Consumer Buyer Behaviour Definition
Javier Ramirez
Liberty University
BUSI 520: Strategic Marketing Management
Muriel Wilson
January 23, 2022
Consumer Buyer Behaviour Definition
Consumer buyer behaviour is considered to be an inseparable part of marketing and
Kotler and Keller (2011) state that consumer buying behaviour is the study of the ways of
buying and disposing of goods, services, ideas or experiences by the individuals, groups and
organizations in order to satisfy their needs and wants.
Buyer behaviour has been defined as “a process, which through inputs and their use
though process and actions leads to satisfaction of needs and wants” (Enis, 1974, p.228).
Consumer buying behaviour has numerous factors as a part of it which are believed to have
some level of effect on the purchasing decisions of the customers.
Alternatively, consumer buying behaviour “refers to the buying behaviour of final
consumers, both individuals and households, who buy goods and services for personal
consumption” (Kumar, 2010, p.218). From marketers’ point of view issues specific aspects of
consumer behaviour that need to be studied include the reasons behind consumers making
purchases, specific factors influencing the patterns of consumer purchases, analysis of
changing factors within the society and others.
Example of previous research used to define consumer behaviour
Moreover, the following popular definitions have been proposed for the term of
consumer buyer behaviour:
According to Blackwell et al (2006) consumer buying behaviour is itself is a complex,
dynamic issue which cannot be defined easily and commonly. Therefore, the concept of
consumer buying behaviour has been defined in different ways by different researchers.
The definition formed by Solomon et al (1995) describes consumer buying behaviour
as a process of choosing, purchasing, using and disposing of products or services by the
individuals and groups in order to satisfy their needs and wants. Similar definition of
consumer buying behaviour is offered by Schiffman and Kanuk (2000) in which they describe
it as behaviour that consumers express when they select and purchase the products or
services using their available resources in order to satisfy their needs and desires.
Consumer buying behaviour is defined by Stallworth (2008) as a set of activities
which involves the purchase and use of goods and services which resulted from the
customers’ emotional and mental needs and behavioural responses. It is further stated by
Gabbot and Hogg (1998) that the process may contain different activities and stages.
Although the definitions given above are various, they all lead to common view that
consumer buying behaviour is a process of selecting, purchasing and disposing of goods and
services according to the needs and wants of the consumers. However, there is a general
consensus among the researchers and academics that this process is subject to continual
change over time as the purchase characteristics of the customers change due to their
physical and psychological needs.
In the mean time, Kotler and Keller (2011) highlight the importance of understanding
consumer buying behaviour and the ways how the customers choose their products and
services can be extremely important for manufacturers as well as service providers as this
provides them with competitive advantage over its competitors in several aspects. For
example, they may use the knowledge obtained through studying the consumer buying
behaviour to set their strategies towards offering the right products and services to the right
audience of customers reflecting their needs and wants effectively.
Another valuable argument is provided by Egen (2007) on the importance of
understanding the consumer behaviour. According to the author, better awareness of
consumer buying behaviour is a positive contribution to the country’s economic state. The
author further argues that the quality of goods and products are exceptionally good in
countries where buying behaviour of consumers is well understood. This in turn increased
the competitiveness of the products and services in international market increasing the
export potential of the country. Meanwhile, high quality of domestic products and services
lead to sophisticated domestic customers’ base (Blackwell et al, 2006).
In addition to efforts of better understanding the consumers’ buying behaviour,
companies also engage in advertising and promotion activities to influence the consumers’
purchasing decision. However, when they are engaging in such types of activities, they need
to consider other external factors such as the overall economic conditions of the country,
politics, technology and ethnic culture all of which are beyond the control of both the
company and consumer Lancaster et al (2002).
To sum up all the arguments stated above, it is clear that better understanding the
consumer buying behaviour through studying and identifying their needs leads to huge long
term benefits to the businesses. However, as stated by Kotler et al (2005) it is essential to
mention that despite the great efforts to learn and understand the buying behaviour of
consumers, it is very difficult to identify the exact reasons why a consumer purchases and
prefers one product or service over another one. This is because consumers sometimes
make purchasing decisions based on their emotional beliefs which they even themselves are
not well aware of.
References
Blackwell, R., Miniard, P. and Engel, J. (2006) “Consumer behavior”, Mason:
Thompson
Egan, J. (2007) “Marketing Communications”, London: Cengage Learning
Enis, B.M. (1974) “Marketing Principles: The Management Process”
Gabbott, M. and Hogg, G. (1998). “Consumers and services”, Chichester: John Wiley
& Sons.
Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (2011) “Marketing Management”(14th edition), London:
Pearson Education
Kumar, P. (2010) “Marketing of Hospitality & Tourism Services” Tata McGraw-Hill
Education
Schiffman, L., Hansen H. and Kanuk L. (2007) “Consumer Behaviour: A European
Outlook”, London: Pearson Education
Solomon, M. (1995) “Consumer Behaviour” (3rd edition), New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Stallworth, P. (2008) “Consumer behaviour and marketing strategic”, online, pp.9.
