How can an understanding of consumer behaviour be used to manipulate consumers?
Contemporary organizations have recognized the importance of understanding consumer behavior to allegedly enable them to design appropriate strategies that would cater to the diverse needs and demands of these clientele, and therefore drive to the ultimate goal of increasing profits. There have been various studies which aimed to determine whether an understanding of consumer behavior could in fact be used to manipulate consumers. First of all, consumer behavior is defined as “a discipline dealing with how and why consumers purchase (or don’t purchase) products and services”
. Likewise, the meaning of consumer behavior is also revealed that it is “a discipline dealing with how and why consumers purchase (or do not purchase) goods and services” (Quester, et al., 2012; cited in Lees, 2013, p. 3). Understanding consumer behavior from the perspectives of organization is therefore important for decision makers to design appropriate strategies pertinent to the marketing mix: product, price, place, promotion.
Therefore, organizations that conduct extensive research to determine the manner and the reasons for purchases of consumers would significantly assist in determining strategies appropriate for their marketing mix: products, prices, places, and promotions. Thus, by manipulating the marketing mix, organizations are able to entice their target market to buy the products or services offered.
The organizations have to design strategies for these products or services which would satisfy customers’ needs. For instance: products could be tailored according to the preferred color, style, or specifications; prices would cater to the budget or income of the target market; these products or services would be offered in strategic places that are accessible and convenient; and finally, these would be promoted or advertised in media which are frequently tapped by the target market (online, print, or television).
Various studies actually prove that by understanding consumer behavior through more in-depth research, different facets affecting consumer behavior are more accurately identified; especially pinpointing the very needs, desires, and demands that move these consumers to purchase products and services. As such, when organizations have idenified what moves consumers to exhibit a particular purchase decision, they effectively design the most effective informational campaign, through advertisements and promotional campaigns. These authors therefore even qualified that there are explicitly identified contributory factors that could sway, motivate, control, or manipulate consumer behavior through emphasizing that when consumers’ biological or psychological needs are wanting, for instance, the more that organizations could tap on these needs through manipulating the marketing mix to effectively lure them towards the needed purchase (Bermertinger, et al., 2009; Strahan, et al., 2002; cited in Veltkamp, et al., 2011, p. 54). One therefore agrees with the affirmation that understanding consumer behavior would be used to manipulate consumers through identification of the factors that drive them to manifesting a particular purchase-decision and manipulating the marketing mix to encourage the target market to buy.
Reference List
Bermertinger, C. et al., 2009. The hidden persuaders break into tired brain. Journal of Experimental Social Psycholoy, Volume 45, pp. 320-326.
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Markin, R. & Narayana, C., 1976. Behavior Control: Are Consumers Beyond Freedom and Dignity?. Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 3, pp. 222-228.
Neal, D. T., Wood, W. & Quinn, J. M., 2006. Habits-A Repeat Performance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(4), pp. 198-202.
Strahan, E., Spencer, S. & Zanna, M., 2002. On the respective contributions of awareness of unconditioned stimulus valence and unconditioned stimulus identity in attitude formation through evaluative conditioning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Volume 97, pp. 404-420.
Veltkamp, M., Custers, R. & Aarts, H., 2011. Motivating consumer behavior by subliminal conditioning in the absence of basic needs: Striking even while the iron is cold. Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 21, pp. 49-56.
