What is Consumer Behaviour? | Characteristics Affecting Consumer Behavior

What is Consumer Behaviour - Meaning, Definition, Features of consumer Behaviour and Characteristics Affecting Consumer Behavior

What is Consumer Behaviour? | Characteristics Affecting Consumer Behavior

What is Consumer behaviour?

The term Consumer behaviour, individual buyer behaviour, end user behaviour and consumer buying behaviour all stands for the same. Consumer behavior is the study of how individuals, groups, and organisations select, buy, use and dispose of goods and services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants.


According to Blech and Blech, “Consumer behaviour is the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as satisfy their needs and desires.

Consumer behaviour is a study of:

• What consumers buy.
• Why consumers buy it.
• Where they buy it.
• How they use it.

Consumer behaviour focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources (time, money, effort) on consumption related items. That includes what they buy, why they buy it, where they buy it, how often they buy it, how often they use it, how they evaluate it after the purchase, the impact of such evaluations on future purchases and how they dispose of it. So in consumer behaviour it is not only learnt, what is the behaviour of the consumer when he buys it but also before the consumption, during the consumption and after the consumption. Consumer behaviour is never simple; yet understanding it is the essential task of marketing management.

Characteristics Affecting Consumer Behavior and Features of Consumer Behaviour

Consumer Behaviour can be characteristics by following points:

1. Systematic Process: One of most important Characteristic of consumer behaviour is that it is a systematic process. Consumer behaviour is a systematic process relating to buying decisions of the customers. The buying process consists of the following steps:

• Need identification to buy the products,
• Information search relating to the products, 
• Listing and evaluating the alternative (cost-benefit analysis),
• Post-purchase evaluation by the marketer,
• Purchase decision.

2. Influenced by Various Factors:  Consumer behaviour is influenced by a number of factors. The factors that influenced consumer includes marketing, personal, psychological, situational, social, culture, etc.

3. Different for Different Customers: All consumers do not behave in the same manner. Different consumers behave differently. The difference in consumer behaviour is due to individual factors such as nature of the consumer’s life style, culture, etc.

4. Different for Different Products: Consumer behaviour is different for different products. There are some consumers who may buy more quantity of certain items and very low/no quantity of some other items.

5. Varies Across Regions: The consumer behaviour very across states, regions and countries. For instance, the behaviour of urban consumers is different from that of rural consumers. Normally, rural consumers are conservative (traditional) in their buying behaviour.

6. Vital for Marketers: Marketers need to have a good knowledge of consumer behaviour. They need to study the various factors that influence consumer behaviour of their target customers. The knowledge of consumer behaviour enables marketers to take appropriate marketing decisions.

7. Reflects Status: Consumers buying behaviour is not only influenced by status of a consumer, but it also reflects it. Those Consumers who own luxury cars, watches and other items are considered by others as persons of higher status.

8. Result in Spread-effect: Consumer behaviour has a spread effect. The buying behaviour of one person may influence the buying behaviour of another person. For instance, a customer may always prefer to buy premium brands of clothing, watches and other items etc. This may influence some of his friends, neighbors, colleagues. This is one of the reasons why marketers use celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin to endorse their brands.

9. Improves Standard of Living: Consumer buying behaviour may lead to higher standard of living. The more a person buys the goods and services, the higher is the standard of living.

10. Undergoes a Change: The consumer’s behaviour undergoes a change over a period of time depending upon changes in age, education and income level etc, for example, kids may prefer colourful dresses, but as they grow up as teenagers and young adults, they may prefer trendy clothes.

11. Information Search: The search for information is a common characteristic of consumer behaviour. Consumers cannot purchase goods and services if they are unaware that a good or service exists. When a consumer decides to buy a certain item, his decision must be based on the information he has gathered about what products or services are available to fulfill his needs.

12. Brand Loyalty: Brand loyalty is the tendency of a consumer to buy products or services from a certain company that one likes or equates with having high quality goods and services. For example, if Naina’s first car was a Honda as a teenager and the car lasted 200,000 miles, she might have a tendency to buy Honda in the future due to her previously positive experience. This brand loyalty may be so strong that she forgoes the information search all together when considering her next vehicle.