CONSUMER CULTURE AND BEHAVIOUR

Consumer Culture and Behaviour

Consumer Culture and Behaviour

Introduction

The objective of this assignment is to analyse consumer culture and behaviour in Leicester Market and to assess how the market could use the principles of consumer behaviour to improve its business.

Background

Great Britain is currently suffering from economic uncertainty. Consumers are changing their shopping habits in large numbers; market intelligence reports shifts between brands and stores to reduce regular bills. Consumers are also increasingly concerned with the distance their food has travelled, the amount of packaging waste, and buying fresh produce. All of these trends would suggest a daily city centre market would be very well patronised. Leicester Market, in the city centre has a history going back over 700 years. In its heyday it was a bustling, thriving hub of activity in the heart of the city. In other parts of the country markets are thriving and growing. Leicester City Council has invested in a number of schemes, Market corner being the most recent, yet a visit to the market will indicate that it is not trading at its full potential.

Paper Question

Why are the customers not flocking to shop on Leicester Market?

Methodology

The research approach used will be qualitative. Qualitative research is much more subjective than quantitative research and uses very different methods of collecting information which could be both primary and secondary. This study will be based on both methods. The primary will gather information to visit Leicester Market. The methodology used for the purpose of this research is based on research and consumer culture and behaviour in Leicester Market.

The analysis and conclusions are drawn on the current projects in play and resources listed in the references. The research encompasses the publications, articles and similar studies. Keeping in view the approach taken in earlier studies and publications the research began with a broad analysis of the existing literature.

Literature Review

Consumer behavior is a field of study that generally falls under the umbrella of marketing and is associated with consumer research. Consumer behavior is defined as being concerned with “individuals or groups acquiring, using and disposing of products, services, ideas or experiences” (Arnould, Price, and Zinkhan 2002, 5) and as “the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy wants and needs” (Solomon et al. 2006, 6).

Consumer behavior can be regarded as having evolved from buyer behavior and a concern with rational buyer decision making, often typified by an interest in cognition, affect, and behavior. The shift in title from “buyer” to “consumer” often represents a broadening of interest beyond constituting the subject as prospective buyer of interest to profit-motivated marketing managers, toward a more general concern with what the consumer might be and how he or she engages with and is engaged by community and context. Hence, the study of consumer behavior is increasingly interdisciplinary and draws from a broad range of social sciences, including economics, anthropology, culture studies, media studies, sociology, as ...