Consumer Behaviour and Sustainability Content

Consumer Behaviour and Sustainability Content 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. BACKGROUND In todays businesss world, one of the most challenging tasks for marketers is to understand the customers buying behaviour. What goes into the humans black box: what cause them to make the decisions of buying or not buying? Is it based on values, views which dominate the market today or purely rely on his/her demands, needs and wants or modern societys environment changes influences? These are all reflecting consumers buying behaviour. Hence, a proper knowledge of consumers behaviour will be a vital key to gain competitive advantage in the global business environment. To better understand consumer behaviour and what factors influence it, this article will be centered on three theories self theory, consumer decision-making and fashion theory. Literally all three theories relates to the process of buying behaviour which reflected through consumers perceptions. Self theory is ourselves performing as a system and creates a model of what we believe and understand for the outside world. Consumer decision-making is a concept that let us understand how customers choose and make the decision to buy or not buy in the full process. Fashion theory is all driven by the societys innovativeness. Indeed, all three theories are very important in making marketing strategies due to it is a key to the success of any business. 1.2. AIMS This article will be analyzed together with researchers diary to understand the prospects of consumers behaviour based on researchers own shopping experience. Below are the aims on this report is focused; The main concept of each theory and its influences in the consumer behaviour; Integrate researchers shopping experience and combine theory to analyze real consumer behaviour; 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 THEORY OF SELF 2.1.1 CONCEPT In simple words, self is a mirror image of me. It is an internal view of my own personality. It is considered an epicenter of all the perceptions. It is encapsulated image of humans personality. The self is a perpetually shifting dynamic system that is more like the flow of a river in which patterns emerge and disappear than a static backdrop (Kelso, 1995, p. 1). According to Mead (1934), the self is not a matter whereas it is prototype or procedure. As Goffman points out, the self is a sacred symbol in this society (1959). Self is a key factor which is responsible for fulfilling or meeting the most important emotional energy objective. That is why one critically mentioned the inadvertent rediscovery of self in experimental social psychology (Hales 1 98 1 a). It is nearly impossible to understand self on its own, as it provides philosophical foundation for social-psychological investigation into the self concept. Self concept theory also refers to theory of self -evaluation. Self concept is a complex of human thoughts about its own self. It denotes the totality of the individuals thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object (Rosenberg 1979, p. 7). Self is all about having our own perceptions about our own selfs. It is an inside view of a human which relates to an intangible world. From (1956) described self-concept as life being aware of itself. Self concept is not an individuals viewpoint whereas it is made up of multidimensional prospective as actual-self (how a person perceives herself) , ideal-self (how a person would like to perceive herself), social self (how a person presents herself to others), and global-self attitude (self-esteem or self-satisfaction expression, etc.). (Joseph, 1982) Self theorists essentially define self-concept as an attitude one holds about or toward ones person (self), this attitude consisting of cognitive components (knowledge, belief), affect ive components (evaluations), and behavioral-motivational components (predispositions or tendencies to respond). (Ivan, 1971) 2.1.2. SELF-THEORY IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Self image/product image on brand/product preferences The self-concept is basically a cognitive structure which is in many ways associated with strong feelings or behaviours. Consumers make choices are in the connection with self-concept which is cognitive appraisal attributes about oneself in the attachment to different brands. This means a consumer may purchase some product as he feels that product enhances himself, and this consumer may not like to shop in a certain store due to the reason that he feels the stores products are not as the same level as he is at or not fit into him in terms if representing his image. (Edward, et,al.1968) And this is the image of self as individuals express themselves by choosing brands whose personalities are perceived to be congruent with their own personalities. (Ahmad, et.al, 2001) Since people have their own personalities, product/services is assumed to its own personality image as well. This personality is represented in the product/services attributes like conventional, posh, trendy, casual etc. The products personality is also represented into extended functions like tangible costs, benefits like quality, space, price and performance. These functions are not only the representatives of products/services image but also features in other factors like advertising, stereotype of the users, other marketing prospects, etc. This type of product image has been interacted with consumers self-concept and effect a so-called self-image/product image congruity, in which influence the consumers product preference and purchase intention. (Joseph, 1985) Self-esteem and Self-consistency V.S. Purchase Motivation If a product image is close to self-image, it will be named as self-congruity while as if a product image is close to ideal self-image, it will be named as ideal congruity. It is argued that self-congruity (SC) affects purchase motivation through the activation and operation of the self-consistency motive. In contrast, ideal congruity (DC) affects purchase motivation through the mediation of the self-esteem motive. (Joseph, 1985) Various self/image congruity illustrations will cause various purchase motivations among consumers. If a consumer has high self-esteem, he will purchase a positively valued product in order to keep his positive self-image. However, he will never purchase certain product which is negatively valued product as he wants to avoid negative self-congruity. Take an automobile as an example, a high self-esteem customer will always buy a good ideal car in order to satisfy others or societys point of view as it is important for him to maintain the status in his surroun dings. He will never buy a car which projects a lower image in comparison to his self-esteem. However, from the perspective of self-consistency, consumer will be always motivated to purchase a product either positive or negative image as it is important that the product itself should be reflecting his/her self-image belief. A table has been illustrated from Joseph (1985) is clearly stated the relationship in the purchase motivation and customers own image/personality. Source: (Joseph, 1985) Discussions Since the self-concept has been divided into multidimensional perspectives, researchers have studied a lot on different self-dimensions to find out any relationship to the consumers behaviour. Therefore, it turned out the product image/self-image can not always satisfy consumers to purchase certain product under his intention all the time. Some researchers argued that consumers are not only seeking the product which is close to self-image. Sometimes, consumer does not choose the product which represents him, but rather certain product which is related to his ideal self-image due to that the relevant self-image dimension is negative. (Laird, 1974) This has brought us into the considerations that social factors, status, environment have changed consumers actual purchase into the ideal purchase in order to match up with the reality or society though this is similar like self-esteem concept in the above part. Researchers have also argued that people purchase some branded product is not due to the perception of him, as it might be the cause of post-purchases effects. This means after purchase, consumer has taken its product-image into his self-image to represent himself instead of pre-purchase effect. It is the product-image causing the effect instead of self-image cause the purchase of the product. 2.2. CONSUMER DECISION MAKING 2.2.1. CONCEPT Decision making for a consumer has never been so complicated since high technology development in the global commercial industry. Similar products within same functions among various brands in retail outlets and shopping malls have created more choices for a consumer. And retailers are becoming competitors to each other by using various promotion methods like advertising, direct mails and leaflets of information on goods and services attract customers to purchase. With the development of information system, the choice for decision making for a consumer becomes much more complex due to the electronic format on products display. (Steven, 1996) An organization which embraces the marketing concept tries to provide products that satisfy customer needs through coordinated sets of activities that also allow the organization to achieve its goals. Customers satisfaction is the major aim of the marketing concept. (Dibb et al., 1994) It is a process in which both the parties are benefited by exchanging if buyer intend to purchase something of value from the seller, in return seller must get something of value. (Table 1 and Table 2) In order to grow in an efficient way, organizations always try to find out the reasons of why consumers make such purchase decision or why not. The key to drive a companys growth is to understand the elements that motivate into consumers buying decision. Only under such condition can a leader of the company to smartly arrange the allocation of the resources and supportive activities. (Todd, el,al,2005) Purchase a product involves a decision-making process among consumers. According to Paul (2007), there are four chains related to such decision making process: Search for alternatives, Evaluation of alternatives, Purchase, and outcomes of the purchase. The chart below has been a good example of a decision-making of motorists buying gasoline. Source: (Paul, 2007) Decision-making process has been largely influenced by the modern communication tools among companies. As from the view of marketers perspective, what is important is not simply understanding the nature of the decision process, but how this influences the individuals responses to advertising communications. (Keith) Hence, a proper understanding of consumers decision-making now is becoming much more and more complex and interesting. 2.2.2. CONSUMER DECISION MAKING IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Consumer decision styles: Below is a chart which will explain two types of influences that motivate consumers buying behaviour: tangible and intangible factors. Elements that influence consumers buying decision: (Todd, et,al.2005) Researchers also found that peoples choices over the products perceptions are various according to different nations. According to Sproles and Kendall (1986, p. 268), a consumers decision-making style is a mental orientation characterizing a consumers approach to making choices. They developed eight basic elements that influence consumers buying decision which are: quality conscious, brand conscious, fashion conscious, recreational and hedonistic orientation, price conscious, impulsive and careless tendencies, confused by over-choice and brand loyalty. (Cheng-Lu, et,al, 2004) This means any element or combinations of them among these eight mental characters can be the final decision of a buyers choice depend on what he is focusing on. Howard and Sheth Theory of Buyer Behaviour: Brand Model This model made by Howard and Sheth has considered various factors into the consumers decision making over a product. In the chart below, there are seven factors shown its relatives to a decision making of a buyer. And under this model, three situations have been composed to illustrate buyers decision of purchase over the products brand: Routinized Response Behaviour Brand Familiar, Limited Problem Solving new and unfamiliar brand in a familiar product class, and Extensive Problem Solving unfamiliar brand in unfamiliar product class. Under the theory, attitude has been considered as the sum of a number of dimensions. Attitude is like intention which equals to what level of motives of satisfying a customers needs inside of the mind. Source: Paul (2007) Rationality Behaviour Some researchers are questioning that what is the rationality decision making? Does rationality also involve in the buyers purchase decision-making? According to Keith (2007), the assumptions of rationality are that people strive to maximize utility and have perfect knowledge in the search for the optimum solution. By using the decision rules, a choice has to be made through a set of alternatives considering each alternative with certain criteria singling out the best suitable one in the process of a rationality decision making. It is always a process in the search and chooses over the factor of satisfaction. However, the existence of the debate between rationality behaviour and emotional conscious is always been argued. It might be possible for a customer that make a rational purchase, but some people would argue that there is certain existence degree of emotional impulses result in the choice among the alternatives. In this situation, decision-making under the consciousness of rationality and emotion sensual have gathered more researchers into the investigation to study consumers decision making in a comparative way. (William, 1998) Discussions: Researchers find out that various countries decision making style on consumers are different. However, due to the degree of economy of a country, consumers decision making on the products according to the eight characters are not exactly right since those features are more applicable to those countries where are more developed. Differences in culture and infrastructure of the retailers have also illustrated the various shopping experiences on decision making of the consumers. Take Indias retailers as an example, most of the shops are in small sizes and family owned. There is not so much space for consumers to compare with various choices inside of the store, and usually consumers buy the products with predetermined list on hand and expected prices to choose from the products in store. People always buy the cloth and put it into tailor shop to do the designs instead of buying the ready ones. Hence, searching for a universal instrument that can describe consumers decision-making styles among a wide domain of cultures is problematic. (Steven, et, al. 1996) Online shopping environment allows marketers to build interactive tools for consumers to make decision in a new transformation way. Consumers make online shopping decision has changed the traditional way that online interactive tools have allowed consumers to compare products in depth and purchase a quality product in an efficient way. However, this suggests that interactive decision aids have the potential to drastically transform the way in which consumers search for product information and make purchase decision. (Gerald Valerie, 2000) This also has carried out a future research on the relationship between consumer decision making and behaviour in the settings of virtual world. Some researchers believe that purchase behaviour includes consumer decision process while others argue that for many purchases, a decision process has never occurred, not even on the first purchase. This is due to several reasons: necessity purchase, culturally-mandated lifestyles purchases, purchase because of childhood preferences acquirement, purchase of recommendations, or random purchase, etc. (Richard Donald, 1979) 2.3. FASHION THEORY 2.3.1. CONCEPT Fashion in a theoretic term is a culturally endorsed form of expression, in a particular material or non-material phenomenon, which is discernible at any given time and changes over time within a social system or group of associated individuals. The typical examples to express fashion are clothing, dresses and adornment. The popular adoption for fashion is under the term of clothing, and normally, clothing and fashion are synonymous terms. Also, fashion is expressed in other ways between material in nature like furniture and non-material context like art appreciation. According to the researchers, there are two dimensions inside of fashion: fashion object and fashion process. Literally to understand, fashion object is a specific object such as a dress/a coat, etc. Due to its special appearance or particular style, it is named as fashion object. It represents the fashion at that point of time. In order to identify fashion process, a cycle below has been drawn to better understand the cycle of fashion process. (Charles Lawrence, 1980) 3). Early Adoption by Fashion Leaders. 4). Diffusion of the fashion through social networks; 5). Fashion Decline of that object 1). Public Acceptance of a potential fashion from origination 2). Introduction of a fashion innovation Modern individuals new lifestyles have been translated by the fashion designers into new fashion concepts in todays society. And such new process has composed the fashion process into another new framework. The fashion process in a new framework has been re-conceptualized as fashion transformation process model. This model, combined with symbol interactions (SI) theory, has built some new predictions regarding the fashion industry. Fashion changes will also change the relationship between individuals (various in society) and society as a whole which is affected by two factors: micro-level (individual) and the macro-level (socio-dynamic) forces. (Fletch, et,al. 2002) Fashion, empirically speaking, changes due to the high demands of micro forces in individuals expectations such as fashion designers, innovators or wearers. How quick to change fashion is not only depends on those micro-level factors but also on a social trends which are considered as macro-forces in society such as needs to conform, pressures from others want to be the same or different from others in the society. However brand effect is always connected with micro-level subjects who are considered through an individual on how important he values a brand on what level to match with himself in society. After all, all these factors are changing the fashion sector and influence consumers buying behaviour simultaneously. (Appendix 1 Appendix 2) Fast fashion industry has contributed a lot into the consumers buying behaviour in these years. Fashion means designer shops or retailers change all styles in the shop/floors within every two weeks or even shorter period. This has generated a lot of revenue to those retailers by selling cheap amount of quantities of clothes to various people who prefer to change clothes all the time, especially in the young generations. Shops like Primark, HM, Top shop and New Look are classic retailers working on fast fashion trend and all of the shops are competitive to each other due to similar fashion in the markets. And people do like shopping in these shops not only of the cheap prices attraction, but also because of the fast changing new styles. (Louise, Grete, 2009) 2.3.2. FASHION THEORY IN CONSUMER BEHAIVOUR Fashion Clothing Involvement The fashion clothing involvement has been suggested as one of the main subjects that can confirm purchase behaviour among buyers. It can be learnt through the attached feeling toward consumer-fashion clothing. It is important to learn the fashion clothing involvement among various people as it is the main driver which influence the societys fashion adoption process and involvement is potentially an important area as it represents an important symbolic consumption area for consumers. To better understand consumers purchase behaviour, it is a key to know his involvement in fashion clothing. Apart clothing served as a protection of warmth, it is represented other functions such as social status for an individual and what he looks like (professional, casual, etc.). Therefore, research on such consumer behaviour is also seen as the major role of marketing companies to understand and provide right choices for the customers. ( OCass, 2000) Involvement is valued as the factor to boost customers motivation and a base to better understand bi-lateral relationships between sellers and buyers in the markets. It is also a fact to drive individuals growth and satisfaction as well as personal goal-oriented behaviour. Hence, it is a vital task for marketers to understand such fashion clothing involvement in the marketing environment. Luxury Brands in Buyers Behaviour The market for luxury branded products has never been so demanded in the last ten years. The most suitable reason of people behind the luxury brands is because of the fact of social status symbol. Research found out that luxury brands are not only purchased by the rich older generations, but also younger generations who are crazily enjoying the purchase behind the brands. In order to target more younger generations into the shopping branding list, marketers start to focus on diffusion brand: an extension of a brand. This means a new product is introduced under the name of an existing brand. (Aaker 1991) A diffusion brand is a step-down brand extension of an existing luxury brand in similar product categories, which aims to establish a close connection with the parent brand as a luxury product. (Fernie et al. 1997, Speed 1998) However, the differences can be varied into quality and price to fit more into the market under the same line of a luxury brand such as Armani Exchange under th e luxury brand of Armani. This is also to fit into society and adopt more acceptance from the buyers in the society among young generations. Media Celebrity Influence Consumers follow media and celebritys fashion is very common in modern society. Marketing tools put massive presences of new trend fashion into media channels like (advertising on magazines, newspaper) have largely boosted consumers buying behaviour in recent years. And consumers are would love to follow the trends due to its the societys trend. For celebrity, due to her/his nature of job profile, clothes for socializing are only worn few times and their massive presences on media have also brought the newest fashion trend among the followers in young generations, and this at the same time boost similar kind of products production into a good selling. (Louise Grete, 2009) Discussion Researchers also argued that SI theory in the fashion process transformation has not fully solved the relationship between two forces. This is expressed as such questions like: if a customer is concerning culture factor into the fashion, what will be the process related to a fashion product? What will be the features of the image, product/buyers result in the influence of such process? Are there differences between fashion innovators and fashion followers in terms of tolerance of symbolic ambiguity, need for uniqueness, and other related characteristics? The combination of SI to new fashion process model is not so clear on such situations. Future more studies will be focused as well as re-conceptualize the process model related to fashion change. As fast fashion exists, there is more and more concern on the increasing textile waste which needs to be dealt with. This term is named as disposable fashion. Researchers started to question the relationship between fast fashion and environment sustainability issues. Is such fashion valuable to the market as well as consumers concern? To maintain a good environment, fast fashion properly needs to re-define its own meanings into the society. And this needs those retailers to understand the importance of reducing the volume of textiles waste. (Louise Grete, 2009) 2.4. DIARY V.S. THEORIES According to researchers own shopping experience, his emotional impulse has driven him into that specific product. At the same time, style and design, expected price range have been composed as the factors to motivate researchers buying. And emotional factor has always been the debate between rational behaviour and emotional conscious. According to William (1998), while most consumer researchers have favored a rational information processing model of buyer decision making and behaviour, a few also tried to understand consumers in more emotional and sensual terms. However, the emotional consciousness has never been empirically tested as there is little research work focusing on this. Hence, researchers own experience has challenged that there was certain level degree of emotions factors drive him to purchase the products in the market apart from other factors. Brand preference is another factor motivating purchase behaviour. Though there is an emotional feeling inside toward brand preference, it is still brand itself influencing researchers buying behaviour as a lot of people like researcher believes that a product under a good brand always contains the feature of quality. Brand preference in here is expressed both in the self-concept and fashion theory. According to researcher, an un-planned purchase in Zara meant two elements in the behaviour: fashion style toward and self-concept image. As researcher has seen students wearing similar kind of style in university, he bought the similar kind of products in Zara. From the fashion perspective, this is because of brands orientation while as from the self-concept perspective, researcher has certain feeling that he wants to be fashionable status or looking good in the university. And that is the process from actual self to ideal self images changing process. This means researcher is very carin g for the fashion trend in the market. Individuals express themselves by choosing brands whose personalities are perceived to be congruent with their own personalities. (Ahmad, et.al, 2001) Researcher also experienced certain brand he does not like due to the unfamiliar and that brand he considered is not fit into his own personality. This once has clearly proved the theory of self that product/brand image will influence consumers behaviour since consumer has his own view of himself in the market although factors like price and quality is also the concerns inside of self-image sometimes. In the course of shopping experience in House of Fraser, factor like environment of the shopping mall has also driven researcher getting his own products. This could be the design of the mall and emotion consciousness inside of consumers mind which make decisions of buying certain product in specific store/shopping mall. Although cognitive factors may largely account for store selection and for most planned purchases within the store, the environment in the store and the emotional state of consumers may be important determinants of purchase behaviour. (Elaine Anil, 1997) This can also be the future research topic as the combinations of environmental elements and emotional driven forces in the expression of consumers behaviours. 3. CONCLUSION After all, there are three findings beyond theories: All theories are correlated: It has become very important for researchers to cover all the theories while doing market research. As at some point these theories show acquaintance to each other. -Some uncovered factors: It has been discovered most situations in consumer behaviours can be explained related to the theory mode. But there are still some other factors (environment in the store/emotional consciousness) needs to be researched in the future to carry out a better understanding on consumers behaviour. Brand preferences: It has been spoken in all three theories; this means that people would like to purchase brands all the time and brand power is massive and beyond considerations. That is why fashion is about brand, personality is about brand and decision-making is about brand. The topic of consumers behaviour will always remain an interesting topic for marketers. Marketers are still not able to understand the central processing unit of human fully, where all the analysis takes place about purchasing a product or service. It needs a constant research and deep understanding of human mental map. Its a saying Nothing is permanent in this world same applies to human buying behaviour. Demand for a change in human nature will always disappoint researchers. The processing in the black box is like phase, one phase finishes another comes with different influencing factors. REFERENCES A. Cholachatpinyo, I. Padgett, M. Crocker B. 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