Determining Consumer Behavior Essay Sample

Understanding the factors that lead consumers to buy goods helps companies to determine the best marketing strategy to employ in order to sell their products and gain customer loyalty. It involves analyzing the way consumers think and reason, what factors they consider when selecting a brand, how they are influenced by their surroundings, how much effort they put into knowing more about various products, and their motivation and decision strategies when choosing between two or more product alternatives. Apart from these, consumer behavior also includes how they purchase, use, and dispose the product. It also determines its relevance in society in terms of its effects on consumers' health and the country's economy. These information are all important because they could help determine how best to position the product in the market and consequently encourage consumers to buy the product.
In reality, many buyers do not put much effort in understanding product labels. As consumers, some just buy off the shelf simply because they have been used to seeing the product used at their houses or as recommended by a trusted individual. However, with the government's thrust on clean and green environment, the notion that consumers must begin purchasing environmentally safe products is on the rise. With advertisements pushed at targeting select sectors of society, for instance, baby-friendly products, anti-allergenic products, and cleansers, among others, people are now more aware about the health benefits of using chemical-free cleansers. In some instances, consumers experience illnesses within the family that necessitate changing brand loyalties to those that are non-toxic. For marketing professionals, they can easily leverage on these information by educating consumers about the ill effects of certain chemicals that may be found in other brands and which might be harmful for people with sensitive skin.
Based on the case study, Jill and Jack did not display a more involved attitude when it came to deciding on the product brand. They depicted a low involvement attitude and limited knowledge about the product considering that the products were frequently bought and available in their household. More aptly, it was a routine response that did not require extensive decision-making skills on their end. Thus, they displayed a programmed behavioral response that required no conscious planning. On the other hand, Elena spent moderate amount of time understanding the product in preparation for a significant life-changing event. This attitude may involve researching about unfamiliar brands, comparing the pros and cons prior to coming up with a decision, and gathering feedback from known product users. Therefore, Elena's decision style as a consumer is a combination of both extended decision-making and limited decision-making.
According to the case, consumers do not naturally gravitate towards the green and environmentally safe products despite having the knowledge about the impact of toxic products and chemicals to the environment. Instead, consumers are initially attracted to the packaging, then to the fragrance, before recognizing the benefits and advantages of the product. This has become the strategy of several manufacturing companies, thus, to further prove the authenticity of their products, some companies opt to affix logos and certifications of qualified environmental agencies such as Design for Environment (DfE), Cradle-to-Cradle, and B-Corp. When consumers see these on the product labels, they are able to make informed decisions whether what they are getting are truly environmental-friendly and non-toxic, especially with the abundance of products claiming to be natural and all-green materials, including bogus certifications and eco-labels.
Consumers who patronize Whole Foods and Walmart differ when it comes to their buying habits and considerations. Those who prefer Whole Foods are the type of consumers who are health conscious and are environmentally aware about the benefits of consuming organic produce over the regular produce. Their age group is usually on the 35-45 age groups. They may initially begin to buy only foods although later on they can extend this buying decision to cover other organic products. Even if the items are more expensive than items bought in Walmart and Target, there are people who are willing to pay more if it would mean healthier eating habits. On the other hand, loyal customers of Walmart buy from the store because of the huge discounts that they receive from their purchases. They are not necessarily conscious whether they are eating organic produce or not. Their concern is more on getting their money's worth. Even Walmart executives recognize that the business has to make huge profits in order to sustain the business. However, it is not to say that Walmart does not sell organic produce. It does as well, but unlike Whole Foods, not all products are organic in nature.
Another supermarket that emphasizes on environmentally safe products is Method, which is in the cleaning products industry. The owners realized that customers depend on their sensory abilities and tend to pick products that appeal to their visual senses. Thus, the owners decided to focus first on the packaging to make the product visually appealing. Next, they concentrated on developing the scent of the product because according to the company's studies, people also use their sense of smell to help them decide whether to buy a product or not. Finally, when Method already has a captured client-base, and then comes the customers' realization that the products they bought are effective, non-toxic, and are environmentally safe.