978-1305405769 Chapter 6 Part 2

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Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

5. Yet another area of concern with consumer misbehavior is abusive consumers.

a. Rude customers engage in verbal or physical abuse, can be uncooperative, and may

even break policies.

B. Understanding the psychological and social reasons for misconduct can be helpful in preventing or

responding to the problem.

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Discussion Starter 1: Consumer Buying Behavior and Social Classes

To do this exercise which links consumer behavior tastes with various social strata, click on the hyperlink

below to access a PBS game on consumer and class tastes.

http://www.cnam.com/people-like-us/games/index.html

Students can work individually or in teams. As explained on the website, the game has students make a

series of choices to decorate a living room. Upon completion of the game, it tells students what their

choices mean about their social class inclinations based on prior research of consumer behavior. Students

generally have fun with this exercise because they have leeway to decorate the room however they want.

If students play this in groups they may find that the group decision making process leads them to make

different choices than they otherwise would have.

Discussion Starter 2: Level Of Consumer Involvement

Recommended as a group activity

In this chapter we have examined how the level of involvement in a purchase often determines the type of

behavior exhibited by consumers. In this exercise you are asked to examine how consumer behavior

changes as the level of consumer involvement changes. You will be given a series of scenarios. After

each one, write how your group would respond to the purchase situation.

At work you are informed there is a “Secret Buddy” gift buying program for the holiday party. Each

person’s name is entered into a hat and each person will draw one name. You choose the name of a

person who works in another department that you do not know.

Ask: What type of gift do you purchase? How much do you spend? How much time do you take choosing

this gift?

Ask: What type of gift would you send? How much do you spend? How much time do you take choosing

this gift?

Ask: What type of gift do you bring? How much do you spend? How much time did you take choosing this

gift?

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

CLASS EXERCISES

Class Exercise 1: Social Influences on Consumption

The objective of this class exercise is to help students understand how social influences affect their

consumption behaviors.

Prompt for Students: Imagine that you are going out tonight. Which of the following social influences

will determine what you wear, where you go, what you do, and what you will buy or consume?

1. Your role as a student, family member, employee, church member, or fraternity or sorority member.

2. Identification with a positive reference group. Disassociation from a negative reference group.

3. Membership within a particular social class. Aspirations to be in a different social class.

4. Cultural values that accept or reject certain types of behavior. Gender roles: expectations of how men

and women should act.

5. Membership in a subculture based on geography, age, or ethnic background.

6. Knowing how these factors affect your consumption behavior, how can marketers adjust their

marketing mixes to meet your needs?

Answers:

1. As fraternity or sorority members, students may be influenced to stay out late for social reasons,

2. You may also want to ask, “When ordering at a restaurant, do you find that people often order the

because of the presence of negative reference groups.

3. The cars that students drive may reflect either their present social status or their desired social status.

4. Ask students the following: “Have any of you been in other cultures where you saw people doing

5. Students may be able to identify certain types of food (catfish in the South), clothing (surf wear in

6. Some possible examples include the following:

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

Class Exercise 2: The Stages of the Consumer Buying Decision Process

For this exercise, each of the stages of the consumer buying decision process should be thoroughly

discussed and made available to the students before they answer these questions.

Prompt for Students: In which stage of the consumer buying decision process is each of the following

people?

1. A recent college graduate reads Consumer Reports to compare automobile ratings.

2. On the first day of class, a student finds out that a programmable calculator is needed for the course,

but she doesn’t own one.

3. After purchasing an evening gown, a woman decides that it is not quite appropriate for her special

occasion.

4. A car buyer gets a loan to purchase a new car.

5. A teenager compares numerous MP3 players and narrows the choice down to two players.

6. While on the way to work, a person’s automobile stalls and doesn’t start again.

7. At an open-house party, a guest realizes that the host already owns the gift he plans to give.

8. A person receives a sample package of laundry detergent in the mail and uses it to wash a load of

clothes.

Answers:

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

CHAPTER QUIZ

1. When individuals choose which information inputs will reach their awareness and ignore other

inputs, they are using

a. perception.

b. selective distortion.

c. selective exposure.

d. cognitive dissonance.

e. selective retention.

2. Which type of problem solving is frequently used for purchasing high-involvement products?

a. impulse

b. routinized

c. extended

d. limited

e. selective

3. Human requirements for love, affection, and a sense of belonging would be classified by Maslow as

__________ needs.

a. safety

b. esteem

c. social

d. physiological

e. self-actualization

4. A publication such as Consumer Reports may be initially used during a(n)

a. product recognition.

b. evaluation of alternatives.

c. internal information search.

d. external information search.

e. purchase decision.

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

SEMESTER PROJECT

Increasingly, organizations seek to attract and hold onto top talent by offering a variety of unique benefits

designed to appeal to employees. These benefits go beyond the traditional health care, retirement, and

vacation plans to include such benefits as concierge services, provisions to bring your dog to work, vegan

or vegetarian entrees in the cafeteria, etc.

For many employees, these benefits are crucial to their lifestyle and therefore crucial to their work

environment. In this exercise, you are to consider the types of benefits you want an organization to

provide. Conduct some research on which types of organizations provide these types of benefits.

Step 1: Research some of the alternative benefits being offered by organizations.

Step 2: Explore what types of industries and organizations provide these benefits.

Step 3: Determine if these industries or organizations offer positions in your chosen career field.

Step 4: Identify a list of the types of benefits you would like to have at your workplace.

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

ANSWERS TO ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION AND REVIEW

1. What are the major stages in the consumer buying decision process? Are all of these stages

used in all consumer purchase decisions? Why or why not?

2. How does a consumer’s level of involvement affect his or her choice of decision-making

process?

3. Name the types of consumer decision-making processes. List some products you have bought

using each type. Have you ever bought a product on impulse? If so, describe the circumstances.

The types of consumer decision–making processes include routinized response behavior, limited

24. What are the categories of situational factors that influence consumer buying behavior?

Explain how each of these factors influences buyers’ decisions.

Situational factors can be classified into five categories—physical surroundings, social surroundings,

time perspective, purchase reason, and the buyer’s momentary mood and condition. Physical

35. What is selective exposure? Why do people engage in it?

46. How do marketers attempt to shape consumers’ learning?

57. Why are marketers concerned about consumer attitudes?

68. In what ways do lifestyles affect the consumer buying decision process?

79. How do roles affect a person’s buying behavior? Provide examples.

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

A role consists of a set of actions and activities expected of a person holding a certain position within

810. What are family influences, and how do they affect buying behavior?

911. What are reference groups? How do they influence buying behavior? Name some of your own

reference groups.

1012. How does an opinion leader influence the buying decision process of reference group

members?

13. In what ways does social class affect a person’s purchase decisions?

14. What is culture? How does it affect a person’s buying behavior?

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

Culture is the accumulation of values, knowledge, beliefs, customs, objects, and concepts that a

society uses to cope with its environment and passes on to future generations. Culture influences

what we wear and eat, where we live, and how we live. It affects the ways we buy and use products

and influences the satisfaction we receive from products. Culture affects the entire marketing mix

because it determines the ways products are purchased and used.

15. Describe the subcultures to which you belong. Identify buying behavior that is unique to one of

your subcultures.

16. What is consumer misbehavior? Describe the various forms of consumer misbehavior.

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

ANSWERS TO DEVELOPING YOUR MARKETING PLAN

The information obtained from these questions should assist you in developing various aspects of your

marketing plan. Develop your marketing plan online using the Interactive Marketing Plan at

www.cengagebrain.com.

1. See Table 6.1. What type of decision making are your customers likely to use when purchasing

your product?

2. Determine the evaluative criteria that your target market(s) would use when choosing between

alternative brands.

3. Using Table 6.2, what types of family decision making, if any, would your target market(s) use?

4. Identify the reference groups or subcultures that may influence your target market’s product

selection.

There are many different possible answers to this question and responses will vary widely depending

on students’ products.

Chapter 6: Consumer Buying Behavior

COMMENTS ON VIDEO CASE 6: STARBUCKS REFINES THE

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Summary

Starbucks is popular in the United States thanks to its focus on the customer experience. While the

company continues to improve its American stores through innovations such as mobile pay, Starbucks is

also expanding globally, especially in Asian markets. It is also diversifying; Starbucks recently purchased

premium-juice company Evolution Fresh and is adding the company’s nutritious blended drinks to the

traditional Starbucks menu. Starbucks plans to open more Evolution Fresh stores as the demand for

healthy foods increases. The company is also competing with energy drink companies after releasing its

all-natural Starbucks Refreshers. Starbucks is also promoting its focus on social responsibility.

Questions for Discussion

1. In terms of situational influences and level of involvement, what are the benefits of mobile pay?

2. With Evolution Fresh, which psychological influences on consumer buying decisions does

Starbucks seem to be addressing?

3. Why would Starbucks want customers to know that it believes in social responsibility?