Category: Consumer Behavior

Ideas on Consumerism Versus Ideas of Robert Crocker’s in ‘Somebody Else’s Problem’

Consumerism is a term we shy away from. When someone mentions consumerism, we start the infamous blame game. It now, however, has become an alarming issue that must be dealt with.

Robert Crocker’s book, ‘Somebody Else’s Problem’, confronts the key issues that fuel consumerism in modern society. Crocker’s ‘Somebody Else’s Problem’ will be directly compared to key ideas on consumerism from a variety of other commentators, including the following comparisons…which will include issues related to sustainability, waste-making, consumption, and deception.

Consumerism weaved its way into Britain at the begging of the eighteenth century at the time of the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution resulted in an inflation of products available due to the increasing use of machinery and equipment (Abu Baker, 2016). As time went on the purchasing of products became commonplace in the everyday lives of people in Britain. However, the consumerist culture now consists of buying clothes, cars, and technology. It has become increasingly evident that consumers are obtaining products to keep on top of the current trends and are always seeking new and better alternatives (Abu Baker, 2016). So what is consumerism? Consumerism is the idea that in order to continue increasing the consumption of goods one must infiltrate people’s emotions and well-being to subconsciously engage them into buying goods or services, to make themselves feel adequate (Chappelow, 2019). Consumerism further relates to a life of materialism, waste-making and overconsumption (Chappelow, 2019).

Robert Crocker teaches at the University of South Australia. He lectures history, the theory of design and sustainability within design at The School of Art, Architecture, and Design. Crocker began his career as an early modern scientist and philosophy historian, and his interest in sustainability, consumerism and consumption evolved during his time helping out at local pedestrian and advocacy groups (Crocker, 2016). Robert Crocker’s enthusiasm for sustainability and consumerism led him to publish ‘Somebody Else’s Problem.’ Robert Crocker’s core argument in his publication is that consumerism remains the leading cause of today’s environmental issues. It emphasizes the point that solely relying on technology is not a satisfactory solution to environmental issues, particularly climate change and that it is no longer feasible to leave the burden of solving these global issues with scientists and economists. ‘Somebody Else’s Problem’ addresses consumption, waste, pollution, accelerators within consumerism as well as ways designers can take action to evoke necessary change (Somebody Else’s Problem: Consumerism, Sustainability, and Design, 2016). Crocker further addresses the severity of consumerism, claiming it to be the underlying source of the high carbon system. Key arguments displayed within ‘Somebody Else Problem’ include individualization and substitution, waste-making, deception and how we as consumers value products (Somebody Else’s Problem: Consumerism, Sustainability, and design, 2016).

Firstly, Crocker effectively establishes the key idea that deception feeds consumerism and consumption. He argues that the current consumption rates are unendurable even though the product or service may be technologically competent. Crocker furthers this idea by explaining that, despite the ongoing technological and economical advances in products and services, the continuous incline of consumption ultimately defeats the efficiency rates. To illustrate this idea Crocker provides us with the example of the new Tata car in India. The car itself has a very small motor thus making it a vehicle with remarkably low emissions. The Tata car was advertised at two thousand five hundred American dollars, however, due to its low, affordable cost the sales skyrocketed, and millions were purchased. This ultimately contradicted the initial purpose of the efficient car. This example can be applied to many companies, especially in the sales of environmentally friendly cars, appliances and devices. In addition to this idea, Crocker discusses that deception is also fuelled by consumers, in particular their devotion to products that guarantee fulfillment, which is promised through the media. An example that portrays this is wrinkle-reducing face creams. As soon as the product is purchased its value to the consumer increases, because of the belief that what is now theirs is wonderful and terrific. These pledges to products and brands consequently give consumerism unnecessary power and moral stance. As a result of this, we find ourselves ‘buying and using products, becoming committed to the product which we have sacrificed our money for and the time and effort this represents to us’ (Crocker, 2016, p. 6)

Crocker further explains that deception is more than just being enticed through fictitious advertising, it is a commitment to continue to hide away, remaining in complete blindness. Crocker explains that we are deaf to the disastrous effects of our everyday choices. (Crocker, 2016). To conclude Crocker’s idea on deception feeding consumerism, he explains ways in which this can be reduced. He informs us of his strong ideology that science and technology will not free us from the vicious cycle of consumption and consumerism. Crocker espouses that values need to be altered, values need to construct differently, particularly within social media and advertisement, designers and scientists should start collaborating to produce environmentally friendly and efficient products but most importantly we should work together, eventually finding the right solution (Somebody Else’s Problem: Consumerism, Sustainability and Design, Green Leaf Publishings).

Similarly, the distinct ideas portrayed in Consumption, Consumer Culture and Consumer Society by Arıkan Saltık, Işıl, Fırat, Aytekin & Kutucuoğlu, Kemal & Tuncel, Ozgür (2013) are consistent with that of Crocker. The article makes some direct links with Crocker’s ideas of deception feeding consumerism and consumption. (Arıkan Saltık, Işıl, Fırat, Aytekin & Kutucuoğlu, Kemal & Tuncel, Ozgür, 2013) The ideology of the authors is that within the consumerist culture there is the deliberate use of advertising and social media deception to control and manipulate others, encouraging them to buy compulsively, and they must abide to the idea of consuming in the instance rather than postponing. Moreover, the article displays other ideas linking to that of Crocker’s on deception and consumerism is that the consumer society revolves around consumption, the exhibition of products in pursuit of social gratification and status (Baudrillard, 1998). To conclude on the ideas of deception within the aforementioned research paper, the final idea which corresponds to that of Crocker’s is that within the consumer society products are used swiftly then discarded ignorantly. This unthoughtful disposal of products has lead to the exploitation of values, alluding to negative consequences. (Penpece, 2006).

It is apparent that the ideas espoused by Arıkan Saltık, Işıl et al., Baudrillard and Penpece consolidate the views of Robert Crocker, as their views are very similar to that of Crocker’s concept of deception fuelling consumerism. The respective ideas that are directly linked to the ideas of Crocker’s are that advertisements and social media are used to wrongly influence people resulting in compulsively buying as well as encouraging unnecessary purchases in order to satisfy their needs and gain social gratification. In addition, it can be seen that there is an agreement on the idea that consumers buy fast, become committed, and dispose of the product carelessly consequently resulting in negative effects to the environment.

Secondly, Crocker provides the idea that consumerism can be identified as waste-making. Waste-making that is produced through the old being reinstated by the new and trendy. Crocker explains that this encourages people to discard perfectly good products that may merely be few years old or provoke people to use one-off items. This is driven by our willingness to discredit the products which we hold in our hands. Crocker provides the example that there is substantial consumption and waste-making within the coffee shop industry, which involves quick disposable, plastic-coated paper cups despite them being non-recyclable, generating unsustainable emissions in the manufacture and production process. Also, Crocker reinforces his idea by stating that over eight million of cups are sold at Starbucks every day. Crocker further reinstates his idea that consumerism comprises waste-making in the form of stylistic and technological obsolescence as well as the physiological depreciation of our product values, hence initiating the process of comparison. This leads to the issue of throwing products away because they are considered old, therefore creating an accelerating problem of waste. Crocker makes three points regarding waste within consumerism; First of all is that the global production rates of consumption generate waste in unmanageable quantities. These excessive volumes cannot be tackled efficiently. There is the exception of the few clean, post-industrial cities that use leading engineering and collection systems, however, in the remaining parts of the world there are uncontrollable plans put in place, in an attempt to salvage the accumulating waste. To clarify this further Crocker delivers some facts and figures; 50% of the world experiences the formal collection of waste, and 50% of our global population have access to modern sanitation, however, this means that to over three billion people waste is a contributor to pollution. Following on from the previous point Crocker explains that today’s waste contains vast volumes of environmentally damaging toxic substances. These eventually evade their briefly lived residences unable to be ceased or reused in a useful form. Crocker further adds that marine scientists are now able to photograph plankton that glow due to the microplastics found within cosmetic packaging and other products (Crocker, 2016) Seabirds are now being recovered with their organs filled with vivid coloured plastics fed to them by their innocent parents (Liboiron, 2015/6). Crocker’s final point within this idea is that consumers themselves rely on the old products being swiftly replaced to make space available for the new products, resulting in the accumulation of waste. Furthermore, Crocker asserts that the re-use and second-hand markets are unable to effectively keep up with the extensive production of products. Recycling converts around 20% of the population’s waste to resources in which the product can be used again. Overall a large percentage of consumer waste turns into pollution, destroying the environment.

Crocker’s idea of consumerism as waste-making directly compares to that of Athreya Mamidipudi, Kristi Gartner and Suzzane Jacobs in their written articles. Athreya Mamidipudi’s ideology is that due to the escalation in consumerism there is an immense gathering of waste, with no acknowledgment of our mistakes. She explains that the increasing income levels and modernization results in more unnecessary consumption resulting in greater waste generation due to more and more disposable incomes. Also, Mamidipudi discusses that since the creation of plastics in the nineteen fifties the consumer society has changed as plastics are being produced at high rates making it very cheap to use. Mamidipudi furthers her idea of consumerism as waste-making as she explains that in consumerism easy-use products have dominated the market. Mamidipudi emphasises her idea further by providing an issue in India as a consequence of consumerism; India is dealing with the worrying problem of the production of plastic is significantly higher to the recycling rate. To conclude her idea Mamidipudi suggests that eco products should be encouraged, as well as investing in the long term, reusable products and incentives (Mamidipudi, 2018). Correspondingly Kristi Gartner’s article Consumerism, Mass Extinction, and our Throw-Away Society showcase her idea that consumerism has reached its peak, with products becoming obsolete quicker than ever and new products being purchased every day leading to serious consequences regarding pollution and waste. She explains that there is the chance of mass extinction, there is the hazard that over three-quarters of the earth species could become extinct which is a result of our overconsumption and wanting more than we require. Similar to the idea of Crocker’s, Gartner explains that she feels technological products are being upgraded at a startling rate and that we are being sucked into the advertisement that goes hand in hand with products, selling us high-speed processing and exquisite graphics. We end up buying these products to improve our lives, to benefit the environment however this may be true in some cases Garter explains that the product will only be environmentally friendly if we dispose of the replaced products effectively. Gartner provides the idea that these products can only be environmentally efficient if we stop the ignorant discarding of toxic items. To conclude Gartner gives her final idea that society needs to be informed about the impact of disposing of waste carelessly and that just because we can afford something doesn’t mean we need it (Gartner, 2016).

The ideas adopted by Athreya Mamidipudi and Kristi Gartner unify with those of Robert Crocker’s as their ideas are remarkably similar to that of Crocker’s that Consumerism can be seen as waste making. The ideas directly linked to that of Crocker’s are that the expeditious obsolescence of products is directly encouraging people to throw away perfectly good products just to conform to the trends, this is amplified through our disregard for product value but also the benefits we believe it will bring to us. Furthermore, there is agreement on the idea that products are being manufactured rapidly creating waste at unmanageable quantities, making the recycling process unsustainable as can be seen with the India Scenario. It can also be seen that the idea of quick use, mass-manufactured at inexpensive prices encourages consumerism as the products are affordable are evident it that of Crockers and the articles. Finally, the ideas of consumerists not being informed on how to throw away products correctly are contributing to pollution and waste as products are being purchased however there is a apparent lack of concern when disposing of obsolete are similar.

Another idea of Crocker’s which is discussed within “Somebody else’s problem…’ is that continuous comparison and competition advocated through idealistic advertisement fuels consumerism and that companies are playing off our fears of not being the best. Crocker shares his idea base on that of Dwyers ‘Making a habit of it’ on that people are constantly looking over their shoulders, comparing themselves to friends and feeling the need to look a certain way to gain specific job, car or house (Dwyer, 2009). Crocker further explains his idea that Consumerism caused by comparison as well as self-evaluation. Comparison in most cases involves looking at those above us in order the gain ideas of the standard which we should be following. An example that Crocker provides concerning this idea is the Benson and Hedges advert, where the protagonist has the best qualities and highest standards, which represents a luxury and prestigious life. Through the potential wealthy and luxury that can be associated with the product, it gives us an insight into what our lives could be like if we owned it. Moreover, Crocker explains that reaching the top of the luxury ladder requires time and effort, this means working hard as we don’t want to look underprivileged. This often means reaching the goal where we can purchase a ‘copy’ of the affluent item. Following on from this Crocker discusses that many businesses offer a more affordable copy of their luxury products, for example, BMW offers more affordable models to engage new consumers. This enables people to be part of the luxury brand at a much affordable price. Also, Crocker furthers his idea stating that ‘comparison and consumption are necessarily escalatory’ (Crocker, 2019, p.104). He explains that it achieves a sense of insistence, which ultimately encourages us to purchase more desirable things, this latches on to use causing the fear of social decline. Brands play of this fear and worry by creating stories, making the products seem magical. Crocker provides his idea that brands live in our minds and that advertising ensures we see the ideal product. For example, car showrooms are the foundation for the brand and the story for cars, it becomes a place to impress. (Litman, 2009). p.105

Correspondingly the ideas shared by American behavioral scientist Marsha L Richins, in the article ‘Social comparison, Advertising and consumer discontent’ are akin to that of Crocker’s. Richin’s idea on consumerism and comparison is that the exposure of adverts, magazine images, and television programs are being idealised to portray a certain way of life. These images give us the impression go high luxury lives which realistically can nothing but be achieved by the few. Richin’s explains that these idealised images, especially in an advertisement, lead to self-comparison and evaluation, resulting in the purchasing of products with the hope of improving their standards of living. This according to Richin’s is a significant contributor to the rise in consumerism. Furthermore, Richen’s explains social comparison is between people is being fulled through glorified adverts, this is again causing people to continuously buy products to outdo others consequently increasing consumerism and waste. Richin’s continues her idea by discussing how the use of advertisements has been carefully produced to increase the consumer’s eagerness to purchase the product, this is also influenced the continued comparison to others and the fear that they might not be the best. However, Richin’s provides a counter idea that despite idealised advertising encouraging competitiveness and consumerism it is effective in the selling of products so, therefore, it wouldn’t be conceivable to discard the advertising technique. Richin’s believes in the idea that consumers should be informed on how to interpret the precise meaning of advertisements (Richins,1995)

It can clearly be seen that ideas of Crockers and Richins share some similarities, however Richins shares some valid ideas contradictory to that of Crockers with regards to comparison and competition fuelling consumerism. Both share the same idea that the continuous comparison between people to achieve better standards is increasing consumerism, this is because people are comparing what they have to what other have as well as comparing themselves to idealised adverts which convey unrealistic expectations. In addition, both parties agree that advertisers use the fear of social decline to evoke self-evaluation, resulting in the purchasing of products ultimately increasing the vicious cycle of consumerism. However Richins makes a valid idea which somewhat conducts that of Crockers which is the idealised advertisement is necessary in the advertisement of products and that people should be educated on to interpret the true meaning of advertisements, this is something Crocker failed to mention which would be beneficial in the aid to decrease self-evaluation and social comparison.

Impacts Of Social Media Marketing On Purchasing Decision Of Electronic Goods

Abstract:

The Internet has become the primary source of information for a large number of marketers and consumers. In developing countries like India, the rapid growth in social media provides both marketers and consumers a platform for communication and sharing information. This research paper aims to study the impact of social media in consumers’ decision-making process for purchasing of electronic goods. The study is conducted in Kothrud Pune, the respondents were consumers from the age group of 18-60 years. While purchasing electronic goods most of consumers consider different factors like Price, warranty for the product, quality, brand, delivery services, security, etc. This paper concludes with social media marketing having an impact to overcome these risk factors involved and being helpful for product analysis.

Keywords– Social media marketing, electronic devices, consumer behavior, Buying behavior, E-Commerce, E-WOM, etc.

I. Introduction

Businesses are increasingly using the Internet for commercial activities. The presence of the Internet and its access has made it an extremely effective mode of communication between businesses and customers.

The mid-’90s that is 1995 – 2002 was a critical event that allowed the internet to become a viable marketing tool. In 2003 – 2004, the arrival of social media sites like Facebook, and LinkedIn led to a shift of internet users into social networking sites. Eventually, businesses picked up on the positive effects of a social media site presence on e-commerce and started creating their own profiles on popular networking sites. Nowadays, over 90% of marketing executives are utilizing social media as a key marketing strategy. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube channels, and others are useful in notifying the latest commodities and brands. All product details, specifications, and reviews will be analyzed by using different tools like Content Writing, E-WOM, Google search, blogs, and reviews on E-Commerce sites. etc.

Major Electronic products used in daily routine life consist of mobile phones, Laptops, Computers, refrigerators, Washing machines, Kitchen appliances, Air conditioners, Entertainment systems, and other accessories, etc.

Electronic equipment account major share of an individual’s shopping. While purchasing electronic goods most of consumers consider different factors like Price, warranty for the product, quality, brand, delivery services, and security etc. The price is a major factor as electronic products are costly in nature so people hesitate to take purchasing decisions. Now, Social media help them to take purchasing decisions. Shopping of electronic goods with the help of social media marketing tools results in great convenience to the life of the people as it helps in price comparison, product selection, quality comparison and gives service security. Indian consumers have started to buy smartphones, televisions, refrigerators and large-capacity washing machines online, leading to an increase in average billing sizes for these categories in the major e-commerce marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon. The industry players and analysts said that the average billing size for televisions sold online has gone up 50%, while for appliances and smartphones it has increased by up to 20% in the last year. Industry executives said that now consumers show a willingness to purchase costly products online even last year. Smartphones, televisions, and appliances together account for over 60-65% of total e-commerce sales in India and online accounts for 35% of total smartphone sales, while for television it is 15% and 6-8% for appliances.

For this reason, this study will be carried out in order to determine the main impact of social media marketing on consumer attitudes and intentions toward purchasing of electronic devices.

The sub-goals for the research are:

• To determine the main impact of social media marketing on purchasing decisions of electronic devices
• To study consumers’ attitudes and intentions toward the shopping of electronic devices online.

II. Literature Review

In today’s scenario, Social media marketing is an interesting topic among researchers and academicians. Most of businesses are using these social media marketing strategies for communication with consumers. Consumer purchase decisions are highly affected by Reviews on social media, content writing, and in different ways. Nowadays, customers are showing a willingness to buy products having high prices with the help of social media.

Funde, and Thakur (2014), in their paper titled “Effect of Social Media on Purchase Decision”, the paper examine the usage pattern and its influences the five stages of the purchase process. The paper concludes that social media reviews and opinions affect the purchase decision process; however, the tendency of sharing experiences post-purchase is surprisingly low.

Cristina, and Castronovo (2012), in their paper titled “Social Media In An Alternative Marketing Communication Model” to develop an integrated alternative marketing communication conceptual model that can be applied by industrial practitioners to help them achieve their marketing objectives. The paper concludes that WOM marketing, alternative marketing communications, and social media as viable components of integrated marketing communications.

Assistant Prof. Ali YAYLI and Murat BAYRAM (2013), in their paper titled “Ewom: The Effects Of Online Consumer Reviews On Purchasing Decision Of Electronic Goods”, the paper examine the impact of, one type of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), the online consumer review, on purchasing decision of electronic products. The results show that consumer reviews have a causal impact on consumer purchasing behavior and they have an effect on choosing the products by the consumer. Finally, the results and their implications are discussed.

Anastasiya Oshchepkova (2017), in a project titled “E-Commerce in Nicaragua: Consumer Behavior towards Online Shopping of Electronic Devices”, study consumer behavior online and create a well-developed E-commerce site for the sale of electronic devices which will make it easier for the Nicaraguan consumer to search and purchase all sorts of electronic devices without the need to do it from an abroad retailer.

III. Research Gap

The researcher has done an extensive review of the literature, and the available literature hardly comments on how social media has an impact on consumer buying behavior of electronic devices. Hence it provides a research gap. That proves the novelty of the topic. Therefore the research paper is aptly titled as “Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumers’ Purchasing Decision of electronic devices”.

IV. Objectives

This study will be carried out in order to determine the main impact of social media marketing on consumer attitudes and intentions when purchasing electronic devices.

The sub-goals for the research are:

• To determine the main impact of social media marketing on purchasing decisions of electronic devices
• To study consumer attitudes and intentions toward the shopping of electronic devices online.

IV. Research questions

To meet the main goal and sub-goals, the following research questions were set:

• RQ 1: What is the impact of social media marketing on purchasing decisions of electronic devices?
• RQ 2: What are the main barriers consumers have when shopping for electronic devices online?

V. Research Methodology

5.1 Method of Research:

This research is of Descriptive and Exploratory in nature.

5.2 Primary Data:

This describes the impact of social media marketing and the main factors driving the consumer toward shopping for electronic devices online. The strategy will be used in order to accomplish that: quantitative analysis in order to broaden understanding knowledge on the subject at hand. As quantitative research is a self-administered online survey. The self-administered survey is a type of questionnaire, either in paper or electronic form, that a respondent completes on his/her own point of view, and it enables researchers to reach a large number of potential respondents.

The online survey is distributed to the members using Google forms and respectively is used in order to reach people from different age categories. The study is conducted in Pune the respondents were consuming from the age group of 18-60 years.

5.2.1 Quantitative Strategy –

The online survey is distributed to the members using Google forms and respectively is used in order to reach people from different age categories. Members from a different regions in Pune India participated in the online survey. The figure below shows that the average age of respondents is between …….

5.2.2 Questionnaire –

The first part of the questionnaire was related to the general information of respondents. The other part drew upon shopping for electronic devices online, the impact of social media marketing, and the factors that influence their shopping behavior. Followed by the question about the use of social media marketing tools for both online as well as offline purchasing, to avoid risk factors involved and is the social media marketing help for purchasing decision of electronic goods.

The survey questionnaires are as follows –

1. Name :
2. Your Age :
   1. 18 – 30 years
   2. 31-45 years
   3. 46-60 years
   4. Above 60 years
3. What do you prefer for buying Electronic products/devices? *
   1. Online Shopping
   2. Visit the store for purchasing.
   3. Depends on the type of product. (Headphones, Mobile, refrigerator, etc )
   4. Other
4. Do you prefer to social media, e-commerce websites or other sites before purchasing electronic products? *
   1. Yes
   2. No
5. Which social media platform do you find useful in getting information about the latest electronic commodities and brands? *
   1. Instagram
   2. Facebook
   3. Twitter
   4. YouTube channel
   5. Other
6. How frequently do you shop for electronic product devices online? *
   1. Very Often
   2. Once a month
   3. 2-3 times a year
   4. Rarely
7. what type of electronic device you usually buy online? *
   1. Mobile Phones and wearable devices
   2. Laptops/ computers and their accessories
   3. Refrigerator / Washing machine
   4. Kitchen Appliances
   5. Air conditioners/coolers
   6. Home Entertainment Systems ( speakers, home theaters, television sets )
   7. Camera and its accessories
8. From the following, what do you refer for analyzing the product details? *
   1. Content is written on websites / Google search
   2. Reviews regarding the product
   3. Actually communicate with people who had purchased the product
   4. Description and specifications on e-commerce sites
9. What factors from the following affect your decision of purchasing an electronic device online? *
   1. Best prices offer
   2. effortless and time-saving
   3. non-availability of products in stores
   4. product reviews
   5. Well description and specifications of certain product
   6. Different substitutes of products shown on social media e-commerce site
10. What factors restrain/ restrict you to buy electronic goods online? *
    1. Unsecure payment method
    2. Trust Factors ( Quality, Quantity, brand, etc)
    3. Warranty and claims offered
    4. Safe delivery factors
    5. Refund Policies
    6. Other
11. Does Social media marketing help you to overcome the risk factors of purchasing an electronic device? *
    1. Yes
    2. No
12. Has Social Media marketing increased your frequency of shopping for electronic devices? *
    1. Yes
    2. No
    3. Other
13. What according to you is a satisfactory level of purchasing electronic devices online? *
    1. Not satisfied at all
    2. less satisfied
    3. satisfied
    4. more satisfied

IV. Analytical part

Graph 1: Age of the respondents –

Graph 1 shows that most of the respondents are young people who shop online. of their respondents are in the range of … and… of respondents are in the….group. These young people are capable of making decisions and consistent in their thinking and acting; people who assign particular importance to the quality of the products they wish to acquire and not afraid of using the Internet for shopping online, in comparison to the older generation

Graph 2: Gender of the respondents –

By analyzing buying intention with different demographics the only clear factors that affect buying intention is gender and age. Other factors like education and income were also analyzed however were not meaningful enough, thus education and income do not decide the intention of buying something online in a high extent.

Graph 3: Preferred Social media marketing tools –

Graph 3 shows the dominance of with of the respondents have chosen it. Followed with as the second preferred tool for shopping online.

Graph 4: Frequency of shopping online and actual buying behavior for electronic devices –

Graph 4 shows the relationship between the frequency of shopping online and the actual buying behavior of electronic product shopping online. When comparing respondents who have previously already purchased electronic devices online with those who have not, it can be seen that respondents with no experience have lower frequency of shopping online, except for the 4-6times a year group than those who have already purchased electronic devices online. A similar percentage for each range of frequency can be seen, except for 2-3 times a year with, meaning, that more frequent shopping online would result in more likely to have actual buying behavior on electronic devices online.

Graph 5 Crucial factors in the final selection of purchasing a product online –

Respondents were also asked to select a crucial factor for them that can influence the final decision of purchasing a product online. The majority of the respondents believe that what really makes them make the final decision

Graph 6: Impact of Social media to overcome risk factors –

Respondents were also asked whether social media marketing tools help them to overcome a crucial factor for them that can influence the final decision of purchasing a product online or offline.

V. Conclusion (11 Bold)

A conclusion section must be included and should indicate clearly the advantages, limitations, and possible applications of the paper. Although a conclusion may review the main points of the paper, do not replicate the abstract as the conclusion. A conclusion might elaborate on the importance of the work or suggest applications and extensions. (10)

References

Journal Papers:

1. Funded Yogesh, Mehta Yesha, Effect of Social Media on Purchase Decision, Pacific Business Review International, Volume 6, Issue 11, May 2014.
2. Cristina Castronovo, Lei Huang, Social Media in an Alternative Marketing Communication Model, Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness vol. 6(1) 2012.
3. Ass. Prof. Ali YAYLI, Ins. Murat BAYRAM, eWOM: THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE CONSUMER REVIEWS ON PURCHASING DECISION OF ELECTRONIC GOODS.

Internet Sites:

1. The Evolution of Social Media Marketing, https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/evolution-social-media-marketing-043109995.html

Post Modernism and Consumer Behavior: Analytical Essay

Introduction

Understanding consumer behavior is important for any organization before launching a product. If the organization failed to analyse how a customer will respond to a particular product, the company will face losses. Consumer behavior is very complex because each consumer has different mind and attitude towards purchase, consumption and disposal of product (Solomon, 2009). Understanding the theories and concepts of consumer behavior helps to market the product or services successfully. Over the years, customer behavior; now people are buying a healthier range of goods, as knowledge about products that were not known many years ago now is well known. Factors like this shift our understanding and trust of goods as we are now more expert as well as law-makers who print the recipes and contents of the ingredients in the food product back to enable customers to be better informed. The standard customer is now watching what heshe eats; he or she is more conscious of and is exposed to trends in consumer behavior. The hypotheses and principles of Customer behavior allow advertisers to maximise their profits and to build effective marketing campaigns. Moreover, both hypotheses provides marketers with knowledge on the consumer’s behavior to spend money, possibly factors that incline them to spend more money on a product, and these two information help to prepare tactics that can be practiced by the marketers for effective promotion of a product (Goessl, 2011).

Post Modernism and Consumer

It is a reality that postmodernism is difficult to evaluate because it tends to be a phenomenon in a number of subjects and fields such as literature, music, art, communications, design, television, fashion, technology and sociology. It’s difficult to create it historically and contextually, or it’s not clear when postmodernism starts. Postmodernism is so complex an idea or collection of ideas that even the postmodernists themselves are deeply contentious. From the mid-80s on, the word has been regarded as a scholarly field.

The postmodernism cannot be described. However, it can be defined as a collection of objectively, strategically and rhetorically-orientated activities that use concepts such as distinction, repetition, traceability, simulacra and hyper-reality to destabilize other concepts like existence, identification, past, epistemic security and sense uniqueness. Since World War II, the postmodernist revolution started, in which culture in the perspective of civilization and art became high and low doubtful. A new collection of values for literature were established by the post-modernist literary movement, such as meta-fiction, fable like representation, pastiche, irony and satire, among others. In his essay ‘Postmodernism and Consumer Society,’ Fredric Jameson talks about the movement and its philosophy.

Postmodernism has been a prominent social theory for nearly 3 decades (Christensen et al, 2005) but postmodernism was not specifically recognised as an important social condition descriptor than it has been since the ’90s (Lo ‘pez-Bonilla and Lo’ pez-Bonilla, 2009). Postmodernism must recognise aspects in which people in contemporary cultures think and behave as consumers (Hirschman and Holbrook 1992; Holt 1997; Thompson 2002). Indeed, because of the interdisciplinary nature of many scholars, by postmodernism allows crossing of theoretical boundaries and offers a less constrained and richer view of customers (Miles 1999).

Five conditions of post-modernism were described in Firat and Vankatech (1993): hyperrealism, fragmentation, development and market reversal, the decent subject, and paradoxical opposites. Van Raaij (1993) applies to these circumstances, pluralism and recognition of disparities as a dominant solution to all relationships. In 1997, Firat and Shultz suggested other post-modern criteria such as transparency and diversity, presenters, recognition of confusion and confusion and value of form and design. The most common conditions were employed and accepted on behalf of the authors and researchers in the postmodern field, as indicated by Firat and Shultz (2001) and Brown (2006).

The core premises in postmodern societies are social science based on consumption (Firat, 1993). As already stated, several academics have recently paid attention to the postmodern approach to consumption (Brown, 1993; Van Raaij, 1993; Firat and Venkatesh, 1993, 1995; Venkatesh, 1990; Baudrillard, 2003). These scientists actually believed that post-modernism could dramatically change the way business activities are practiced in the everyday life of consumers. Sociologist Ritzer (1998: 1) says: ‘Postmodern society is more or less synonymous with consumer society.’ As examples of such remarks, Ritzer also points out Jameson (1994) and Featherstone (1996). Cova, one of the most influential scholars on postmodernism, has important insights into this topic.

Consumption should not be valued for its use qualities, the functionalities of the goods or the functional specifications of the user, but simply as meaning in terms of sign-values. Thus the supremacy of spectacle and hyper reality modes is emphasized by postmodern audience interactions rather than ‘real experience.’

Bordeiou, Class and Consumption

Bordeiou opposes the common concept that the ‘taste’ (i.e. consumer predilections) he refers to is the product of innate, individualistic human intelligence choices. Bordeiou denies the standard concept of what he terms ‘tastes’ (i.e. customer preferences). He suggests that this ‘Kantian aesthetics’ does not understand that preferences are socially conditioned and that consumer preference artifacts reflect a symbiotic hierarchy that the socially dominant establishes and retains, with a view to maintaining their distance from other groups in society. The customer behavior research by Bordeiou is a simple extension of his larger sociology project. Though Bourdieu’s study defies a simple description within the confines of Anglo-American sociology (Bordeiou and Wacquant 1992). However, the approach of Bordeiou attempts to step past the conventional (objectivistsubjectivist) dichotomy of British and North American social theory. The so called ‘structural agency problem’ aims at problematising human actions by questioning how social institutional and structural features interact with human agency (the autonomous human being).

Social classes (what Bordeiou calls ‘classes on paper’) can be differentiated within the consumption sector. Paper classes aren’t true communities because they don’t have a clear collective affiliation and don’t get organized to combat economic and cultural resources. Paper groups are composed of entities in multidimensional ‘capital space’ that hold identical roles (i.e., they possess similar amounts and types of capital). Their material and cultural state will also be identical and their conditioning will be similar. This ensures that class members ‘have the right to have common provisions and desires.

The above is just one series of examples to equate Bourdieu’s approach with the conventional Warnerian social status and market paradigm. The latter explicitly adopts a conventional structural-functional approach to the disparities in consumption between social groups. For Warner and his publicity lovers, different groups clearly have different preferences. The Warner paradigm appears not to aim to understand the complex sociological origins of class attitudes but to define choice behaviment. Bordeiou considers consumer activity, on the other hand, as one representation of a conflict (non Marxist) class with dynamic consequences for cultural hegemony. It was argued after Bordeiou that the choice of customers and aesthetic structures have deep origins in a class hierarchy which the culturally dominant imposes on society. The Kantian notion of ‘taste’ as a professor of affection that exists in the human intellect itself is an instrument that makes it possible to decide the society’s notion of ‘right’ and ‘appropriate’ food, clothes, leisure activities, lodging, literature, art etc… By the ‘inappropriate’ quantity and nature of cultural resources. Unlike Kant, Bordeiou argued that (in any sense) those decisions are the strictly subjective desires of the ruling social classes, which might determine.

Unfortunately, dominated class classes are unknown to the subjective existence of cultural hierarchy, so they are told that cultural and artistic judgments are drawn from some kind of ‘special knowledge’ In reality, however, the cultural choices of the dominant are the product of a ‘comfortable familiarity’ and the ‘legitimate autodidacticism’ advocated by higher learning institutions. In comparison, the well-documented education system class distortions guarantee that the powerful will retain its cultural superiority by restricting access to the means of exploitation for legitimate cultures.

Consumer Identity

Consumer culture is the core role in the later modernist historical phase of the West, whether we are black, white, obese or thin, man or woman, doctor or housewife, European or Australian, people with different identities are clearly consumers in everyday life and consumerism is a rather good idea in the post-modern world. In fact, consumers’ culture holds central roles in western modernism. Throughout the years there have been a series of approaches to personality and self-identity from various points of view: psychology, cognitive psychology, anthropology, sociology and philosophy. As Mach (2007) insists that personality is a relational creation, it is a self-image, which is created through a contact phase with others. It is also complex, contextual and enhances by dialogue and the various ways in which people share the meaning of the plurality of symbols, which make up their cultural environment and social ties.

Material culture, literature, traditions and myths all form the cultural patrimony of interaction-minded people, and many other symbolic constructs (including these) partake in the process of building images, serving as the material on which all of these images and boundaries between communities are created. There is not only a matter of constructing abstract identities but also power relationships in building one’s self-identity and others» (March 2007, p.54-55) that we need to remember. The process of collective symbolic identity takes the form of maintaining and legitimizing the e among social groups is unequal power balance.

Symbolic personality changes and identity forms result from the balance of power changes. Ardener believes that building representations of individuals and their identity models is an imposition performance (Andener, 1989 in March, 2007). It can give rise to the approval of this identifier. In general, an individual of a community may embrace its identity, as formed in a system of society by its partners, especially when those partners attain a stronger role in a social structure (Ardener, 2007).

In consumer culture, through the use of goods, services and interactions that we formulate and present as collective identities. Goods which signify social identification, but, compared with other identities, it seems more like a market feature in the post-traditional culture. The representations we created on the exterior of our bodies and our living place, identity, became a fundamental means of thinking and recognition. (Slater, 1997) In the aspect Giddens argued that with the introduction of modernity and facial decoration modes or dresses to certain degrees, body look and actions became increasingly important. Our personal impression, on the one hand, manifests our identity, so that we eat those things to better look and sound, an indication that we should take for granted that we set up our identity. Some use weight loss tools to make it look slim; whilst others may go to fitness centers and create their muscles and yoga, and make them healthy. They can use the products of makeup and beauty. ‘We prefer these goods over others precisely because they are not impartial, because they are culturally contradictory and also because they vary in our beliefs regarding social organisation and identity.

Finally, by eating people who make ‘choices’ they leads ‘identity crisis’ by providing more choices of pictures and choices of different identity and by raising the feeling of social danger to make the correct ‘defect option,’ consumer culture will increase the person’s fear and risk encounters by offering more choices of pictures and choices of different identities. For the two preceding points, then, identity ‘connects,’ for the second, the consumer culture poses the obstacle to the building of an identity.

Conclusion

In all stages, the focus principles, methodology and goals of market research embody both the field’s previous growth and developments in the broader science world. However, the centre of the field remained unchanged despite changing trends—including to consider human motives, thinking processes, or perceptions when consuming commodities, services, knowledge, and other items and to use them in designing approaches that strengthen both marketing campaigns for businesses and consumer goods for individuals and groups. It is important to look back and note the perspectives that this area has created in the midst of the excitement induced by emerging technology, social movements and customer experiences. The combination of recent insights and new research of these previous results would improve the field’s knowledge of customer behavior.

References

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Factors Influencing Consumers to Buy Organic Products

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the various factors that influence consumers to buy organic products based on various socio-demographic factors such as age, employment, consumption rate and buying patterns.

Consumer Awareness of Organic Foods

According to Soler et al. (2008), Freeland-Graves and Nitzke (2010), understanding and education are the two key critical factors influencing consumer’s attitudes against organic products. Chakrabarti (2007), Compagnoni et al. (2010) and Cunningham (2012) performed a number of scientific studies to determine the significance of the Special Issue 2644 of the International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics. The understanding, disposition, and behavior of consumers are likely to affect the trend of buying organic food products between developed and developing economies. Squires (2011) suggested that in advanced countries acquiring pattern, expertise and understanding are slightly greater than those in developing countries. He also stated that lower awareness rates in countries such as India are one of the key reasons why organic foods persist in the primary developmental phase.

The Health Concerns of Consumers

Loureiro et al. (2010), Nair (2015) indicated that the increased awareness of customer well-being, food safety and awareness of the environment has resulted in a gradually growing preference of obese people for organic products. According to Chinnici et al. (2012), O’Donovan and McCarthy (2002), Harper and Makatouni (2012), consumers choose to see items that are deemed organic to be manufactured or imported locally, providing detailed details about the country the product was made from, how new the belongings are, and the degree to which the product has improved their wellbeing.

Consumer Environmental Awareness

Consumer attitudes have advanced over the years largely due to different ethical environmental impacts. McKinsey (2017) piloted an experiment and found that customers are more worried about the negative effects of pesticides and other harmful chemicals on farms in countries like Canada, the United States, China and India. Seyfang (2016) indicated that safety and environmental concerns in turn constitute a joint incentive aimed at ethical consumerism. Ethical consumerism is an aspect of consumer advocacy about the purchase of ethical goods at low social and environmental prices, and a moral loss for unethical products (Giesler and Veresiu, 2014). Enhanced consumer awareness of environmental concerns has increased demand for environmentally friendly products. A dramatic change in consumer behaviors and buying intentions occurred when they realized the harm that conventional farming caused to the ecosystem.

Organic Items Available in Supermarket

One of the major obstacles that restrict users from buying organic items is their lack of availability of timely stores. That appears to be unfavorable to organic products. Fair price, good quality, wide range of pricing and availability, guarantee, enhanced services help to develop a favorable preference for organic products. If customers with a nurturing environment for organic products communicate with each other, a greater desire to purchase more organic products will translate into higher market growth.

Consumers Ready to Pay for Organic Foods

Doorn et al. (2011) conducted a study to determine the willingness of a consumer to pay for organic products in the Netherlands. The results showed that health, environmental sustainability and the need for quality products are the main factors that forced people to pay an extra premium while owning them. In Spain, Mesias Diaz et al. (2010) undertook a test to determine user knowledge, their pattern of consumption as well as their willingness to pay for organic tomatoes. Using only a private interviewing skill, primary data were assembled. The study result demonstrates that price serves as a constraint to the acquisition of organic products. If an individual finds it difficult to differentiate between organic and conventional grown food products, a premium charge on organic products can confuse an ordinary buyer and could even affect his or her buying decision.

Organic Products Quality and Safety

Organic crop cultivation removes the use of harmful insecticides and compounds to preserve crops. Governments, specialists in the healthcare industry, scholars, etc. are actively promoting food safety. Thompson & Kidwell 2016 asserts that its skin-deep quality is directly connected to the physical appearance of an organic product. Researchers claim, the research that we have done so far shows that consumers do not follow their outer appearance. Thompson & Kidwell 2016 argues that while acquiring organic food items, most customers regarded these effects to be insignificant. Several studies show that consumers see flavor as another key factor in the purchase. Study demonstrates that when compared to normal substitutes, consumers demand organic products to have higher nutritional significance and taste.

Gender Affects the Decision to Buy Organic Food

Older women with kids in the family are usually the organic food customers (Renne et al., 2007). Women have been identified with higher health awareness and have been seen as innovators in changing diets (Rodriguez et al., 2007). In addition, while paying a premium for organic food, females are more committed to natural foods and environmental values. While younger customers are showing more interest and favorable attitudes towards organic food, elderly customers are the primary buyers (Magnusson et al., 2003). In addition, parents tend to be very interested in organic food when buying it for their family or when a child arrives (Hughner, McDonagh, Prothero, Shultz, & Stanton, 2007). Consumers who tend to follow the practice of green consumption are more inclined to eat organic products (Lockie, Lyons, Lawrence & Mummery, 2002). The people and women with more revenue and education, awareness of the benefits of organic food and food risks in standard food was greater.

Demand for Organic Food Is Growing

Growing demand in organic food is the consequence of increased awareness of the environment along with occurrences of food safety. The less harmful attitude towards the environment and a healthier option compared with traditional ingredients also plays a crucial role in altering the attitude towards organic foods (Hsu & Chen, 2014) In order to increase consumer demand for organic food, the link between health benefits and environmental welfare should be reinforced (Magnusson et al., 2003; Shafie & Rennie, 2012).

Organic food production is still very small in most Asian nations. However, in developing countries, the favorable attitude towards organic foods is growing, but owing to the high price and absence of laws and regulations, it plays a crucial part in pursuing it further (Rehber & Turhan, 2002). There are dangers and constraints in the agricultural sector in developing nations to produce organic foods, according to the Commission of Sustainable Development. In addition, organic food production should not be the answer to developing countries’ requirements. The reason for this declaration might be the low availability of organic farming methods to support agricultural and rural development. Sarker and Itohara (2007) indicated that exporting and earning foreign currency should be the production of organic food in developing nations. As global demand increases, developing nations can profit from this chance.

Sarker and Itohara (2008) stated that the strength of developing nations producing organic foods is high availability of relatively inexpensive labor, low level of use of external inputs, favorable natural circumstances, and varied farming structure. The possibilities could be the new profitable overseas export markets, increasing demand growth in domestic markets. However, reliance on overseas markets and absence of R&D could also be a threat to the production of organic products (Rehber & Tarhan 2011).

The Amount of Income Impacts the Choice to Buy Organic Food

It will rely on demographic factors along with lifestyle and environmental attitudes while segmenting the target market for organic food. Regular organic food customers tend to be high-class, affluent, and educated. However, unsafe and unhealthy traditional food has resulted in more favorable attitudes towards organic food demand for customers. The younger and wealthier people are more drawn to organic food in developing nations compared to others (Pugliese, Zanasi, Atallah, & Cosimo, 2013). Because of the premium pricing, organic food is available to and from the middle class. Although consumers don’t want to create a decision between organic and conventional foods, they want to have a lot of choices in organic foods specifically. While customers do not want to make a choice between organic and conventional foods, they specifically want to have a lot of options in organic foods.

Conclusion

Consumers depend on information on product characteristics and experience with it to make the purchase decision of products. The values and priorities of consumers also play a crucial role in purchase choices. Experience is also a significant factor in developing the motivational state. In addition, dietary content is component of an element of quality that connects customers to private health welfare. High levels of vitamins, healthy diets and more nourishing meals were the reasons for buying organic food.

Essay on the Truth about Customer Experience

In this assignment we will mainly talk about customer care in the hospitality and tourism industry, we have to analyze the needs and wants of both external and internal customers and we must also talk more about internal and external customers what they are all about, and what they are. We will also get to know more about what the moment of truth is in a business or organization, and also, we will explain the impact of service on customers, how customers should be treated, and what kind of service they deserve in an organization

Customer care in hospitality and tourism

Demonstrate an understanding of the scope of customer care, including customer segmentation within hospitality and tourism organization

Customer care is all about how well your customers are taken care of while they interact with your business, and customer segmentation is the practice of building a customer base into groups of individuals that are similar in specific ways relevant to marketing such as age, gender, interest, and spending habits. Market segmentation is the strategic tool to account for heterogeneity among tourists by grouping them into market segments which includes members similar to each other and other dismissal to members of other segments. Tourism market segmentation is also a strategic tool for getting a clear picture of diversity among tourists. Tourism researchers and the tourism industry use market segmentation information to study the opportunities for competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Analyze the needs and wants of both internal and external customers

An internal customer is someone who helps the organization serve the end customer, they are an internal part of the valve chain. As profit is the main motive of an organization, the organization needs to take care not only of the end customer but also of the people who are serving the end customer. Internal customers’ needs can be divided into two different forces, the motivational force which includes opportunity to grow, responsibility, recognition, and also opportunity for promotion and the hygiene force includes supervision, salary, status, pay, and benefits, and lastly relationship with co-workers. External customers are the people who pay for and use the product and service your company has to offer. The goals for your external customers can depend on the product or service such as positive reviews and otherwise supporting your company. An external customer is a person who purchases a company’s product or service but is not part of the organization. The external customers need to always get good service and always get treated fairly because they are the image of the company and the customer’s opinions matter.

Describe how customer information can be collected and used

Companies can capture data in many ways from many services. Customer information can be collected in three different ways firstly by asking the customer, secondly by indirectly tracking the customer and you can do by contacting the customer via telephone or by sending an email to the customers, and lastly by appealing to other sources of customer data on your own by making an order forms, warranty cards, customer rewards programmed, feedback cards, customer satisfaction, survey and also customer competitions. You can then use the information you have collected to see what your customers think about your organization, and what they did not like so you can try to change that and make your organization a better place and what they enjoyed so you can keep on serving the good things and try to deal with the negative also. Organizations need to listen to what your

Design a customer care program for a department in a hotel or travel agency that includes why customer care is important

Customer care is all about how well your customers are taken care of while they interact with you and your organization. Customer care is actually about caring for customers, you have to listen to their needs and find the right solution. Customer care also involves building emotional trust and a relationship between the organization and the customer so it is very important that a business takes care of its customers and always treats them equally and fairly, having a relationship with your customer is also a positive thing for your organization.

The chosen department of Hotel 224 is the Food and Beverage department. The food and beverage are the service of food made in the kitchen and drinks prepared in the bar for the guests. Therefore, the waiters and waitresses have to:

• Provide excellent wait service to ensure satisfaction
• Make menu recommendations
• Answer questions calmly and share additional information
• Be friendly to customers
• The uniform must always be clean
• Handle every situation professionally
• Serve the right food and drinks to customers
• Serve the guests in an accommodating manner

Explain the moment of truth

A moment of truth is usually defined as an instance where the customer and the organization meet one another in a manner that allows the customer to either form or change an impression about the organization. A moment of truth is simply any interaction during which a customer may form an impression of your product or brand. This impression is either positive or negative. A moment of truth is very important because it can either break or make the organization’s relationship with its customers. It is finding feasible actions to improve customers’ experience, it is learning about the critical points where a customer decides about the business and lastly moment of truth is critical as the determines a customer’s perception of and reaction to a brand. There are four different types of moments of truth firstly it’s the zero moment of truth, which is when a company recognizes a need and goes online to gather information regarding a potential purchase. Then we have the first moment of truth, this represents the a-ha moment when confronted with the products and related alternatives, assumed to be in real life. Thirdly we have the second moment of truth, this happens after the customer has bought and started using the brand or products, the resulting experience supports the pre-purchased promises, helping to build a relationship with the audience. And lastly, we have the third moment of truth, this is when the customers become true fans and give back to the brand with new content, word of mouth, reviews, and ratings.

Explain the impact of service on customers

Customer perspectives are defined in a way that customers usually view or feel about certain services and products. Bad customer service can have a very serious impact on the overall health of your business. In the short term, it can affect sales and in the long term it can affect your business in a myriad of ways for example, it can harm your brand, your reputation, and more. The number of reason why customer service is important in a business is because it correlates to revenue. Customer satisfaction does not just impact the business bottom line, it also impacts terms morale and retention rate. Business needs money to survive, to make money the business needs customers, ideally, these customers are happy, and they will then tell their friends about your business and keep coming back. By providing top-notch customer service businesses recoup customer acquisition costs and cultivate a loyal following that refers customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, with the information mentioned above, it is obvious that customer care is an important factor in the hospitality and tourism industry, customer care is the tool that keeps the customers coming and coming in your business so it can be a success and we also learned about the moment of truth, what it is and how important it is on an organization.

Making a Purchase Decision for a Car Essay

Introduction:-

Consumers are moving outside the purchasing funnel— changing the way they research and buy your products. If your marketing hasn’t changed in response, it should, says a McKinsey study.

Every day, people form impressions of brands from touch points such as advertisements, news reports, conversations with family and friends, and product experiences. Unless consumers are actively shopping, much of that exposure appears wasted. But what happens when something triggers the impulse to buy? Those accumulated impressions then become crucial because they shape the initial consideration set: the small number of brands consumers regard at the outset as potential purchasing options.

The funnel analogy suggests that consumers systematically narrow the initial consideration set as they weigh options, make decisions, and buy products. Then, the postsale phase becomes a trial period determining consumer loyalty to brands and the likelihood of buying their products again. Marketers have been taught to “push” marketing toward consumers at each stage of the funnel process to influence their behavior. But our qualitative and quantitative research in the automobile, skin care, insurance, consumer electronics, and mobile-telecom industries shows that something quite different now occurs.

Step 1: Need Recognition

The business must know it needs a new product, whether from internal or external sources. The product may need to be reordered, or it may be a new item for the company.

Step 2: Specific Need

The right product is critical for the company. Some industries have standards to help determine specifications. Part numbers help identify these for some businesses. Other industries have no point of reference. The company may have ordered the product in the past. If not, then the business must specify the necessary product by using identifiers such as color or weight.

Step 3: Source Options

The business needs to determine where to obtain the product. The company might have an approved vendor list. If not, the business will need to search for a supplier using purchase orders or research a variety of other sources such as magazines, the Internet, or sales representatives. The company will qualify the suppliers to determine the best product for the business.

Step 4: Price and Terms

The business will investigate all relevant information to determine the best price and terms for the product. This will depend on whether the company needs commodities (readily available products) or specialized materials. Usually, the business will look into three suppliers before it makes a final decision.

Step 5: Purchase Order

The purchase order is used to buy materials between a buyer and seller. It specifically defines the price, specifications, and terms and conditions of the product or service and any additional obligations.

Step 6: Delivery

The purchase order must be delivered, usually by fax, mail, personally, email, or other electronic means. Sometimes the specific delivery method is specified in the purchasing documents. The recipient then acknowledges receipt of the purchase order. Both parties keep a copy on file.

Decision-making journey for the following products: (a) Luxury Watch (b) Breakfast Cereal (c) Protein Shake

At the time of purchasing these products, we follow these six steps which we explained above these steps are:

• Step 1: Need Recognition
• Step 2: Specific Need
• Step 3: Source Options
• Step 4: Price and Terms
• Step 5: Purchase Order
• Step 6: Delivery

Types of Consumer Decision Making

Consumers are faced with purchase decisions nearly every day. But not all decisions are treated the same. Some decisions are more complex than others and thus require more effort by the consumer. Other decisions are fairly routine and require little effort. For example, students give a lot more thought to buying a college education or a vacation trip than they do to buying cheese or car wash. In general, there are three types of consumer decision-making; routine decision making, limited decision making, and extensive decision making.

To purchase low-cost goods and services, the consumer typically applies routine decision-making, requiring little search and decision time. Consumers do not consider this type of purchase an important one and are not highly involved in it. Usually, buyer knows a few brands of products but stick with one.

To attract consumers who use routine decision-making, marketers must what characteristics consumers evaluate. For example, if some buyers choose whatever brand of bread or soda is cheapest, marketers may focus on setting a low price or offering frequent discounts.

Limited decision-making usually occurs when the consumer has a previous product

Factors That Affect the Consumer Buying Process

Consumers are different, the products that they buy are different, and the situations in which consumers make purchase decisions are different. Several factors affect the consumer buying process, including social factors, situational factors, personal factors, and psychological factor. Of these four influences, the social influence is the strongest. Marketers must understand the role played by the buyer’s culture, subculture, social class, reference groups, and family. Among these social influences, none is more important than family. Growing up in a society, a child learns basic values, perceptions wants, and behaviors from the family and other important institutions.

A person’s buying decisions are also influenced by personal characteristics that are unique to each individual, such as gender and personality. Physiological differences between men and women result in different needs, such as health and beauty products.

Conclusion:-

In the concluding lines, I would like to say that the Consumer decision-making process involves the consumers identifying their needs, gathering information, evaluating alternatives, and then making their buying decision. Consumer behavior may be determined by economic and psychological factors and are influenced by environmental factors like social and cultural values.

Consumer decision-making behavior is a complex procedure and involves everything starting from problem recognition to post-purchase activities. Decisions can be complex, comparing, evaluating, selecting as well and purchasing from a variety of products depending upon the opinion of a consumer over a particular product. This renders understanding and realizing the basic problem of the consumer decision-making process for marketers to make their products and services different from others in the marketplace.

Essay on Advantages of Shopping Malls

Post-war America was characterized by a major shift to the suburbs. The spoils of the war allowed people to live large, and one way of doing that was relocating from urban centers to the much quieter and peaceful suburbs. Suburbs offered numerous conveniences to their dwellers. One instance would be malls. Malls allowed suburban dwellers to shop conveniently and have a place to have fun. The malls also employed thousands of people. Unfortunately, over the past few years, their popularity has waned as shopping continues to move online. Today, shopping in online stores and getting one’s goods delivered to their address is one of the most convenient modes of shopping. It has made physical stores obsolete, and most of them are closing shop, leaving most malls empty leading to their deterioration. They have also left a lot of people jobless. The closure of shops of many renowned stores has left most malls with vacant space and the threat of deterioration. However, they can be repurposed to serve other needs that could help maintain the excellent condition of the malls while reinstating some of the jobs lost.

The Issue

As shopping shifts to the Internet, more and more malls are losing customers leaving them with large vacant spaces. Currently, retailers are closing down thousands of stores around the United States. In 2017, retailers abandoned 102 million square feet of space in malls (Peterson 1). In 2018, that increased by another 155 million square feet. The trend continued to 2019, with more than 8600 store closures being announced in the year. These figures are touted to grow further in the coming years. The major reason for the closures is the reduced foot traffic in malls resulting from increased online shopping. People now prefer shopping online and having their goods delivered to their homes. This has been necessitated by the busy lives they live and the convenience that online shopping offers. Due to the reduction in customers, stores have been forced to close down while others move their shops online. Stores closing down have left many malls with an uphill task of filling the vacated spaces. Many are deteriorating and turning to unappealing structures. Fortunately, however, a revival is possible for them. Current developments show that malls could be repurposed to serve other functions.

Current Developments in Mall Repurposing and Revival

According to Greg Petro, malls are not dying. Instead, they are evolving. Essentially, that is true. The closure of stores has led to the rethinking of how malls work and the services and amenities they offer. As Petro notes, malls are considered a destination that offers an experience to people. The experience people are seeking today is not similar to that which others sought a few years ago. Previously, friends could meet up in a mall and shop all day. Today, that is not the case. People no longer meet up in malls to shop all day and interact. Social media and online shopping have transformed that aspect of their lives. Individuals seek fun experiences nowadays. As a result, instead of malls offering more shops, they are offering such amenities as recreational places. Malls now have cinemas, bars, and restaurants, which offer people other fun experiences. Millennials today are more concerned about the experiences they have rather than the things they have. As such, they are spending their money purchasing experiences in place of material things. Malls are therefore shifting to offering those experiences.

Abandoned malls are also being turned into offices. As stores close their shops in malls, companies are moving in to set up their offices in the abandoned space. The “death” of malls did not start recently. Malls have been in America for more than half a century, and some of them began and completed their deaths several decades ago. One of those is the Mayfield Mall in Northern California, which met its demise in 1984 (Handy 1). After Mayfield Mall’s demise, newer, shinier, and better malls emerged in the region to replace them. Not long after its closure, Hewlett Packard (HP), the computer company, moved in and set up offices in the space. HP later vacated, and Google took over the space for its Google Glass Headquarters and purchased the building in 2016 (Handy 1). This is one of the ways the malls that are being abandoned today could transform themselves. Instead of letting the facilities rot and decay, the malls could be redeveloped into office spaces to attract new businesses and even ensure traffic for stores.

Another way of reviving dead malls that have been adopted is by turning them into academic facilities and art galleries. The Hickory Hollow Mall in Antioch, which was replaced by The Global Mall at the Crossings was redeveloped to include a library, a satellite campus for a community college, and an ice-skating rink (Handy 1). This brought new life into the abandoned mall. Such facilities could be included in other malls that are on the brink of death. Although a library would not raise much rent, it would ensure foot traffic in the malls. This would enable other businesses in the mall to thrive instead of fleeing. Reduced foot traffic has been one of the leading causes of mall death, increasing it through setting up public libraries would help other businesses stay and continue honoring their leases. Thus ensuring the continuity of the malls. A children’s library could also help revive a mall. For instance, one of the large abandoned stores in Chesterfield Mall in St. Louis, Missouri was turned into an illustrated children’s book museum (Garfield 1). Also, as seen in other malls, dying malls could open up art galleries to attract people. This could help resuscitate the dying malls.

Another revival tactic has been repurposing malls into dwelling places and hotels. America’s oldest indoor mall, Westminster Arcade in Providence, was turned into a living space after its decline, which began in the late 20th century (Handy 1). The mall now consists of a mix of micro-lofts and other businesses such as boutiques, and coffee shops. The businesses benefit from housing facilities offered in the mall since they bring in traffic. Affordable housing is a growing need in the United States. This is a need that malls could help meet. The success of a business hinges on identifying and meeting a consumer need. Aging baby boomers and millennials are increasingly seeking convenient places to live. By 2035, more than one in five people will be 65 years or older, and in three houses, one will be headed by a person in this age bracket (Danziger 1). Malls’ popularity, on the other hand, is decreasing and by that time, a lot of mall spaces will be vacant. That space could be used to develop housing facilities including condos and apartments to meet the housing needs of the aging baby boomers and millennials. Hotels are also another way malls could revive themselves. Food joints in malls are helping attract traffic that is keeping some business in malls.

The Effectiveness of What is Being Done

Several approaches are being used to revive the dying malls. They are being turned into libraries, residential facilities, hotels, recreational centers, and offices. However, what is working among these? Everything! All these approaches are working effectively to revive the dying malls. As noted, some malls have been converted into office facilities in their entirety while others have offices occupying some space available. Others have libraries within them and other academic facilities that occupy abandoned spaces. Most importantly, some are offering living places that could help mitigate the effects of the continued abandonment of mall space. If malls continue to provide housing facilities as they are, they are going to help meet the needs of aging baby boomers and millennials whose need for affordable housing is growing every year. Malls can help provide convenient as well as affordable housing for them. Also, the shift from a traditional mall to a mall that offers memorable experiences among people has been instrumental in the revival of some dying malls. Decidedly, all these approaches have been effective. When used together with the traditional mall shops, they have helped maintain traffic in malls and keep some businesses from closing due to traffic reduction.

Conclusion

Notably, the popularity of malls has been dwindling over the past few years. Although this is not new, the popularity decline has been phenomenal in the past five years. More and more stores are closing their shops in malls, leaving the malls with large vacant spaces that are hard to fill. This has resulted in some collapsing altogether. However, there are available approaches that have already been adopted that could help revive the malls. As noted, most of them include repurposing the malls to include housing facilities, office, recreational, and academic amenities, among others. This has helped the malls regain traffic that is helping the shops within them thrive. However, it is important to note that these new developments are not cheap. Most of them involve the deconstruction of large parts of the mall. For instance, for houses, the malls have to be redeveloped significantly since such things as plumbing in malls do not meet the requirements of a house. Nonetheless, these approaches are the way forward for dying malls.  

You must then post 2 replies of at least450 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday o

You must then post 2 replies of at least450 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned module. For each thread, you must support your assertions with at least 2 scholarly citations in the current APA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 2 scholarly citation(s) in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. 
Reply 450 words each discussion. It’s in files