Consumer Behavior; Exam 3, pt 1; ch 13-15

ritual situations

a socially defined occasion that triggers a set of interrelated behaviors that occur in a structured format and that have symbolic meaning. christmas; buy toys. valentine's day/halloween; buy candy. mother's day; buy flowers/cards.

Physical surroundings: servicescape

atmosphere in a service setting (hotel, bank, restaurant)

what influences the consumers motivation to resolve a recognized problem?

depends on 2 factors: 1) size of the discrepancy between the desired and actual states. 2) the importance of the problem

momentary conditions

reflect temporary states of being, such as being tired, ill, having extra money, being broke, etc.

external search: 3 types of information sought

1) appropriate evaluation criteria - traction, warranty. 2) alternatives for solving problem - goodyear vs. michline 3) performance of alternatives on evaluative criteria - one is lower on traction, but the other is higher on price.

4 broad categories of situations when they affect the consumer

1) communications situation 2) purchase situation 3) usage situation 4) disposition situation

6 sources of information search

1) independent sources - consumer groups, gov. agencies 2) personal sources - family/friends 3) marketer-based information - sales personnel and ads. LESS CREDIBLE 4) experiential sources - inspection, product trial 5) internet sources - web sites, blogs 6) memory

5 key dimensions/characteristics of situation (what happens to affect the consumer?)

1) physical surroundings 2) social surroundings 3) temporal perspectives 4) task definition 5) antecedent states

5 stages of the consumer decision process

1) problem recognition 2) information search 3) alternative evaluation/selection 4) outlet selection and purchase 5) post purchase evaluation

what are the costs/benefits of search?

COSTS: subscription cost/paid service, transportation, parking, child care, time, fatigue, stress. BENEFITS: better decision making, saving money, greater product knowledge.

what is a self-gift?

a gift you get for yourself

Social surroundings; embarrassment

a negative emotion influenced by both the product and the situation

how might the receipt of a gift affect the relationship between the giver and receiver?

a) the gift item itself generally has a known price that can be interpreted as a measure of the esteem the giver has for the receiver b) the image/functionality of the gift implies the giver's impression of the image/personality of the receiver. it also reflect on the image/thoughtfulness of the giver. c) the nature of a gift can signify the type of relationship the giver has or desires with the receiver d) items received as gifts often take on meaning associated with the relationship or the giver

evoked set

aka: consideration set. those brands/products one will evaluate for the solution of a particular problem. the "good" alternatives

NOMINAL decision making

aka: habitual decision making. involves no decision per se. a problem is recognized, internal search provides a single preferred solution, that brand is purchased, and an evaluation occurs only if the brand fails to perform as expected. nominal decisions occur when there is very low involvement with the purchase. 2 types: brand loyal purchases and repeat purchases. Ex: woman gets her needed cash from an ATM w/o thinking of going inside the bank.

awareness set

all known alternatives

situational influence

all those factors particular to a time and place that do not follow from a knowledge of the stable attributes of the consumer and the stimulus and that have an effect on current behavior.

why is it important for a marketing manager to understand situational influences on purchasing behavior?

because consumers often react and behave very differently depending on the situation.

how do the 2 types of nominal decision making differ?

brand loyal purchases - you purchase a certain brand because you are committed to it because you believe it best meets your overall needs and you have formed an emotional attachment to it. it will be very difficult for a competitor to gain your patronage. repeat purchases - you may think all ketchup is the same and don't attach much importance to the brand. you tried Heinz and liked it, so you now buy it when you need ketchup. you are not committed to Heinz.

inert set

brands of which you are aware, but indifferent towards. "neutral", backup alternatives.

inept set

brands that are actively disliked or avoided. positive info about these brands is not likely to be processed even if it's available. unacceptable alternatives.

how do marketers attempt to influence mood?

by using positive mood-inducing events, positioning their products/services in terms of mood enhancement. Ex: many companies prefer to advertise during light TV programs because viewers tend to be in a good mood while watching these shows.

4 broad categories of situations: DISPOSITION SITUATION

consumers must frequently dispose of products or product packages after or before product use. decisions made by consumers regarding the disposition situation can crate significant social problems as well as opportunities for marketers.

how do momentary conditions affect consumer behavior?

consumers try to manage their momentary conditions. feeling tired; drink coffee. sore muscles; get massage. headache; take advil.

how does narrow price range, consumer knowledge, and time pressure affect search effort?

decrease

how does purchasing for yourself and a too warm temperature affect search effort?

decrease

how can a firm suppress problem recognition?

effective quality control and distribution (limited out-of-stock situations), packages, and package inserts that assure the consumer of the wisdom of their purchase. firms might do this for products like cigarettes.

5 key dimensions/characteristics of situation: ANTECEDENT STATES

features of the individual person that are not lasting characteristics, such as momentary moods or conditions.

extended informations searchers

high search for information

4 broad categories of situations: COMMUNICATIONS SITUATION

how consumers receive information has an impact on behavior. whether one is alone or in a group, in a good mood or bad, in a hurry or not influences the degree to which one sees and listens to marketing communications. marketers attempt to place ads in appropriate media contexts to enhance effectiveness

PRODUCT involvement

how involved the consumer is with the product. Ex: a consumer may be very involved with a brand (Starbucks or Saturn) or a product category (coffee or cars) and yet have a very low level of involvement with a particular purchase of that product because of brand loyalty, time pressures, etc. Ex: when you want a soda, you probably just pick your favorite w/o much thought. product involvement is ENDURING.

external search

if a solution is not reached through internal search, then the search process is focused on external information.

how does time pressure affect consumer behavior?

in general, the less time there is available (increased time pressure), the shorter will be the information search, the less available information will be used, the smaller number of alternatives will be considered, and the more suboptimal purchases will be made. internet shopping is growing rapidly in response to time pressure.

5 key dimensions/characteristics of situation: PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS

include decor, sounds, aromas, lighting, weather, and configurations of merchandise or other materials surrounding the stimulus object. 4 components: color, aromas, music, crowding --> each attempts to create an appropriate atmosphere for its target audience.

how does an expensive product and high perceived risk affect search effort?

increase

how does differentiation in products, positive products, and pleasant surroundings affect search effort?

increase

how does many alternatives, concentrated stores, and lots of info availability affect search effort?

increase

what are the effects of bad mood on consumer behavior?

increase impulse and compulsive purchasing.

what are the effects of good mood on consumer behavior?

increased browsing and impulse purchasing

EXTENDED decision making

involves an extensive internal and external information search followed by a complex evaluation of multiple alternatives and significant post-purchase evaluation. Ex: you're trying to find the best deal on auto insurance.

LIMITED decision making

involves internal and limited external search, few alternatives, simple decision rules on a few attributes, and little post-purchase evaluation. Ex: man likes the flavor of Coke, but he's trying to lose weight so he chooses Diet Coke.

search engine optimization

involves techniques designed to ensure that a company's web pages "are accessible to search engines and focused in ways that help improve the chances they will be found."

behavioral targeting

involves tracking consumer click patterns on a web site and using that information to decide on banner ad placement.

how do CONSUMER CHARACTERISTICS influence a consumer's information search effort?

learning and experience - decrease social status - increase perceived risk - increase

nonsearchers

little or no search for information

limited information searchers

low to moderate search for information

4 broad categories of situations: USAGE SITUATION

marketers need to understand the usage situations for which their products are, or may become, appropriate. (Ex: which drink would you prefer at different times of the day?)

internal search

memory - accessibility is important. once a problem is recognized, relevant information from long-term memory is used to determine if a satisfactory solution is known, what the characteristics of potential solutions are, what are appropriate ways to compare solutions, and so forth.

how do MARKET CHARACTERISTICS influence a consumer's information search effort?

number of alternatives - increase price range - increase store concentration - increase information availability - increase

inactive problem

one of which the consumer is NOT AWARE. Ex: you're unaware of the new plug in device that can double your modem speed, you have never thought about being tested for diabetes.

active problem

one the consumer IS AWARE of or WILL BECOME aware of in the normal course of events. Ex: your toothache is painful, your roommate drank the last of the milk ..rude

5 key dimensions/characteristics of situation: SOCIAL SURROUNDINGS

other individuals present in the particular situation. people's actions are frequently influenced by others around them.

how do PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS influence a consumer's information search effort?

price relative to budget - increase differentiation - increase positive products - increase

5 key dimensions/characteristics of situation: TEMPORAL PERSPECTIVES

situational characteristics that deal with the effect of time on consumer behavior

PURCHASE involvement

the level of concern for, or interest in, the purchase process triggered by the need to consider a particular purchase. a temporary state of an individual or household, which is influenced by the interaction of the individual, product, and situational characteristics. purchase involvement is SITUATIONAL. as purchase involvement increases, decision making becomes more complex.

Physical surroundings: atmospherics

the process managers use to manipulate the physical retail environment to create specific mood responses in shoppers.

5 key dimensions/characteristics of situation: TASK DEFINITION

the reason the consumption activity is occurring (Ex: self-use vs. gift giving)

problem recognition

the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state that is sufficient to arouse and activate the decision process.

4 broad categories of situations: PURCHASE SITUATION

the situation in which the purchase is made an influence consumer behavior. marketers must understand how purchase situations influence consumers in order to develop marketing strategies that enhance the purchase of their products.

Physical surroundings: store atmosphere

the sum of all the physical features of a retail environment.

how do websites help consumers with their information search?

they provide basic product information similar to that which a consumer could get from a brochure or catalog. they also provide application and usage suggestions often personalized for each consumer.

how do SITUATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS influence a consumer's information search effort?

time availability - increase purchase for self - decrease pleasant surroundings - increase physical/mental energy - increase

moods

transient feeling states that are generally not tied to a specific event or object. consumers actively manage their mood states; they seek situations/activities/objects that will alleviate negative moods or enhance positive ones.