Consumer behaviour

Consumer behaviour is the scientific study of how individuals, groups, or organizations select, use, and dispose of goods and services.

This field examines the entire lifecycle of consumption, from the moment a person considers a purchase to the way they eventually discard a product. It is an interdisciplinary social science that bridges several different fields. It draws from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics, specifically the branch known as behavioural economics. By studying these connections, researchers can understand the complex motivations behind human economic activity.

The study focuses on three main types of activities: purchase, use, and disposal. Purchase activities include the information search, the evaluation of different goods, and the actual payment methods used. Use or consumption activities look at the who, where, when, and how of using a product. This includes the symbolic meanings people attach to what they own. Finally, disposal activities examine how consumers get rid of products and packaging. This can include traditional disposal or reselling items on secondary markets like eBay.

Researchers also categorize the different ways consumers respond to products. These responses are often divided into emotional, mental, and behavioural categories. Emotional, or affective, responses involve a consumer's feelings or moods during the process. Mental, or cognitive, responses refer to the specific thought processes used to make a choice. Behavioural, or conative, responses are the observable actions a person takes regarding a purchase. Understanding these layers helps explain why a person might feel a certain way about a brand.

Historically, the field has undergone significant changes in how it approaches data. In the 1940s and 1950s, marketing was dominated by classical schools of thought. These methods were mostly descriptive and relied on simple case studies. By the end of the 1950s, critics argued that marketing lacked mathematical and scientific rigor. This led to a shift toward the behavioural sciences, such as clinical psychology and sociology. This transition allowed researchers to treat the individual customer as a primary unit of analysis.

As the discipline grew, it adopted more sophisticated tools to study human motivation. In its early years, researchers used motivation research, which included depth interviews and projective techniques. These methods helped uncover the deeper reasons why people buy certain items. In recent years, scholars have added even more advanced methods to their toolkit. They now use ethnography, which involves observing people in their natural environments, and photo-elicitation techniques. These tools allow for a much deeper understanding of real-world shopping habits.

Modern consumer behaviour research now utilizes high-tech scientific approaches. One major area is consumer neuroscience, which uses tools like neuroimaging to study the brain.

These studies can reveal subconscious motivations that a person might not even realize they have. Additionally, researchers use big data analytics and machine learning to process massive amounts of information. They also rely on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) databases to track patterns. These databases allow companies to perform behavioral segmentation, which means grouping customers based on their specific actions and habits.

Decision-making is rarely a solo activity, especially within groups like families or businesses. Different people often take on specific roles during a single purchase process. An initiator is the person who first proposes a product for consideration. An influencer is someone who recommends a specific brand to the group. The decider is the person who makes the final choice, while the purchaser is the one who physically buys the item. Finally, the user is the person who actually consumes the product.

In a household setting, these roles can shift between members constantly. For example, a child might act as a powerful influencer through a phenomenon called "pester power." Even if a child is not the decider, their influence can shape the entire family's choice. This complexity is why researchers use the "black box" model to study the mind. This model represents the internal cognitive and affective processes that happen during a decision. By looking at the interaction between external stimuli and these internal processes, scientists can better predict how people will act in a changing market.