Consumer Behavior: Beliefs, Motivation, and Marketing Studies

Posted on Feb 18, 2025 in Marketing

Understanding Consumer Behavior

Belief is the cognitive information that a person holds about an attitude object. Unlike knowledge, beliefs need not be objectively “true” or “correct”. Beliefs are acquired either through personal experience or through other socialization processes and may or may not carry an emotional charge. Beliefs make up product and brand images that affect buying behavior. Beliefs toward a product or a brand can be positive, neutral, or negative.

Perception is a process and refers to the way sensory information is selected, organized, interpreted, and consciously experienced.

Motivation is an internal state that drives people to identify and buy products that fulfill conscious and unconscious needs or desires.

Emotions such as happiness, joy, anger, and fear tend to be more intense and often relate to a specific triggering event, such as when repairmen don’t show up or when you have an amazing experience at a restaurant.

Attitude is a lasting, general evaluation of an object, person (including oneself), group, issue, or concept on a dimension ranging from negative to positive. Attitudes provide summary (positive / negative or mixed) evaluations and are often assumed to be derived from specific beliefs, emotions, and past behaviors associated with those objects. You can’t observe an attitude.

Behavior refers to the actions the consumer takes toward the object or, in some cases, at least his or her intentions to take action about it. A behavior is observed and factual.

Motivation, Needs, and Affect in Consumer Studies

The theory covered during these sessions focuses on understanding motivation, needs, and affect in consumer and market studies. Motivation drives consumer behavior by addressing unmet needs, creating a state of tension that consumers strive to resolve. It is influenced by basic needs, which are biological, and wants, which represent specific pathways shaped by individual and environmental factors. Theories like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Murray’s Psychogenic Needs are used to classify and analyze these motivations. Affect refers to the emotional responses of consumers toward products or services, which significantly influence decision-making, often more than logic. Emotions like happiness, anger, and fear shape choices, and marketers strategically evoke positive or even negative emotions, such as regret, to drive consumer behavior. Motivational conflicts, such as approach-approach, approach-avoidance, and avoidance-avoidance, also impact purchasing decisions. To measure these responses, marketers use quantitative tools like surveys and biometric measures, such as tracking heart rate or facial expressions, to understand emotional reactions. Additionally, sentiment analysis of social media provides insights into public perceptions of marketing campaigns, helping businesses gauge customer reactions and adapt their strategies accordingly.

The Marketing Study Process

The marketing study process involves:

  1. Identifying the management decision problem and the objectives.
  2. Formulating the marketing study problem.
  3. Determining the study design.
  4. Data collection and sampling.
  5. Analyzing and interpreting the data.
  6. Report preparation and delivery – make decisions.

Types of Data

The different types of data:

  • Primary data: Data originated by the researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the study problem. Primary data is data that needs to be collected.
  • Secondary data: Data collected for some purpose other than the problem at hand. Secondary data are existing data.
  • Internal data: Data available within the organization for which the study is being conducted.
  • External data: Data that are external to the organization for which the study is being conducted.

Types of Marketing Studies

The different types of study:

  • Exploratory Study: This type focuses on gaining insights and understanding of the market. It is flexible, unstructured, and typically uses small, non-representative samples. It helps to break down broad or vague problems into more precise questions. For example, exploratory studies are useful when investigating opinions, attitudes, and feelings, as well as understanding behavior.
  • Descriptive (Explanatory) Study: This conclusive study is aimed at describing market characteristics or functions, such as the behaviors or attitudes of consumers. It uses structured methods and large, representative samples. The main goal is to measure and explain phenomena, providing a clear description of the market.
  • Causal (Confirmatory) Study: Another conclusive type of study, causal studies focus on determining cause-and-effect relationships. For instance, it might explore how a specific factor (e.g., product features) influences consumer behavior or attitudes.
  • Conclusive Study: In general, conclusive studies are formal and structured, designed to test hypotheses and examine relationships between variables. They provide clear, actionable findings that assist decision-makers in evaluating and selecting the best course of action.

Variables and Scales

VARIABLE:

  1. Qualitative
    1. Nominal: without order relationship between the modalities. Ex: profession, gender, color.
    2. Ordinal: with order relationship between the modalities. Ex: very satisfied, satisfied, not satisfied–clothing size, number of times.
  2. Quantitative
    1. Discrete: modalities relating to a count. Ex: number of children, number of days off.
    2. Continuous: modalities relating to a measure. Ex: age, time spent on a task.

SCALES:

  1. Qualitative variables
    1. Nominal scale: assigns a distinct arbitrary code to different forms of a variable.
    2. Ordinal scale: classifies the different forms of the variable according to a hierarchy.
  2. Quantitative variables
    1. Interval scale: characterized by the presence of a standardized unit of measurement and a relative zero.
    2. Ratio scale: characterized by the presence of an absolute zero.

Qualitative Methodology

  • Sampling: Commonly uses non-probability sampling techniques like purposive, snowball, and convenience sampling. Participants are often selected based on characteristics relevant to the research question, including demographics, usage, and personal knowledge.
  • Interview Guide: Designed for depth interviews, which are unstructured or semi-structured. Includes open-ended questions to probe motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings. Themes and topics evolve iteratively during the study based on participant responses.
  • Analysis: Thematic analysis is used to identify patterns, codes, and themes from transcripts. Iterative processes ensure comprehensive interpretation, using quotes to support findings.

Quantitative Methodology

  • Sampling: Employs probability (e.g., random, stratified) and non-probability methods (e.g., quota sampling). Sampling frame and size are determined based on representativeness and study objectives.
  • Questionnaire Design: Structured questions are developed to ensure reliability and validity. Questionnaires undergo pretesting to refine wording, logic, and flow. Questions utilize various scales (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio) based on the nature of the data.
  • Analysis: Descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, median, standard deviation) summarize data. Inferential methods (e.g., t-tests, ANOVA) explore relationships and test hypotheses. Data cleaning and coding precede analysis to ensure accuracy.