TABLE OF CONTENTS As consumers, we are continually exposed to different experiences and influences. Some of us are more susceptible to change and influences than others, but nobody goes through life remaining the same as they were at birth. Some of our responses to the environment are because of our psychological makeup. As our situations change, opportunities emerge as we become subject to a wider range of influences to which we might respond in a positive or negative manner. Changes in circumstances may arouse innate needs or promote new needs and wants in our consumption patterns.
The job of marketing is to identify needs and wants accurately and develop products and services that will satisfy them. The role of marketing should not be to create wants, but to fulfil them. Chapter 1, which discussed the marketing concept, provided some explanation of what this means in terms of business practice.
It is not sufficient to simply discover what customers require. It is more valuable to find out why it is required. Only by gaining a comprehensive understanding of buyer behaviour can marketing's goals be realised. This understanding works to the advantage of both the consumer and marketer, because marketing becomes better equipped to satisfy customer needs efficiently. This should enable a company to establish a loyal group of customers with positive attitudes towards its products.
Consumer behaviour can be defined as:
The acts of individuals directly involved in obtaining and using economic goods and services, including the decision processes that...
