Internal and external influences of consumer behavior

Question:

Describe different descriptions of the external as well as the internal influences of the purchasing behaviour of the consumers.
 

The present study illustrates different descriptions of the external as well as the internal influences of the purchasing behaviour of the consumers. The current study also elucidates in detail different factors of the external as well as internal influences with references to the different models explained in the empirical studies.  In addition to this, the present report also analyses different aspects of consumer behaviours with special reference to the operations of Boost Juice, Cancer Council Australia and the Churches. Boost juice is a retail company that offers healthy food products like the Nutritionists’ Choice Smoothies and many others.

Perception

As rightly put forward by Wells and Foxall (2014), the Internal influences that exerts immense impact on behaviour of the consumer consist of the perception of an individual, knowledge acquired through learning, recollection, intention, personality, sensation as well as outlooks. Furthermore, perception essentially plays a key function in the entire practice of processing of information as well as formation of consumer decision. However, it begins with increased exposure of consumer as well as concentration to different marketing stimuli that in turn terminates with interpretation. Therefore, these three levels essentially build up the overall process of perception. The diagram drawn below provides an outline of the perceptual course of action.

Figure 1: perceptual course of action

The stimulus that is necessarily not perceived properly cannot be processed neutrally (Wells and Foxall 2014). Therefore, the method of information processing can be considered as a procedure whereby particular stimuli can be suitably perceived, altered into significant information and thereafter accumulated. As can be observed, the entire course starts with appropriate revelation to certain stimuli that includes advertisement that primarily leads to an instantaneous response of different sensory receptors.  

The consumers can perceive the product of Boost juice as a healthy alternative to different fast food products and can be perceived as a brand that is necessarily as cool as Apple by young customers. The customers has strived for a healthy fast food and wanted to acquire something healthy to eat as well as drink. This has created the demand for the food product of Boost juices offering products in the wellness category. The negative perception towards smoking can help individuals to put up precaution against diseases such as cancer. This perception can also promote the objectives of the Church and the institution for cancer prevention (Boostjuice.com.au 2016). 

Gestalt Theories This particular theory has substantial impact on the comprehensive understanding of the overall perceptual processes that can be applied to two dimensional objects that makes it apposite for different marketing stimuli (Solomon et al. 2014). It involves different laws that refer to the following:

Law of proximity- The approach of the merchandiser to this standard refers to the use of different display windows, positioning different items of clothing as well as accessories that in turn conveys message to the customer to envisage the product and subsequently purchase it.

Perception and learning: key factors in shaping consumer behavior

Law of closure- At the time when individuals gaze at an asymmetrical geometric figure they normally fail to observe the complicated details (Solomon et al 2014). This law can assist to elucidate the motive why customers are capable of filling in the absent words in advertisements for marketing.

Learning

Customers gain knowledge regarding different marketer-created stimuli such as the advertisements through acquired experience as well as prior knowledge (Schiffman et al 2014). However, this experience as well as knowledge acquired over time can affect the interpretation regarding the stimuli on the whole. Normally consumers are considered to possess bias attitudes towards their own preferred brands. Therefore, the outlook that customers of Boost Juice hold on to is actually the outcome of learning regarding healthy lifestyle that in turn tends to occur very rapidly. These expectations or else the outlooks that the customers establish are very difficult to adjust (Schiffman et al 2014). Accordingly, it can be said that the learning process occurs through connectedness to an environmental stimulus and particularly the stimulus takes place naturally.

Motivation

As rightly indicated by Schiffman, Kanuk and Hansen (2012), the motivation can be regarded as an energising strength that compels and activates different consumer behaviours. This can present purpose as well as direction to purchase behaviours and respond to the query regarding “why” customers engage in a particular manner. The motivation creates the drive and creates the want of the consumers. This in turn can develop a particular purchasing behaviour of the consumer. This can be regarded as the motivation process of the consumer behaviour.

Figure 2: Motivation Process

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is essentially a macro theory that stresses the way the human needs can be regarded as the fundamental factor of consumption (Schiffman, Kanuk and Hansen 2012).

Figure 3: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The above diagram represents the stages of hierarchy succinctly and illustrates each of the stages that can be explained from the perspective of the basic level of the physiological wants and then to the more improved psychological needs. The physiological needs represents the needs refer to the account for food, water, shelter, sleep and many other physiological needs (Schiffman, Kanuk and Hansen 2012). This stage necessarily refers to all sorts of basic human necessities that are imperative for survival. The subsequent level represents the safety needs that include the need for physical safety, security, steadiness as well familiar environment. However, this concentrates on the feeling of satisfaction that enables development of a safe and secure surrounding. The consequent level is associated to the psychological need that refers to the belongingness that essentially gets reflected in the strong desire for love, friendship and is also acceptable to the entire society (Parumasur and Roberts-Lombard 2012). The particular way in which the belongingness can be felt is primarily by attending the public gatherings or any other place. However, the esteem can be closely associated to this particular level as it focuses on the status as well as self respect. These requirements can be related to the feelings of the individuals’ sense of accomplishment as well as achievement.  Finally, the level at the end located at the peak of the triangle can be referred to as the self actualization needs. This level or else the stage essentially refer to the yearning of the individual for the purpose of self-fulfilment that again in turn motivates the individual to achieve greater potential.

Boost Juice as a healthy brand

The respective authorities can create negative motivation with the intention and purpose of preventing people to develop the habit of smoking. The Cancer Council Australia that is the centre of cancer prevention can aim at controlling the negative attempts of the activity and seek to generate a sense of fear among the individuals. This can motivate the people to abandon the habit of smoking and concentrate towards healthy lifestyles. Likewise the marketer of the Boost juice can generate positive motivation towards fulfilment of the need for healthy lifestyle and induce the demand for the healthy product of the company.

Personality and attitude

As rightly put forward by Martins, Yusuf and Swanson (2012), personality of an individual can primarily drive the behaviour of the consumer in order to attain different objectives in diverse situations. Personality can be referred to as a variable that can help the marketers in understanding the influence of individual traits on different purchasing behaviour of consumers. However, there are diverse dimensions of the trait theory as is mentioned in the five factors Model that indicates the multi-trait personality theory. This particular theory helps in capturing considerable amount of the individual’s personality by utilizing the five different attributes. The intention and purpose of the model is primarily to recognize the five basic traits developed through genetics as well as learning in the childhood (Martins, Yusuf and Swanson 2012). The diagram below mentions different core traits of the individuals that can manifest themselves in definite behaviours that result from diverse situations.  Attitudes essentially include three important elements, namely, the Affective, Behavioural and Cognitive aspects as proposed in the ABC Model of attitude. Attitudes also refer to an important factor from the perspective of the marketers as it has the potential to direct customers to products or else services that the consumers prefer (Parumasur and Roberts-Lombard 2012).

The wellness division can be considered as the fastest developing retail section in the world as the health issues are regarded the key concern for individuals. The entire wellness industry of Australia approximately generates revenue amounting to US $ 2 billion per year and is still growing by more than 30% every year. Boost Juice markets healthy food and drinks such as the “Smoothies” that can be considered as healthy alternatives. Therefore, the consumer who once bought the hamburgers or else the candy bars for the meals are moving to the fresh food categories. Therefore, the personality traits of the individuals can get influenced and drive them to purchase Boost juice in response to the situation that reflects the increased awareness among people regarding health. Again, the marketers can focus on the emotional response of the consumers that refers to the behavioural components of the attitudes that can create the demand for the products of the company. The version towards the unhealthy lifestyle can in this case generate the attitude, For instance, quitting smoking and eating unhealthy food (Boostjuice.com.au 2016).

Figure 4: five factors Model

Group influence

As rightly indicated by Jolibert (2012), there exists close association between the buying preference of thee consumers and the influence of different reference groups.  The consumer psychology essentially refers to the way individuals or else the groups get involved in different consumer activities and the resultant impact it exerts on the buying preference of the consumers (Lee and Carter 2012). The external influence in the buying behaviour of the individuals might get influenced in different ways owing to diverse reference groups. The influence of the reference groups can be enumerated and scaled for understanding the power of the influence on the responses of the consumers (Lee and Carter 2012).  The reference groups might perhaps consist of the familiar groups or else the external peer groups where each of the group can deliver definite as well as conflicting information that in turn can affect the overall buying and the consumption behaviour of the consumers. The marketers can concentrate on the group influence for formulating the marketing strategies of the Boost juices.

Gestalt Theories and their application in marketing

Culture

Culture can be referred to as the overall summation of the learned beliefs, erudite beliefs, values as well as customs that can direct the behaviour of the consumers belonging to a specific community (Consumer Behaviour 2014). However, in a broad perspective both the values as well as beliefs can be regarded as the mental images that in turn can affect and influence the wide range of definite consumer attitudes. This process can in turn influence the manner an individual analyses different alternative brands in a particular product category. Cultural facts vary between nations, and it increasingly becomes more intricate when individuals migrate to different places having different cultural dimensions (East et al 2013). In such cases, people are primarily subjected to various types of cultural references groups that consequently affect the buying behaviour of the consumers.

Therefore, the marketers of Boost Juice also needs to develop appropriate strategy of marketing communication that can address both the cultural as well as the reference group  facets from the perspective of both local as well as global aspects.  The Consumers of Boost juice prefer smoothies as they view it as a healthier alternative to most of the fast foods and sweets and all other on-the-go meals. This reference group here refers to the friends, family and other familial group who need to be made more aware as regards the healthy lifestyle.  This in turn can create a sort of bandwagon effect. Greater awareness regarding healthy food option can create higher demand for the product and ensure growth of Boost Juice (Jolibert 2012). The health awareness among the reference groups can also influence people to quit smoking and ensure prevention from deadly diseases like the cancer. 

This current study helps in conceptualizing the primary reason behind engagement in different consumer activities. It is appealing for a customer to have a comprehensive understanding regarding the ways marketing as well as individual differences can persuade information processing as well as decision making.

In conclusion it can be said that the effect of both the external as well as the internal influences of the consumer behaviour helps in framing the marketing strategies. However, the marketing strategies depend on exploration regarding the consumer motivation and behaviour by the marketer. Their stratagems are primarily based on both explicit as well as implicit beliefs as regards the consumer behaviour. Therefore, the Marketing research intends to enhance the knowledge of customers to acquire perceptive as well as competitive advantage so as to better predict needs as well as desires of consumers.  

References

Boostjuice.com.au. (2016). Boost Juice.

Consumer Behaviour. (2014). Routledge.

East, R., Vanhuele, M. and Wright, M. (2013). Consumer behaviour. London: SAGE.

Jolibert, A. (2012). Marketing management. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lee, K. and Carter, S. (2012). Global marketing management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Martins, J., Yusuf, F. and Swanson, D. (2012). Consumer demographics and behaviour. Dordrecht: Springer.

Parumasur, S. and Roberts-Lombard, M. (2012). Consumer behaviour. Claremont, South Africa: Juta.

Schiffman, L., Kanuk, L. and Hansen, H. (2012). Consumer behaviour. Harlow, England: Pearson Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Schiffman, L., O’Cass, A., Paladino, A. and Carlson, J. (n.d.). Consumer behaviour.

Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S. and Hogg, M. (n.d.). Consumer behaviour.

Wells, V. and Foxall, G. (n.d.). Handbook of developments in consumer behaviour.