Tentamenstof Consumer Psychology
Week 1 - Introduction Consumer Psychology
Consumer psychology = the study of how psychological processes (thoughts, emotions,
motivations) influence consumer decisions in acquisition, consumption and disposal
Consumer behavior = buying, using and disposing of goods/services,influenced by
emotions, motivations and context
→ Consumers are not purely rational; driven by emotions, beliefs, values, context and
financial resources
Experiment = research method used to establish causality by manipulating IV to observe its
effect on DV
→ Correlation ≠ causation
- Causation = one variable causes changes in another variable
- Correlation = relationship between two variables but not causal
More choice increases interest to a certain point
- Paradox of choice = increasing choice initially attracts
attention, but there is an optimal number of options beyond
which happiness and satisfaction decline (sweet spot)
→ relationship between choices and happiness is not linear
- Choice overload = facing too many options makes
decision-making cognitively demanding (cognitive overload)
- This results in:
1. Increased opportunity costs = paying more attention to not
chosen alternatives, increasing feelings of loss
2. Decision paralysis = failure to make a decision
3. Low post-purchase satisfaction and buyers remorse = regret after choosing
Four conditions in which choice overload occurs
1. Choice-set complexity = options are difficult to compare
2. Decision-task difficulty = The act of deciding is difficult (due to limited
time/cognitive resources)
3. Preference uncertainty = No prior information or preferences unclear
4. Conclusive decision goals = the goal is to buy instead of browsing
How to reduce choice overload
- Highlight a dominant option (recommendation)
- Facilitate comparison of options
- Free returns → solves dissatisfaction post-buy
- Smart filtering/navigation → filter options and categorization
- Guide decision-making process → Personalization elements, limiting options or use
of interactive quiz
,→ Well-designed choice architecture can increase both sales and consumer well-being.
Paper: when choice is demotivating (Iyengar & Lepper, 2000)
→ Jam study in which two tasting booths were compared to see if the amount of products
put out influenced how people shop
- large assortments → lead to more interest/attention
- small assortments → lead to more actual choice and higher satisfaction
→ more choice increases interest, but reduces action and satisfaction
, Week 2 - The Self in the Marketplace
Self-concept = perceptions and beliefs about who they are (cognitive and affective
evaluations of the self)
- shapes consumer behavior by influencing values, beliefs,ideologies and identities.
- Multidimensional (social, moral, political, religious)
- Learned, not inherent → shaped by social interaction and biological and
environmental factors
- Are relatively stable after childhood/early adulthood but may change
- Congruent when aligning with reality, incongruent when not aligning with reality
Motivation = internal state of arousal that directs behavior toward achieving a goal
→ influence by self-concept, emotions, beliefs and values and cultural factors
Marketplace of ideologies = brands are evaluated based on their alignment with
consumers values
→ misalignment: loss of sales, negative word of mouth and reputational damage
→ Effective marketing therefore requires understanding the cultural and socio-political
environment in which consumers operate.
Identity-based moderators of consumers respond
Consumers respond differently to marketing based on:
1. Political self = shapes how consumers perceive, evaluate, and respond to marketing
stimuli and brands. → different views on hierarchy
2. Religious self = beliefs, practices and systems that relate to belief and worship a
controlling force such as God, which influences the way people consume and
experience life
3. Self-construal = how individuals define themselves (in relation to
others)
1. Political self
→ Consumer differentiation = Consumers use differentiation strategies to
express values, ideology, and identity.
- Vertical differentiation = wanting to be better than others, (luxury,
status) → preferred by conservatives
- Horizontal differentiation = wanting to be different (uniqueness and
identity) → preferred by liberals
When is political ideology important in consumer behavior?
- Marketing communication and persuasion:Ideological differences affect responses
to message framing and persuasive appeals.
- Brand evaluations and activism: Ideology influences how consumers evaluate
brands and react to firms taking political or social stands.
Week 1 - Introduction Consumer Psychology
Consumer psychology = the study of how psychological processes (thoughts, emotions,
motivations) influence consumer decisions in acquisition, consumption and disposal
Consumer behavior = buying, using and disposing of goods/services,influenced by
emotions, motivations and context
→ Consumers are not purely rational; driven by emotions, beliefs, values, context and
financial resources
Experiment = research method used to establish causality by manipulating IV to observe its
effect on DV
→ Correlation ≠ causation
- Causation = one variable causes changes in another variable
- Correlation = relationship between two variables but not causal
More choice increases interest to a certain point
- Paradox of choice = increasing choice initially attracts
attention, but there is an optimal number of options beyond
which happiness and satisfaction decline (sweet spot)
→ relationship between choices and happiness is not linear
- Choice overload = facing too many options makes
decision-making cognitively demanding (cognitive overload)
- This results in:
1. Increased opportunity costs = paying more attention to not
chosen alternatives, increasing feelings of loss
2. Decision paralysis = failure to make a decision
3. Low post-purchase satisfaction and buyers remorse = regret after choosing
Four conditions in which choice overload occurs
1. Choice-set complexity = options are difficult to compare
2. Decision-task difficulty = The act of deciding is difficult (due to limited
time/cognitive resources)
3. Preference uncertainty = No prior information or preferences unclear
4. Conclusive decision goals = the goal is to buy instead of browsing
How to reduce choice overload
- Highlight a dominant option (recommendation)
- Facilitate comparison of options
- Free returns → solves dissatisfaction post-buy
- Smart filtering/navigation → filter options and categorization
- Guide decision-making process → Personalization elements, limiting options or use
of interactive quiz
,→ Well-designed choice architecture can increase both sales and consumer well-being.
Paper: when choice is demotivating (Iyengar & Lepper, 2000)
→ Jam study in which two tasting booths were compared to see if the amount of products
put out influenced how people shop
- large assortments → lead to more interest/attention
- small assortments → lead to more actual choice and higher satisfaction
→ more choice increases interest, but reduces action and satisfaction
, Week 2 - The Self in the Marketplace
Self-concept = perceptions and beliefs about who they are (cognitive and affective
evaluations of the self)
- shapes consumer behavior by influencing values, beliefs,ideologies and identities.
- Multidimensional (social, moral, political, religious)
- Learned, not inherent → shaped by social interaction and biological and
environmental factors
- Are relatively stable after childhood/early adulthood but may change
- Congruent when aligning with reality, incongruent when not aligning with reality
Motivation = internal state of arousal that directs behavior toward achieving a goal
→ influence by self-concept, emotions, beliefs and values and cultural factors
Marketplace of ideologies = brands are evaluated based on their alignment with
consumers values
→ misalignment: loss of sales, negative word of mouth and reputational damage
→ Effective marketing therefore requires understanding the cultural and socio-political
environment in which consumers operate.
Identity-based moderators of consumers respond
Consumers respond differently to marketing based on:
1. Political self = shapes how consumers perceive, evaluate, and respond to marketing
stimuli and brands. → different views on hierarchy
2. Religious self = beliefs, practices and systems that relate to belief and worship a
controlling force such as God, which influences the way people consume and
experience life
3. Self-construal = how individuals define themselves (in relation to
others)
1. Political self
→ Consumer differentiation = Consumers use differentiation strategies to
express values, ideology, and identity.
- Vertical differentiation = wanting to be better than others, (luxury,
status) → preferred by conservatives
- Horizontal differentiation = wanting to be different (uniqueness and
identity) → preferred by liberals
When is political ideology important in consumer behavior?
- Marketing communication and persuasion:Ideological differences affect responses
to message framing and persuasive appeals.
- Brand evaluations and activism: Ideology influences how consumers evaluate
brands and react to firms taking political or social stands.
