CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR Consumer buying behavior can be defined as the way in which consumers or buyers of goods and services tend to react or behave when purchasing products that they like. Buyers tend to exhibit different types of buying behavior when they are in the process of purchasing goods and services and the behaviors witnessed are influenced by the type of product he/she wants to buy. Consumer buying behavior involves a long process where the buyer has to identify the product, study well its features, the pros and the cons and lastly deciding on whether to purchase it or not.
Consumer buying behavior would make a certain buyer to purchase product A as opposed to product B or whether to purchase a certain product or leave it alone and all that is as a result of the buying decisions made by the buyer as to whether the product suits his/her needs and requirements. Consumers of goods and services may possess different types of consumer buying behaviour that are unique to themselves. The buying behavior of consumer A may be different from those of consumer B and the difference may very well boil down to varying buying decision made by a consumer.
STAGES OF BUYING PROCESS The five stages of the consumer decision making process include; Problem recognition, information search, information evaluation, purchase decision, and evaluation after purchase. This is just a general model of the decision making process and it emphasizes that the buying decision making process starts before the actual purchase and continues even after the purchase. It also encourages the marketer to focus on the complete buying process and not just on the purchase decision. (I) Problem Recognition : consumers recognize a problem as a need or want. Of course, the most frequent problem occurs when consumers realize they are out of the product. For example, when the gas tank gets near empty, or you run out of lunch meat for your sandwiches, or when your car is due for maintenance. Problem recognition also occurs when a consumer receives new information about a good, service, or business. New fashions, for example, can make people recognize that their current clothing is not
in style or up to date. Different circumstances can change and force a consumer to recognize a major buying problem. A stay at home mom who returns to the work force may need a new wardrobe. A first year college student may need a personal computer. A recently retired couple may now have the time and money to take a European vacation. Information search: After need arousal, the consumer tries to solve it and gathers the sources and information about the product. Depending upon the intensity of need, it produces two states of individual. The first state is called heightened attention when the consumer becomes more receptive to the information regarding the item he needs. If a consumer needs to purchase a television, he will pay mere attention to TV ads and the remarks made by friends and associates about TVs. If need is more intense, the individual enters a state of active information search and he tries to collect more information about the product, its key attributes, qualities of various brands and about the outlets where they are available. There are four consumer information sources. (i) Personal sources (family, friends, neighbors etc.) (ii) Commercial sources (advertisements, salesmen, dealers). (iii) Public sources (mass media, consumer-rating organizations). (iv) Experiential sources (handling, examining, using the product). Identifying the information sources and their respective roles and importance calls for interviewing consumers about the sources of information and can use the findings to plan its advertisements. (iii) Evaluation behavior: Having collected the information, the consumer clarify and evaluate the alternatives. There is, unfortunately no simple and single evaluation process used by all consumers or even by one consumer in all buying situations. The most current process of evaluation is to judge the product largely on a conscious and rational basis. Various considerations form the part of judgment such as product attributes, importance, weights, brand image, utility function for each attribute, and attitude etc. After evaluation of various alternatives, he takes the decision to buy. Purchase decision: Evaluation behavior leads the consumer to form a ranked set of preferences. Normally a consumer buys the article, he or she likes most but there are three more important consideration for taking the buying decision: (a) attitude of other such as of wife, relatives, and friends, (b) anticipated situational factors as expected family income, expected total cost of the product and the expected benefits of the product; (c) unanticipated situational factors as looks or manner of the salesman or the way business is carried on. (ii)
(iv)
The marketer must consider these factors and should try to provoke the feeling of risk in the consumer And attempt to provide information and support that will help him. (v) Post purchase feelings: After buying and trying the product, the consumer will feel some level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction and level of satisfaction depends very much on the expectation and the product's perceived performance. If the product matches up to his expectations, the consumer is satisfied; if it exceeds, he is highly satisfied; and if it falls short of expectations, he is dissatisfied.
TYPES OF customer buying behaviour
Consumers make purchase decisions when they buy small items, such as a cup of coffee, and when they buy larger items, such as a house. After recognizing a need or a want, consumers begin searching for products or services that fit their needs. They evaluate their options, taking note of everything from pricing to a brand's reputation, before marking a purchase. Four types of consumer buying behavior outline product purchase decisions.
Impulse Purchases
When a consumer stands at the checkout and notices lip moisturizer, magazines and gum, and adds one of the items to his cart of groceries, it's often referred to as an impulse purchase. The consumer makes a purchase with little to no thought or planning involved. In most instances this happens with low-priced items.
Routine Purchases
There are items consumers are used to purchasing every day, once a week or monthly. These can range from a morning cup of coffee from a nearby convenience store, to milk, eggs and cheese from the supermarket. Customers spend very little time deciding whether or not to purchase these items and don't typically need to read reviews or consult with friends for their opinions before they make routine purchases.
Limited Decision Making
When customers engage in purchases that require limited decision making, they may seek advice or a suggestion from a friend. For example, if a young professional is preparing for an interview and wants to get her hair colored the week before, she might solicit advice from friends to find out which salon does good hair coloring work. As she shops for a suit for the interview, she might also ask for suggestions on which store to go to and which brand of suit is the best. The consumer may research a few options, but the search is not as thorough, or as time consuming, as with a higher priced item.
Extensive Decision Making
Purchases for high priced electronics, such as a television, computer or camera, or major purchases such as a home or car require consumers to use extensive decision making. Consumers spend substantial amounts of time researching a high number of potential options before they buy.
They speak with trusted friends, family, colleagues and sales professionals, and read reviews and ratings online and in consumer magazines. The decision making process lasts longer, as the consumer is investing a substantial amount of money.
MEANING OF PACKAGING
The definitions of ‘packaging’ vary and range from being simple and functionally focused to more extensive, holistic interpretations. Packaging can be defined quite simply as an extrinsic element of the product (Olson and Jacoby (1972)) - an attribute that is related to the product but does not form part of the physical product itself. “Packaging is the container for a product – encompassing the physical appearance of the container and including the design, color, shape, labeling and materials used” (Arens,1996).
OBJECTIVE OF PACKAGING
The function of packaging is not simply only physical protection but also marketing, barrier protection, security, information, convenience and portion control. With the advent of modern technology, the packaging machinery such as candy wrapping machines and form fill seal machines have achieved a level of perfection. The main objectives of packaging are: Physical Protection Packaging of objects insures that they are protected against vibration, temperature, shock, compression, etc., among other things. Barrier Protection Keeping the objects in the packages fresh, clean and safe for shelf life is the primary function of packaging. Packaged objects need protection from water vapour, oxygen, dust, etc. Permeability is an important factor in practice designing. Many packages contain oxygen absorbers to increase the shelf life. Sometimes, controlled atmosphere is also maintained in food packaging. Marketing Packaging plays an important role in marketing. Good packaging and attractive
labeling is used by sellers to promote potential buyers. In Package designing graphic design are used on the surface of the package to make it attractive. Containment Small articles are generally grouped together in packages for the purpose of efficiency. For example, a single box of thousand pens needs less space than thousand single pens. Liquid items and flowing items need containment. Security Packaging plays a significant function in cutting down the security risks during shipping & transportation. Improved packaging techniques are used to discourage tampering. It helps reduce the risks of pilferage. Modern packaging techniques include anti-theft devices such as RFID tags, dye-packs, and also electronic article surveillance tags that can be detected by gadgets. Impart of Information Packaging and labeling also tells use, transportation instructions, recycling, or disposing of the package. In some specialized fields such as medical, pharmaceutical, and chemical products, some special type of information is required by law. Convenience Packaging also adds to the convenience in handling, display, opening, distribution, sale, use and reuse. Portion Control In the medicinal and pharmaceutical field, the precise amount of contents is needed to control usage. Medicine tablets can be divided into packages that are of a more suitable size for individual use. It also helps in the control of inventory.