Chambers, Chacko, and Lewis have summarized the basic beliefs about consumer behaviour into five premises. These premises provide a good basis on which to start a discussion of consumer behaviour.

Premise 1 : Consumer behaviour is purposeful and goal oriented. As we mentioned in the introduction, what looks like irrational behaviour to a manager is completely rational to a consumer.

Premise 2 : The consumer has free choice. Consumers do not have to pay attention to your marketing communications. Messages are processed selectively. In most cases the consumer has several products from which to choose.

Premise 3 : Consumer behaviour is a process. marketers need to understand the process.

Premise 4 : Consumer behaviour can be influenced. By und

People coming from the same subculture, social class, and occupation may have quite different lifestyles. A lifestyle is a person’s pattern of living as expressed in his/her activities, interests and opinions. Lifestyle portrays the “whole person” interacting with his environment.

A person belongs to many groups: family, clubs, and organizations. An individual’s position in each group can be defined in terms of role and status. A Role consists of the activities that a person is expected to perform according to the persons around him or her.

A person’s economic situation greatly affects product choice and the decision to purchase a particular product. Consumers cut back on restaurant meals, entertainment, and vacations during recessions. They trade down in their choice of restaurants. Marketers need to watch trends in personal incomes, savings, and interest rates.

Marketers must decide on the degree to which they will adapt their products and marketing programs to meet the unique needs of consumers in various markets. They want to standardize their offerings in order to simplify operation and take advantage of cost economies. On the other hand, adapting marketing efforts within each country results in products and programs that better satisfy the needs of local consumers. The question of whether to adapt or standardize the marketing mixes across international markets has created a lively debate in recent years.

Lifestyle classifications are by no means universal. Advertising agency McCann-ERIKSON London, for example, found the following British lifestyles: aunt Guardians, Pontificators (traditionalist), Chameleon (follow the crowds), and sleepwalkers (contented underachievers).

Some topics in this essay:
Factors Consumer, Chacko Lewis, Life-Cycle Stage, California Culture, Singapore Japan, Australia Zealand, Roles Status, Lifestyle People, Castle McDonald, Economic Situation, consumer behaviour, social class, buying behaviour, social classes, black box, opinion leaders, economic situation, consumer buying, social factors, marketers understand, behaviour manager completely, irrational behaviour manager, manager completely rational, completely rational consumer, subculture social class,