Understanding Consumer and Business Buyer Behavior

In today’s consumer market, there are four major factors that influence consumer buyer behavior. The first would be cultural factors. “Growing up in a society, a child learns basic values, perceptions, wants, and behaviors from the family and other important institutions” (137). Depending on where and how you grew up, we all have different values, perceptions and wants.

“A consumer’s behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the consumer’s small groups, family, and social roles and status” (142). Social Factors also include: social networks, family, and opinion leaders. Many times, marketers aim to groups that certain people aspire to be a part of. A good example of this would be professional athletes or musicians.

Personal factors would involve a buyers age and what stage of life that person is in. What they do for work and how much they make obviously affects their buying activity.

The last major factor would be motivation. What drives a person to purchase a product? If you were thirsty, you would probably want to buy something to drink. Hungry? You probably would want to get a burger somewhere. It is that feeling that drives us to seek satisfaction.

Armstrong/Kotler.Marketing: An Introduction