Habitual Buying Behaviour

Habitual Buying Behaviour

habitual buying behaviour

Habitual buying behaviour occurs under conditions of low consumer involve­ Consumer buying

ment and little significant brand difference. For example, take salt. Consumers behaviour in situations

have little involvement in this product category ­ they simply go to the store and characterised by low

reaeh for a brand. If they keep reaching for the same brand, it is out of habit consumer involvement rather than strong brand loyalty. Consumers appear to have low involvement with and few significant

perceived brand

most low­cost, frequently purchased products.

differences. Consumers do not search extensively for information about the brands, evalu­ ate brand characteristics and make weighty decisions about which brands to buy.

The Buyer Decision Process • 253

Instead, they passively receive information as they watch television or read maga­ zines. Ad repetition creates brand familiarity rather than brand conviction. Consumers do not form strong attitudes towards a brand; they select the brand because it is familiar and may not evaluate the choice even after purchase.

Because buyers arc not highly committed to any brands, marketers of low­ involvement products with few brand differences often use price and sales promo­ tions to stimulate product trial. Gaining distribution and attention at the point of sale is critical. In advertising for a low­involvement product, ad copy should stress only a few key points. Visual symbols and imagery are important because they can

be remembered easily and associated with the brand. Ad campaigns should include high repetition of short­duration messages. Television is usually more effective than print media because it is a low­Involvement medium suitable for passive learning. Advertising planning should be based on classical conditioning theory, in which buyers learn to identify a certain product, by a symbol repeatedly attached to it.

Products can be linked to some involving personal situation. Nestle did this in

a recent series of ads for Gold Blend coffee, each consisting of a new soap­opera­ like episode featuring the evolving romantic relationship between neighbours, Sharon and Tony. Nestie's success in doing this contrasts with the tea market in the United Kingdom where, although it is the national drink, sales promotions dominate sales.

Variety­Seeking Buying Behaviour

Consumers undertake variety­seeking buying behaviour in situations characterized

varicty­seeking buying

by low consumer involvement, but significant perceived brand differences. In such behaviour cases, consumers often do a lot of brand switching. For example, when purchasing

Consumer buying biscuits, a consumer may hold some beliefs, choose a biscuit without much evalu­

bdiaviour in situations ation, then evaluate that brand during consumption. But the next time, the consumer

characterized by low might pick another brand out of boredom or simply to try something different. Brand

consumer involvement, switching occurs for the sake of variety rather than because of dissatisfaction.

but significant perceived In such product categories, the marketing strategy may differ for the market

brand differences. leader and minor brands. The market leader will try to encourage habitual buying

behaviour by dominating shelf space, avoiding out­of­stock conditions and running frequent reminder advertising. Challenger firms will encourage variety seeking by offering lower prices, deals, coupons, free samples and advertising that presents

reasons for trying something new.

The Buyer Decision Process

Most large companies research consumer buying decisions in great detail to answer questions about what consumers buy, where they buy, how and how much they buy, when they buy and why they buy. Marketers can study consumer purchases to find answers to questions about what they buy, where and how much. But learning about the whys of consumer buying behaviour and the buying

decision process is not so easy ­ the answers are often locked within the consumer's head.

We will examine the stages that buyers pass through to reach a buying deci­ sion. We will use the model in Figure 6.6, which shows the consumer as passing through five stages: need recognition, information search, evaluation of alterna­ tives, purchase decision and postpurchase behaviour. Clearly the buying process starts long before actual purchase and continues long after. This encourages

254 • Chapter 6 Consumer Buyer Behaviour

Figure 6.6

Buyer decision process

the marketer to focus on the entire buying process rather than just the purchase

decision.

This model implies that consumers pass through all five stages with every purchase. But in more routine purchases, consumers often skip or reverse some of these stages. A woman buying her regular brand of toothpaste would recognize the need and go right to the purchase decision, skipping information search and evaluation. However, we use the model in Figure 6.6 because it shows all the considerations that arise when a consumer faces a new and complex purchase situation.

To illustrate this model, we return to Anna Flores and try to understand how she became interested in buying a camera and the stages she went through to make the final choice.