Buyer Behavior

Buyer Behavior

With over 6.3 billion people, the world is a marketing oyster (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005). The trouble or the task that most marketers face is identifying how to sell their product to those people. There are many ways to sell a product, but identifying the buying behavior of the target market and catering to those behaviors is integral in today's complex society. Consumer buyer behavior is defined as the buying behavior of final consumers - individuals and households who buy goods and services for personal consumption (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005).

Not only must the behavior be identified, the consumer must be enticed to buy the product. The product, price, place and promotion or the Marketing Mix are very important aspect of creating desire, but the buyer's environment will be the deciding factor in their buying behavior (Armstrong & Kotler, 2005). Why is a buyer's environment so important in their decision to buy a product or not? Because, environmental factors such as culture, social, personal and psychological factors are not areas that anyone can control and they will typically surface as a preference with no other explanation. That is why it is very important to take these factors into consideration when marketing a product.

Recently, a consumer survey was conducted on two individuals, A and B, who purchased SUV's. The purpose of this survey was to identify the process that each consumer went through during the Buyer Decision Process. Consumer A is a 56 year old working class married woman. She has no children living with her and works 40 hours a week at a location eight miles from her home. Consumer B is a 29 year old upper middle class married homemaker. She has two children ages five and one living at home.

Questions:

1. What lead you to consider the purchase of a new vehicle?

Consumer A: My old Cadillac was on its last leg. The air conditioner was out, the transmission wasn't working right, and I was ready for a new car. I have been driving the same old beat up car for the last 12 years.

Consumer B: The lease was up on our Tahoe and didn't want to buy it. So we decided it was time to look at a new vehicle and maybe even upgrade to a better model.

2. What type of information did you research during the process?

Consumer A: I didn't do any research. I have always wanted a Tahoe. I did talk to my son and he did say that I needed to get a new car and that the Tahoe is really great, but I didn't do anything special to research it.

Consumer B: We did a lot of research. We have a large family so we needed to be able to fit everyone. We need a safe vehicle. We looked at our budget to see what we could afford and qualify for. We did a lot.

3. Did you compare SUV's to help in the decision making process?

Consumer A: No, I wanted a Tahoe. I have never had an SUV. My son has a Tahoe and I love it. So that is what I chose.

Consumer B: Yes, we looked at every make and model. We looked at gas mileage, safety ratings, consumer reports and I drove every one to see which one I liked the best. I also looked at which ones looked the best. That was pretty important to me.

4. What lead you to decide on the SUV that you chose?

Consumer A: It looked good and it had everything on it that I wanted. It even had a few extras so I felt like I was getting a good deal.

Consumer B: Well, we found a Nissan Murano that was within our target price range, it is very safe and we get good gas mileage for an SUV. It is really a lot like a car and it looks great. And, I didn't want to drive the same SUV as everybody else in the neighborhood. Everyone is driving an Escalade and I don't really like them.

5. Are you happy with the choice you made?

Consumer A: Absolutely! I love the truck. It looks good, handles good and it has an air conditioner that works. It drinks a lot of gas, but I don't care. I don't drive a lot.

Consumer B: Sure, I am happy with it. We haven't had any problems with it. There is not as much room as I thought, but that is ok. There is enough for what I need.

Having asked the same questions to both consumers, their answers were quite different. In question #1 consumer A made it very clear that she needed to buy a new vehicle. Her air conditioner was not working, her transmission was failing and the vehicle was about to die. Consumer B was in a much better situation. Her lease was just about up and she wanted to upgrade. There is a distinct cultural difference between the two consumers that affected their desire to purchase a new vehicle. Consumer A is from the baby boomer generation and is a working class individual. Her values come from an era where people wasted very little and as such she drove her car until it was about ready to fall apart. Conversely, consumer B is from Generation X and is in the upper middle class. She is used to having the extras that life has to offer and is willing and able to purchase or lease a new vehicle every few years. A cultural factor is defined as the