be
influenced nonetheless in ways that we may not be aware of. As a first step, it is
important to analyse the extensively studied process whereby advertising messages
are communicated to consumers. This process links the source with the intended
audience via a particular communication, and there are important psychological findings
which illuminate each part of the process.
It is then crucial to examine the role of the consumer in dealing with the communications aimed at him or her. We are not just passive recipients of advertising.
We have ways of evaluating the communications aimed at us and of responding to
them. Part of that response is in the form of feedback to the communicator that
transforms a one-way process into an ongoing two-way process. This is a kind of
dialogue, in effect, which is limited only by the sensitivity and ingenuity of the
advertiser in recognising and understanding the meaning of the consumer’s feedback.
16. Approaching a Decision
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
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The prevalence of decision making
The methods people use to make decisions
The nature of the decision-making process
Stages in the process
Marketing implications
Sections
16.1 How People Make Decisions
16.2 Heuristics
16.3 The Consumer Decision Process
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16.4 Marketing Implications
Learning Summary
Making decisions is an integral and ongoing part of our daily lives, so we are not
usually aware of how we go about doing so. We would like to believe that we make
reasoned and informed decisions based on adequate information, but that is
probably the exception rather than the rule. The way we seem to approach most
decisions, including buying decisions, is to employ heuristics – that is, informal rules
of thumb – which are necessary because of the sheer number of decisions we
constantly have to make, but which also allow us to avoid examining our decisionmaking processes too closely.
The actual process that we go through as consumers in making a buying decision
has been extensively studied and may be divided into five stages. The first three
stages of that process were dealt with in this module: recognising a problem,
searching for information and evaluating the alternatives. The marketing implications of these stages are of obvious importance, including understanding how
consumers use cues in approaching a decision, categorise products and use decisionmaking rules, and how information might be most effectively presented to them.
17. The Decision and Its Consequences
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 The process of making a buying decision
 The differences between in-store and at-home buying behaviour
 How we deal with the consequences of a buying decision
Sections
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Stage IV: Purchasing Processes
17.3 Stage V: Post-purchase Processes
Learning Summary
The material in this module is a continuation of that in the last one. The first three
stages in a decision-making model were dealt with in Module 15 and the final two in
this module. Stage IV deals with the actual process of making a purchase, either instore or at home. These are very different kinds of locations in which to make
buying decisions. Much of the attraction of shopping in-store for many people is
social and psychological and may not be focused directly on the goal of making a
specific purchase. Marketers should therefore be familiar with issues of location,
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store layout, service, pricing and merchandising in order to understand these factors
and their practical implications.
At-home purchasing is the locus of a relatively small, though growing, number of
buying decisions. People who are very resistant to going out shopping, antishoppers,
estimated at anything up to 25 per cent of the population in some places, form a
ready market for direct marketing. This form of marketing is well over a century old,
having been pioneered by Sears Roebuck and their famous catalogue, but it has
been given a boost in recent years by the Internet and various forms of interactive
technology.
The final stage of the decision-making model, Stage V, deals with post-purchase
processes; that is, the psychological consequences for the consumer which are
inherent in making a decision. Consumers are set to reduce the cognitive dissonance
which is involved in making a decision, and the closer the decision between competing alternatives the greater the dissonance to be resolved. Thus consumers may go
to great lengths to convince themselves of the wisdom of the decision they have
made.
18. Models of Consumer Behaviour
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 The study of consumer behaviour draws on various disciplines, including
psychology but also economics and sociology
 How economic and contemporary models of consumer behaviour contribute to
our understanding of how and why people buy what they buy
 The benefits and limitations of using models in consumer behaviour
Sections
18.1
18.2
18.3
18.4
Approaches to the Study of Consumer Behaviour
Economic Viewpoints of Consumer Behaviour
Contemporary Models in Consumer Behaviour
Why Consumer Behaviour Models?
Learning Summary
Throughout this text we have drawn on various perspectives in psychology; each
brings something different to our understanding of consumer behaviour. However,
the study of consumer behaviour tends to draw on more than one discipline, such as
psychology, sociology or economics. Some of the earliest models of consumer
behaviour were developed by economists. These are useful for describing people’s
collective behaviour and making predictions about demand, but they are limited
when considering individual consumer behaviour. As the discipline of consumer
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behaviour has evolved, various models have been proposed that are more comprehensive, focusing on the wider consumer decision-making process rather than just
the act of purchase, and emphasising mental processes. While models are helpful in
assisting marketers to understand, and to some extent predict, consumer behaviour,
they are simplified representations of reality and should be used alongside other
sources of information when planning marketing.
19. The Future Consumer
Learning Objectives
What you should learn from this module:
 How the consumer experience is changing
 The likely future of the producer and the consumer
 The likely future interaction between producer and consumer
Sections
19.1
19.2
19.3
19.4
The Changing Consumer Experience
The Producer
The Marketplace
The Consumer
Learning Summary
Some changes in the consumer experience may reasonably be predicted for the near
future. From the perspective of the producer, responsiveness to consumer preference and customer demands and even the individual customising of formerly massproduced goods will become more commonplace. Meanwhile, organisations will
need to strive to form meaningful relationships with their customers to create a
sense of connection by tapping into their lifestyles, appealing to their self-concepts
and adding value to their lives. Ethical practices are increasingly expected and valued
by consumers and are a way organisations can become more appealing to their
target market. Public awareness of the rights of consumers has steadily increased,
and consumers are active in protecting their own interests alongside the establishment of government regulation to do so. Consumer policy in emerging economies is
likely to undergo particular development in the future.
From the consumer perspective, more people may be made aware of the possibility of influencing even the largest companies by direct action and organised attempts
to influence company behaviour. There will probably be a marked increase in the
number of consumers trying one or other forms of alternative lifestyle, notably the
exchange economy and ethical consumerism. But ultimately the exponents of
traditional capitalism will probably retain enough power over mass consumer
behaviour to co-opt any attempts at radical change in the system.
Consumer Behaviour Edinburgh Business School
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