Marketing college 1
Why do we need consumer behaviour?
Misconception 1: consumers are sales figures
Misconception 2: we should trust our intuition
How companies often think of consumers: tailor the marketing
mix (= stimulus) to our target group (= organism) so we get them to do/think X (=response). Echter
wordt het organisme vaak overgeslagen. In dat geval denken bedrijven alleen in stimulus en
response.
1. Stimulus -> marketing stimuli (price, product, promotion, place)
INPUT
2. Organism -> consumer behaviour theories (internal influences, external influences and
judgement and decision-making). In dit vak gaan we het vooral over organism hebben.
OUTPUT
3. Response -> bijv. Purchase, positive word of mouth, loyalty behaviour
What is consumer behaviour?
Individuals react on the basis of perception, not on
the basis of objective reality
Objective product features ≠ consumer benefits
We need to understand consumers to better satisfy
their needs
Our intuitions about what consumers perceive, think,
and will do are often wrong
The decision making unit
initiator(s)–recognize value in solving a particular
issue and stimulate search for product
influencer(s)–while not making the final decision, have
input to it
decider(s)–make the choice
purchaser(s)–consummate the transaction
user(s)–consume the product
Consumer decision process model
, Need recognition -> basic human desires. Marketing doesn’t influence needs, but only
‘’wants’’. A need is a discrepancy between actual and desired state.
Search for information
o Internal -> retrieval from memory. Dus merken die je al kent.
o External
Marketer sources -> advertising, company websites, stores, salespeople,
brochures
Non-marketer sources -> other consumers, consumer organisations,
government, media
Pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives -> consideration of options:
o Universal set -> all possible options
o Awareness set -> options one is aware of
o Evoked set -> options one can recall
o Consideration set -> options one will consider
Purchase -> decisions on:
o Purchase timing (immediate or delayed)
o Mode of purchase (web, store, catalogue)
o Place/store
o Quantity
Even after the choice is made, purchases can be modified. Bijv. door product availability
(product niet meer op voorraad) of point of purchase displays.
Consumption
o Timing, frequency, volume of use
Important for packaging (storage)
Affects satisfaction
o Mode of use
Proper use (follow instructions, product gebruiken waarvoor het gemaakt is)
Alternate uses (mensen kunnen een product ook gebruiken voor iets
waarvoor het niet is gemaakt)
Post-consumption evaluation -> expectations are crucial
o Satisfaction -> product meets or exceeds expected performance
o Dissatisfaction -> product performs below expectation
Disposal
Need recognition + search for information + pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives = motivation,
ability, opportunity (MAO)
Consumer decision process:
Low effort/heuristic
o Ad-hoc
o Convenience based
o Relies on rules of thumb
High effort/systematic
o Organized
o Comprehensive
, o Effortful
Marketing college 2
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language,
religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
We adopt culture through socialization.
What does culture shape? (fase 1 -> need recognition)
Norms -> what is appropriate?
Values -> what is good and bad?
Het gedrag van mensen zien we, maar wat we zien zijn interpretaties en waarden.
How does culture influence marketing?
Segmentation
Targeting
New product development
Promotional activities
Careful when using demographics to segment consumers and infer the values/benefits they
are looking for
Culture differences: Hofstede
Power distance -> degree to which social hierarchy
and inequality exist in a society and are accepted by
its members.
o High power distance -> Inequality is
acceptable, strict hierarchy, vertical power
structure
o Low power distance -> Inequality is less
acceptable, horizontal power structure (all
share and contribute equally)
Masculinity/femininity -> degree to which society values power, success, mastery vs.
harmony quality of life and caring for others. In marketing implicated as bijv. Big and fast vs
small and soft. Or winning vs. quality of life.
o Masculine -> society that values success, power mastery
o Feminine -> society that values harmony, quality of life, and caring for others.
Individualism/collectivism -> Degree to which social reinforces individual or collective
achievement and personal relationships. In marketing implicated as approach/achievement
vs avoidance/prevention motivation. And low context vs high context.
o Individualism -> focus on differentiation, individual achievement, need to be unique
o Collectivism -> focus on similarity, collective achievement, interpersonal
relationships
Uncertainty avoidance -> level of acceptance of uncertainty and ambiguity in society.
Implicated in marketing as insurances, % of innovators or brand loyalty and variety seeking.
Why do we need consumer behaviour?
Misconception 1: consumers are sales figures
Misconception 2: we should trust our intuition
How companies often think of consumers: tailor the marketing
mix (= stimulus) to our target group (= organism) so we get them to do/think X (=response). Echter
wordt het organisme vaak overgeslagen. In dat geval denken bedrijven alleen in stimulus en
response.
1. Stimulus -> marketing stimuli (price, product, promotion, place)
INPUT
2. Organism -> consumer behaviour theories (internal influences, external influences and
judgement and decision-making). In dit vak gaan we het vooral over organism hebben.
OUTPUT
3. Response -> bijv. Purchase, positive word of mouth, loyalty behaviour
What is consumer behaviour?
Individuals react on the basis of perception, not on
the basis of objective reality
Objective product features ≠ consumer benefits
We need to understand consumers to better satisfy
their needs
Our intuitions about what consumers perceive, think,
and will do are often wrong
The decision making unit
initiator(s)–recognize value in solving a particular
issue and stimulate search for product
influencer(s)–while not making the final decision, have
input to it
decider(s)–make the choice
purchaser(s)–consummate the transaction
user(s)–consume the product
Consumer decision process model
, Need recognition -> basic human desires. Marketing doesn’t influence needs, but only
‘’wants’’. A need is a discrepancy between actual and desired state.
Search for information
o Internal -> retrieval from memory. Dus merken die je al kent.
o External
Marketer sources -> advertising, company websites, stores, salespeople,
brochures
Non-marketer sources -> other consumers, consumer organisations,
government, media
Pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives -> consideration of options:
o Universal set -> all possible options
o Awareness set -> options one is aware of
o Evoked set -> options one can recall
o Consideration set -> options one will consider
Purchase -> decisions on:
o Purchase timing (immediate or delayed)
o Mode of purchase (web, store, catalogue)
o Place/store
o Quantity
Even after the choice is made, purchases can be modified. Bijv. door product availability
(product niet meer op voorraad) of point of purchase displays.
Consumption
o Timing, frequency, volume of use
Important for packaging (storage)
Affects satisfaction
o Mode of use
Proper use (follow instructions, product gebruiken waarvoor het gemaakt is)
Alternate uses (mensen kunnen een product ook gebruiken voor iets
waarvoor het niet is gemaakt)
Post-consumption evaluation -> expectations are crucial
o Satisfaction -> product meets or exceeds expected performance
o Dissatisfaction -> product performs below expectation
Disposal
Need recognition + search for information + pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives = motivation,
ability, opportunity (MAO)
Consumer decision process:
Low effort/heuristic
o Ad-hoc
o Convenience based
o Relies on rules of thumb
High effort/systematic
o Organized
o Comprehensive
, o Effortful
Marketing college 2
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language,
religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
We adopt culture through socialization.
What does culture shape? (fase 1 -> need recognition)
Norms -> what is appropriate?
Values -> what is good and bad?
Het gedrag van mensen zien we, maar wat we zien zijn interpretaties en waarden.
How does culture influence marketing?
Segmentation
Targeting
New product development
Promotional activities
Careful when using demographics to segment consumers and infer the values/benefits they
are looking for
Culture differences: Hofstede
Power distance -> degree to which social hierarchy
and inequality exist in a society and are accepted by
its members.
o High power distance -> Inequality is
acceptable, strict hierarchy, vertical power
structure
o Low power distance -> Inequality is less
acceptable, horizontal power structure (all
share and contribute equally)
Masculinity/femininity -> degree to which society values power, success, mastery vs.
harmony quality of life and caring for others. In marketing implicated as bijv. Big and fast vs
small and soft. Or winning vs. quality of life.
o Masculine -> society that values success, power mastery
o Feminine -> society that values harmony, quality of life, and caring for others.
Individualism/collectivism -> Degree to which social reinforces individual or collective
achievement and personal relationships. In marketing implicated as approach/achievement
vs avoidance/prevention motivation. And low context vs high context.
o Individualism -> focus on differentiation, individual achievement, need to be unique
o Collectivism -> focus on similarity, collective achievement, interpersonal
relationships
Uncertainty avoidance -> level of acceptance of uncertainty and ambiguity in society.
Implicated in marketing as insurances, % of innovators or brand loyalty and variety seeking.
