Consumer Behavior Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consumer Behavior - Research Paper Example This paper looks into why the consumers make the purchases that they do through problem recognition and the search for information on that product. It also looks into how the consumer evaluates the alternatives at hand prior to deciding the purchase. After making the purchase, the consumer makes an evaluation of the product by basing their judgment on the satisfaction derived from using that particular product. Consumer behavior is the study of how, where and when a consumer decides to purchase a product, like a consumer deciding on either to buy durable goods or specialty goods. Consumer behaviour can also be defined as the study of internal and external influences that affect consumers in their purchasing decisions (Mooij, 2011). The factors that affect consumer behavior can be divided into external factors and internal factors. Both of which come into play when a consumer is making the decision on whether to buy a product or not. Motivation happens upon a need arousing and the consumer wants to satisfy it. This need drives a consumer to buy the product that will fulfill the desire. If the product satisfies the desire, it may influence the consumer to make a repeat purchase. On the other hand, if it does not meet the need to satisfy the desire, the consumer may try to find a different product that will fulfill the desire (Reynolds & Wells, 1977). This refers to how a consumer collects information and organizes it. It can be determined by the number of times in which the said consumer is exposed to the information or how they interpret it individually. This refers to the overall evaluations that express how much a consumer likes or dislikes a particular product. Consumer attitudes are learned and last over a long period of time and cannot be changed easily They are also referred to as social factors and they include culture, sub-culture, family, social class, past experience, reference groups.