Better Understanding Of Consumer Behavior Research Articles

Branding and packaging design: Key insights on marketing milk to low-income markets in South Africa

The low-income market is a viable and highly untapped market. There is increasing interest in the poor as a market in South Africa. Yet, little is known about their shopping behaviour in retail settings. The purpose of the study on which this article reports, was to gain an understanding of the effect of pricing, brand and packaging on choice preferences of pasteurised milk by consumers sharing a living standard measure (LSM) classification of one to four. This research utilised a mixed method methodology design approach. Opinions of 103 respondents, exposed to an in-store simulation, were obtained to gain a better understanding of consumer behaviour towards brand and packaging design and how these elements affected purchasing decisions. Results revealed that price sensitivity plays a prerequisite role in the consumer purchase decision and that, while most respondents were willing to pay a price premium for brand and packaging design elements, limited income is a clear inhibitor. Brand awareness and trust also play an important role in quality perceptions, followed by image (created through visual stimuli) in choice preferences. The challenge for marketers is to find a balance between price and brand to suit consumer expectations and aspirations. Key words: Low-involvement products, milk, brand awareness, packaging, choice preferences, visual stimuli.

Celebrities and shoes on the female brain: The neural correlates of product evaluation in the context of fame

Celebrity endorsement is omnipresent. However, despite its prevalence, it is unclear why celebrities are more persuasive than (equally attractive) non-famous endorsers. The present study investigates which processes underlie the effect of fame on product memory and purchase intention by the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging methods. We find an increase in activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) underlying the processing of celebrity–product pairings. This finding suggests that the effectiveness of celebrities stems from a transfer of positive affect from celebrity to product. Additional neuroimaging results indicate that this positive affect is elicited by the spontaneous retrieval of explicit memories associated with the celebrity endorser. Also, we demonstrate that neither the activation of implicit memories of earlier exposures nor an increase in attentional processing is essential for a celebrity advertisement to be effective. By explaining the neural mechanism of fame, our results illustrate how neuroscience may contribute to a better understanding of consumer behavior.

The culture of wine buying in the UK off‐trade

PurposeThe UK wine market is one of the largest in the world. The purpose of this paper is to investigate current social and cultural influences affecting the buying behaviour of UK wine consumers within off‐trade environments.Design/methodology/approachThree stakeholder groups involved in the provision and sale of wine in the UK are identified. Data gathered from these stakeholders, via semi‐structured interviews, are used to classify groups of UK wine consumers and to develop a question schedule for a series of six wine consumer focus groups.FindingsThe results show that intended usage and or consumption situation have significant influence upon purchasing behaviour. The purchase decision is further influenced by whether intended usage is to be private or public. Significant gender differences are identified; wine buying is often perceived as a predominantly male role although more women actually buy more wine. Differences in low involvement and novice behaviours are identified.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample population used was small and may not be representative quantitatively. However the use of focus groups enabled the gathering of significant qualitative data.Practical implicationsAs a mature, sophisticated wine market, wine purchasing and consumption in the UK has become so incorporated into lifestyle that the consumption context drives purchasing behaviour whether overtly or covertly. Understanding the context of presumed use enables better understanding of consumer behaviour to be developed.Originality/valueThis study suggests that whilst high and low involvement market segments can be, and have previously been, identified these are artificial and fluid constructs since most wine consumers utilise a range of behaviours.

Community attachment and housing choice in Hong Kong

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the major pull factors on residents' attachment to their own housing community. This examination will lead to better understanding of consumer behavior in the housing market.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through a questionnaire survey and examination of the data was conducted by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which was supplemented by multiple regression analysis.Findings – It was found that two major factors determine community attachment and hence housing choice. Safety of community determines residents' attachment to their own housing community. Sense of belonging affects residents' willingness to stay. It implies that residents do have strong perception of what the image of their own community is like, and positive management of community can enhance such image and therefore the sense of belonging.Research limitations/implications – The database used is relatively small.Originality/value – Neighborhood attachment has been well‐...

Digital piracy of MP3s: consumer and ethical predispositions

PurposeIllegal downloading of music has become an inexorable and rampant activity particularly among college students who have been little deterred by industry legal actions. The purpose of this research is to examine the present state of downloading and how ethical orientation and attitudes towards MP3 piracy impact such activities. The paper also aims to use ethical scenarios as a way of understanding the ethical reasoning in illegal downloading.Design/methodology/approachKey research questions are proposed that are related to illegal downloading. A sample of 364 university students was used to examine each research question. Statistical results are reported.FindingsThe results clearly show that downloading continues at a high rate today driven by a strong belief that it is not ethically wrong. Ethical orientation was found to be positively associated with awareness of the social cost of downloading, consequences of downloading, and ethical belief in downloading. Ethical scenarios show that ethical orientation is also associated with downloading activities and with stealing. Other results indicate that respondents believe that their peers are more prone to stealing music and downloading MP3s illegally. Fear of consequences does seem to have an impact on the propensity to download illegally.Practical implicationsThe paper contributes to inform industry representatives that appeals to ethics or guilt are not likely to deter illegal downloading measurably. The use of punishment for downloaders may have a short‐term effect but other (more positive) measures are required.Originality/valueNo research has examined downloading of MP3s in the manner developed in this paper. The paper contributes to a better understanding of consumer behavior among those who download. The results provide insight into a serious problem in the recording industry that is likely to persist in the distant future unless sound measures are developed.

Role of consumer behaviour studies in improving water supply delivery to the urban poor

A recent report by WHO and UNICEF on the state of water and sanitation provision across the globe paints a gloomy picture of the situation in developing countries. Of great concern is the plight of the urban poor whose numbers are increasing rapidly across the developing world. Currently, a more market-like approach is being promoted as the way forward in the water sector. This approach is seen as an effective way of being demand responsive and hence a useful way of providing a sustainable water supply service for all groups of consumers. The authors advocate that a prerequisite for effectively using a marketing approach is a good understanding of the behaviour of the target consumers, that is, knowing what consumers think, feel, do and the things and places that influence and are influenced by what they think, feel and do. Consumer behaviour studies have widespread application in the marketing of goods and services and the application of some of these concepts could be useful in improving water services delivery. Better understanding of consumer behaviour could help in developing strategies for successfully marketing water as both a social and an economic good, thus enhancing the sustainability of water supply services.

The Roles of Channel-Category Associations and Geodemographics in Channel Patronage

Consumers purchase goods from various channels or retail formats, such as grocery stores, drugstores, mass merchandisers, club stores, and convenience stores. To identify the most appropriate channels and to allocate the distribution of products among channels efficiently, managers need a better understanding of consumer behavior with respect to these channels. The authors examine the moderating role of channel-category associations in consumer channel patronage by extending the literature on brand associations to the context of channels, and they estimate a model that links channel-category associations with consumer geodemographics and channel share of volume. The authors first identify the product categories associated with particular channels through a correspondence analysis of a field-intercept survey. They then use the channel-category associations and geodemographic factors to estimate their direct and interactive effects on channel share of volume. The channel-category associations have significant main effects and interaction effects with channel type and geodemographic factors on channel share of volume, and they account for the majority of the explained variance (72%) in channel share of volume. Overall, the findings provide several conceptual and managerial insights into consumer channel perceptions and patronage behavior.

Applying the Technology Acceptance Model and Flow Theory to Online Consumer Behavior

In this study, we consider the online consumer as both a shopper and a computer user. We test constructs from information systems (Technology Acceptance Model), marketing (Consumer Behavior), and psychology (Flow and Environmental Psychology) in an integrated theoretical framework of online consumer behavior. Specifically, we examine how emotional and cognitive responses to visiting a Web-based store for the first time can influence online consumers' intention to return and their likelihood to make unplanned purchases. The instrumentation shows reasonably good measurement properties and the constructs are validated as a nomological network. A questionnaire-based empirical study is used to test this nomological network. Results confirm the double identity of the online consumer as a shopper and a computer user because both shopping enjoyment and perceived usefulness of the site strongly predict intention to return. Our results on unplanned purchases are not conclusive. We also test some individual and Web site factors that can affect the consumer's emotional and cognitive responses. Product involvement, Web skills, challenges, and use of value-added search mechanisms all have a significant impact on the Web consumer. The study provides a more rounded, albeit partial, view of the online consumer and is a significant steptowards a better understanding of consumer behavior on the Web. The validated metrics should be of use to researchers and practitioners alike.

A New Way to Determine Buying Decisions

Better understanding of consumer behavior is one of the principal problems of marketing management. Therefore, the research technique described in this article should be of considerable interest, because it provides valuable insights into consumer conduct. By analyzing how shoppers behave under simulated market conditions, brand-switching and brand-loyalty patterns can be analyzed. Further development of the technique described could be particularly valuable in shaping a firm's marketing strategy.

Demographic Variation: Its Impact on Consumer Behavior

Papers by Fisher I and Lydall 2 are illustrative of recent efforts by economists to determine how demographic variation affects consumer behavior. It is obvious that such population characteristics as age, family size, and educational levels do change over time. If these demographic changes do affect consumer behavior, much quantitative economic research will have to be modified. Whether it will be necessary to incorporate demographic variables in a model of consumer behavior will depend on the purpose for which the model has been constructed. Estimation of unbiased behavioral parameters for economic variables will require that demographic variables be included in the model if their movements have been correlated with price and income changes employed in the estimation procedure. When the objective is one of forecasting, demographic variables will not have to be included in the model if their movements are correlated with price and income variables. Here one must distinguish between short-run and longerrun forecasts. In the short run, price and income movements will probably be independent of movements in demographic variables. Finally, it is clear that if the purpose is a better understanding of consumer behavior, demographic variables should be included in the model regardless of whether or not movements in these variables are correlated with changes in prlces and income. The research reported in this paper tested whether the hypothesis that price and income elasticities vary with demographic variation is consistent with an available set of data. Weekly observations on the meat, fish, and poultry purchases of I5I families were employed. These data were obtained from a sample of families in the city of Medford, Massachusetts, and were collected over the 32-week period October I2, I952-May 23, I953.3 Table i gives the distribution of the I 5I families by family characteristics.