Consumer Behavior
processes a consumer uses to make purchase decisions, as well as to use & dispose of purchased goods or services; also includes factors that influence purchase decisions & product use.
Consumer Decision-Making Process
a five step process used by consumers when buying goods or services.
Need Recognition
result of an imbalance between actual & desired states
Want
recognition of an unfulfilled need & a product that will satisfy it.
Stimulus
any unit of input affect one or more of the five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing
Internal Information Search
the process of recalling past information stored in the memory.
External Information Search
the process of seeking information in the outside environment.
Nonmarketing-Controlled Information Source
a product information source that is not associated with advertising or promotion
Marketing-Controlled Information Source
a product information source that originates with marketers promoting the product.
Evoked Set (consideration set)
a group of brands, resulting from an information search, from which a buyer can choose
Cognitive Dissonance
inner tension that a consumer experiences after recognizing an inconsistency between behavior & values or opinions.
Involvement
the amount of time & effort a buyer invests in the search, evaluation, & decision processes of consumer behavior.
Routine Response Behavior
the type of decision making exhibited by consumers buying frequently purchased, low cost goods & services; requires little search & decision time.
Limited Decision Making
the type of decision making that requires a moderate amount of time for gathering information & deliberating about an unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category.
Extensive Decision Making
the most complex type of consumer decision making, used when buying an unfamiliar, expensive product or an infrequently bought item; requires use of several criteria for evaluating options & much time for seeking information
Culture
the set of values, norms, attitudes, & other meaningful symbols that shape human behavior & the artifacts, or products, of that behavior as they are transmitted from one generation to the next.
Value
the enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct is personally or socially preferable to another mode of conduct.
Subculture
a homogeneous group of people who share elements of the overall culture as well as unique elements of their own group
Social Class
a group of people in a society who are considered nearly equal in status or community esteem, who regularly socialize among themselves both formally & informally, & who share behavioral norms.
Reference Group
a group in society that influences an individual's purchasing behavior
Primary Membership Group
a reference group with which people interact regularly in an informal, face to face manner, such as family, friends, & co workers.
Secondary Membership Group
a reference group with which people associate less consistently & more formally than a primary membership group, such as a club, professional group, or religious group
Aspirational Reference Group
a group that someone would like to join
Norm
a value or attitude deemed acceptable by a group
Nonaspirational Reference Group
a group with which an individual does not want to associate.
Opinion Leader
an individual who influences the opinions of others
Socialization process
how cultural values & norms are passed down to children
Personality
a way of organization & grouping the consistencies of an individual's reactions to situations
Self Concept
how consumers perceive themselves in terms of attitudes, perceptions, beliefs & self evaluations
Ideal Self Image
the way an individual would like to be
Real Self Image
the way an individual actually perceives himself or herself
Perception
the process by which people select, organize, & interpret stimuli into a meaningful & coherent picture
Selective Exposure
the process whereby a consumer notices certain stimuli & ignores others
Selective distortion
a process whereby a consumer changes or distorts information that conflicts with his or her feelings or beliefs.
selective retention
a process whereby a consumer remembers only that information that supports his or her personal beliefs
motive
a driving force that causes a person to take action to satisfy specific needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
a method of classifying human needs & motivations into five categories in ascending order of importance: physiological, safety, social, esteem, & self-actualization.
learning
a process that creates changes in behavior, immediate or expected, through experience & practice
stimulus generalization
a form of learning that occurs when one response is extended to a second stimulus similar to the first
stimulus discrimination
a learned ability to differentiate among similar products
belief
an organized pattern of knowledge than an individual holds as true about his or her world
attitude
a learned tendency to respond consistently toward a given object