CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Consumer behaviour is a subset of human behaviour concerned with decisions and actions of individuals in purchasing and using products or decisions that lead up to the act of purchase. The behaviour that consumers display in searching for purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and services they expect will satisfy their needs is known as consumer behaviour. 

The study of consumer behaviour seeks the answers to a number of questions:

• What consumers do buy?
• Why they buy it?
• When they buy it?
• Where they buy it?
• How often they buy and use it?

How individuals make decisions to spend their available resources on consumption related items?

Consider for example tooth cleaner. Why types of tooth cleaner do consumers buy (powder, paste, or gel; what brand they buy (Colgate, Pepsodent, Crest, Aquafresh, Closeup ) ; why do they buy it -to prevent cavities, to remove stains, to brighten or whiten teeth, as a mouth wash , to attract romance); where do they buy it either super market, medical stone,  or grocery stone); and the frequency of using it- in the morning time, in the night after dinner or after each mean, before going to bed or a combination of these. It also considers the frequency of purchase weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Similar are the queries regarding a more durable product- the fax machine.

Who buy fax machines for home use? What specification and features do they look for? What advantages they need? What types of documents do they fax and why? Are they likely to replace old model when new models with additional features arrive? The consumer research can find answers to these questions. The tooth paste or fax machine manufacturers may look for valuable inputs for product design, modification, scheduling and promotional strategy