CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Consumer Behavior

Consumer Behavior

The general study of factors associated with the acquisition, use, and disposal of goods and services is called consumer behavior . Decisions regarding consumption and the social and environmental issues associated with consumption are common aspects of humans' daily lives. Consider the last 48 hours of your life. If you are a typical U.S. citizen, you will have been exposed to at least 3,000 marketing efforts. You may have visited a wide array of physical retail locations in addition to having visited Internet-based retailers and unique auction and exchange sites. You may have posted information about a movie or a book you recently experienced or sought advice from other consumers about a future purchase.

The formal study of consumer behavior began shortly after World War II when businesses discovered that theories and research methods of the behavioral sciences could be used to develop products and services desired by individuals. The theories and methods are also used to help divide populations of consumers into segments that desire different types of products and prefer different types of media. Although the formal study of consumer behavior is linked to post-WWII changes in the economy, interest in understanding factors that influence the attractiveness of various choice options and ways of communicating information about products and services are perhaps as old as human civilization.

Persons identifying themselves as consumer behavior researchers are employed by corporations, government agencies, and various academic departments in universities. Most have completed significant coursework in social-behavioral sciences such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics. Some researchers focus on predicting trends in purchase behavior in the short and long term, whereas others may be interested in diverse issues, such as the interpersonal aspects of purchase decisions, the role of brands in self-identity and goal attainment, how advertising can serve to create or maintain stereotypes of people, and so forth. One group of researchers may be interested in increasing the effectiveness of marketing communication, whereas another group might focus on ways to educate consumers to resist the influence of commercial communications. Ph.D. degrees are required for the academic positions, and specialized or M.B.A., M.S., or M.A. degrees are typical backgrounds for corporate research positions.

Major outlets for consumer behavior research are the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Consumer Psychology. Journals in psychology, sociology, communication, marketing, and human ecology also include articles relevant to consumer behavior. Academic courses in consumer behavior are often available in schools of business, departments of human ecology, and colleges of communication.

Major organizations and academic conferences focusing on consumer behavior research issues include the Society for Consumer Psychology, the Association for Consumer Research, the American Academy of Advertising, the American Marketing Association, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.

All social science research methods are employed in the study of consumer behavior, but it is fair to say that laboratory-based experimental research is the most common method in the published academic studies. Overall, the discipline of consumer behavior rests at the interface of basic and ...