Psychology of consumer behavior. “Management and Optimization of a Manufacturing Enterprise

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Methods for researching consumer psychology

Methods for researching consumer psychology:

observation;
public opinion polls;
focus groups.

Projective techniques allow you to find out the client’s real attitude towards goods or services:

role playing games– this technique involves getting used to the role of a service provider or consumer, depending on the goals of the research, and assessing the quality of the product, its advantages and disadvantages over other products;
analogies– drawing a parallel between a real product and its possible analogue, presenting oneself in the form of a given product;
psychological portraits– drawing up a psychological portrait of the product, “humanizing” it, identifying any human qualities that consumers endow the product with;
personification– presentation of the product as a person, personality and, based on this, consideration of possible optimizations of its design and product characteristics;
obituaries– write an obituary about the impact of the product. A striking example is advertising of mosquito repellents, cockroach repellents and others.

Nature and purpose of advertising

consumer notice– advertising aims to notify a certain group about new products, price changes, changes in the location of the organization, and others;
product image– promotion of goods of a certain brand to the market, formation of recognition of this particular brand and fashion for it;
institutional advertising– aimed at creating a good attitude towards the manufacturing company, raising its rating, and building respect for it. The main goal is to show the company as a useful element for society, which makes it possible to improve many processes or phenomena of human life;
information advertising– usually informs the consumer about the quality of the product, the components of the product, methods of its use and the date of manufacture and shelf life.

Promises of Advertising

D. Schultz , S. Schultz in the book “Psychology and Labor” they say that advertising makes some promises:

promises certain benefits;
troubles if the buyer does not purchase the advertised products;
gaining love, friends, self-esteem and self-realization;
superiority in something.

Brand identification

Brand identification and preference studies are essential to the development or continuation of advertising. The continuation and correction of the advertising campaign depends on how recognizable a certain brand is and whether advertising creates consumer preference for this particular brand. Advertisers pay special attention to ensuring that the buyer distinguishes this particular brand from the brands of other companies producing similar products.

A trademark includes elements such as a logo, name, sound and color. There is another concept in advertising, and many people confuse it with a trademark - “brand”. Unlike a trademark, a brand is a broader concept, and it includes not only the above, but also the product itself with all its properties, product image, brand image.

Studying the effectiveness of advertising campaigns

relief of memory;
recognition;
physiological measurements;
studying the number of sales;
return coupons.

Studying television programming is important for placing advertisements at the most optimal times. D. Schultz, S. Schultz highlight such aspects as:

predicting audience reaction to new programs;
determination of the qualitative and quantitative composition of the audience (Schultz D., Shultz S. Psychology and work, St. Petersburg, Peter, 2003).

Product aspects affecting the consumer:

brand – recognition;
product image is a reflection of ideas, thoughts and feelings associated specifically with this product;
product packaging.

efficiency in the context of the volume of products produced by the enterprise;
effectiveness in the context of recognition in the market and effectiveness in the context of the formation of certain organizational policies, production support and compliance with the advertising image. The effectiveness of advertising depends on many factors, for example, the timing of the show on a TV channel, the placement of advertising in print media, the creative design of the advertisement, and others.

In modern conditions, a special attitude is being formed towards advertising on the Internet. The ever-increasing number of Internet users suggests that advertising on the global network is promising.

The user population is able-bodied youth and people under 45 years of age, that is, the most promising purchasing group.

Advertising psychology studies purchasing motivations and, based on these studies, provides some recommendations on product design, window displays, store employee behavior, and the placement and context of advertisements. Much depends on the personal factors of the consumer of the product.

Motives of consumer behavior

Human needs are inherent in the ability to develop and diversify. The consumer constantly strives to satisfy his needs. The main ways to satisfy needs are motives. Motives- This is what motivates a person to act. Motives can be strong, weak, permanent, temporary, positive and negative. Also, motives can be divided into four types:

aesthetic motives, in which special attention is paid to the appearance of the product, the attractiveness of its forms, a bright label, harmonious combination with other objects, etc. This type of motive is the most powerful and long-lasting;
motives of prestige, which manifest themselves only in a certain social group. A person can spend a huge amount of money on some goods only because this product can emphasize his status, social position, and improve his position in society. As a rule, such motives come with an increase in material well-being;
utilitarian motives are manifested by the consumer primarily when assessing performance characteristics, durability, the possibility of quick and high-quality repairs, etc.;
motives of traditions. To demonstrate this type of motivation, as a rule, they use colors close to the national one, or use the colors of the flag, thereby exciting and awakening positive emotions for this type of product;
motives of achievement are very close in meaning to motives of prestige. These motives differ from others in that when advertising a certain product, the manufacturer tries to involve a famous person, for example, a three-time Russian champion to advertise a sports product or a pop star to promote a new line of perfumes, etc.

Personal factors influencing the consumer

Let's consider the personal factors influencing the consumer:

gender – according to statistics, in most cases women deal with purchasing issues in the family;
age - children can be active mediators of purchases: attracted by bright packaging, children ask their parents and relatives to buy a toy or some kind of sweet, without focusing on the purchase price, which is what many manufacturers of children's products rely on, and the issue of the ethics of children's products is currently being considered advertising. Young people are the main buyers of fashionable clothing and youth accessories (for example, cell phones). Middle-aged people are mainly interested in purchasing food products and household appliances, while older people are mainly interested in purchasing food products and medicines;
status - price characteristics mainly depend on which group the consumer belongs to. Wealthy people are more likely to purchase a fairly high-quality expensive item, while people with limited funds will purchase based not on the quality of the product, but on the price;
ethnicity influences the distribution of purchasing a certain set of products, taste preferences in purchasing clothes, etc.;
time allotted for shopping - limited time makes the buyer nervous, purchases are made for reasons of quick acquisition, and attention is drawn to products known to the buyer.
If there is excess time, the buyer carefully studies the labels on the products, analyzes the price characteristics at several retail outlets, and makes the purchase more consciously;
the purpose of a shopping trip can be not only the acquisition of necessary goods, but also an entertainment purpose - to look at the goods on sale, check the prices, etc.;
mood;
individual characteristics of the buyer;
habits and commitment to a particular manufacturer;
How acceptable is the price for the consumer?

O.S. Posypanova
Economic psychology: psychological aspects of consumer behavior
Monograph. – Kaluga: Publishing house of KSU named after. K.E. Tsiolkovsky, 2012. – 296 p.

Chapter 1. Conceptual foundations of consumer psychology as a direction of economic psychology

1.3. Basic concepts, principles and provisions of consumer psychology in America and Western Europe

Basic terms of consumer psychology

Consumer Psychology, as defined by the American Society of Consumer Psychology, is the study of human reactions to a product and service, provided with information and experience of use.

Goals consumer psychologists (according to the official position of the Society of Consumer Psychology) are to describe, predict, influence, and/or explain consumer reactions to information about goods and services.

Thus, subject of American consumer psychology are consumer reactions(responses), Under reactions refers to any consumer response to a product or service. Consumer responses include affective (emotions), cognitive (trust, judgment, opinions, attitudes), and behavioral (purchase decision) components. (And in Russian psychology there is still a debate between economic consciousness and economic behavior!)

It is important to note that consumer psychology develops mainly in line with behaviorism. Therefore, the main concepts are "consumer information"(analogous to the behaviorist "stimulus"), consumer responses(analogous to “reaction”), and all the processes that mediate this connection (in Russian psychology called factors). Thus, the scheme of neobehaviorism (S-I-R) is preserved.

In consumer psychology, there are two types of consumer reactions. These are instinctive reactions and responses after researching a product. Instinctive reactions- those that the consumer has no control over - they just happen. This includes attraction when observing a person of the opposite sex, anxiety when threatened, and anger during conflicts. The body responds unintentionally to physical changes. Changes may be in breathing, blood flow, hormone levels, etc., but there is no way to prevent a reaction. Many purchases are made based on them. Answers after researching the product (learningresponses) soften or change an instinctive reaction. Moreover, according to Richard F. Taflinger (1996), instincts and responses after product research form a subconscious opinion, which is opposed to conscious decision making, since instincts exist completely outside the control of conscious opinion, and product research is rarely associated with consciousness (to the issue of cognition).

Under information about products and services the whole range is understood "marketing incentives"(These include, for example, advertising messages, labels, coupons, point-of-purchase displays, free consumer magazines, and, of course, verbal communication with the seller, friends and family).

One of the basic concepts is "choice". The main question in consumer psychology is: “Why do we choose what we choose?” (Why We Choose What We Choose). Let us pay attention - we do not buy, but choose. Consumer psychology does not study purchases (which is the prerogative of the science of “Consumer Behavior”), but rather choice. The choice of goods, according to the provisions of the Society of Consumer Psychology, for most economists and marketers, is carried out before purchase/use. (In other words, consumer behavior occurs when products evaluated and selected). Thus, consumer behavior is a result, a product of choice That is, choice is a more psychologized concept. Moreover, most external and internal stimuli (factors, determinants) influence choice, and not purchase/use.

It is emphasized that there is always a choice multi-alternative, that is, there is a huge range of goods and services, and accordingly, many options to choose from. And the task of a consumer psychologist is to study why a person consumes this particular product and not another. In fact, consumer psychology uses not only psychological knowledge for this, but also economic, cultural, and marketing knowledge.

In addition, it is noted that the choice maltia-attributive. The multi-attribute product model was proposed by psychologists Fishbein and Rosenberg in the fifties of the last century. Attributes are understood as features, properties, and attributes of a product that are most significant to the consumer. A product is considered to have a range of attributes. And when introducing or improving a product, it is necessary to study whether the newly introduced features will be attributes. The main property of an attribute is that it is a symbol of something: prestige, status, taste, etc. Hence the theory with symbolizing consumption(“symbolic consumption”), actively developed in Consumer Behavior and consumer psychology.

In contrast to classical consumption studies, symbolic consumption argues that individuals do not consume actual products, but also (or even instead) and symbolic meanings of those products defining symbols of image, social status, and thereby expressing their self-identity. (e.g. Elliott, 1994; Fries and Konig, 1993). In addition, Wicklund and Gollwitzer (1982) demonstrate that people acquire and use material symbols as compensation for perceived inconsistencies in their self-concept. This process is called symbolized self-realization. For example, by demonstrating a recognized masculine symbol, such as strutting on a motorcycle, a young man can compensate for his lack of feeling like a man. These works show that material possessions have become an important symbol of identity: through this lens we perceive ourselves and feel similar to or different from others. Russian researcher V.I. Ilyin views symbols in consumption somewhat differently: symbols mean words, gestures, objects that carry a special meaning and are recognizable by representatives of a given culture. Symbols may include a certain type of clothing, makeup, car brand, use of slang, etc. Going beyond the limits of necessary consumption, we certainly find ourselves in the world of symbols, which manifests itself in different ways in the system of public communications.

American consumer psychology operates with slightly different research methods, than Russian . Research methods widely used in cognitive, social, clinical, and developmental psychology—such as covariate structure modeling, latency response methodology, and computer modeling—can also be found in consumer psychology. Complex physiological measures, scaling procedures, and multivariate statistical methods are also used by consumer psychologists. And, of course, surveys and experiments are key. Classic testing is rarely used.

Areas of research in consumer psychology

There are two main areas of consumer psychology: (1) the study of the process of choosing a product and (2) the study of factors influencing this choice.

We have tentatively identified the main consumer psychology research topics in America.

Firstly, this features of consumption of advertised goods. The main question here is to what extent advertising is an “engine of trade”, and how to increase advertising impact. It examines ethnopsychological nuances in consumption and advertising (the “whitening” syndrome in advertising, “black” language, cross-cultural characteristics of the perception of advertised goods), erotic themes and their effectiveness in consumption, and even resistance to advertising pressure. By the way, one of the founders of consumer psychology was John B. Watson, who applied psychology to advertising. He believed that psychology cannot be recognized as a science until it demonstrates its usefulness in practice. He designed the first advertisements for Johnson & Johnson children's products, in which he played on mothers' troubles and feelings of incompetence in properly caring for their children. He discovered and exploited not only the power of emotional appeals in advertising, but also the influence of experts recommending products and the presentation of products as new or improved.

Secondly, this is a completely unknown area for Russian psychology - psychological characteristics Internet shopping: comparison of reasons, motives for purchases in online stores and regular stores, personal characteristics of the Global Internet buyer, problems of trust, interests, reliability, influence of website design on purchase, etc.

Thirdly, this is a new area of psychological study for us. brand and psychological promotion of branding. A brand is a company/product that has subjective significance for a large number of consumers. Psychologists mainly study brand associations - the main psychological component of a brand, leading to subjective significance. The main task of psychologists in branding is to make sure that the product is strongly associated, for example, with taste, prestige, safety, etc., and more so than analogue products. It is believed that consumers have two ways of creating brand associations: product research based on associative memory (a process aimed at past experience) and research based on adaptability (a process aimed at future experience). Perception, ideas about the brand, and cross-cultural differences in judgments about the brand are also explored.

Next, we examine the features information impact, accompanying the choice of product (in other words, marketing incentives): the effectiveness of all types of information - advertising, information from the seller, from friends, on packaging, etc., problems of text overload with information and psychological methods of structuring information. The issue of resistance to contradictory marketing information in multi-alternative choice is also being studied. It is noted that with multi-alternative choice, the most advantageous are products similar to those that were used previously and the attractiveness of the product

Are being researched socio-psychological factors influencing the consumer (The influence of Social Comparisons on emotions, satisfaction with purchases and the desire to buy new products, gender characteristics of social comparisons).

In addition, a “slippery” topic for Russian psychology is being actively studied. attitudes, relationships(Attitudes) and our traditionally sociological topic is opinions, judgments (Judgments) about products. Relationships are divided into explicit and implicit. It is noted that it is necessary to study implicit relationships and unconscious information processing as accessible only to psychologists. It is noted that implicit associations differ from explicit ones.

Actively researched gender characteristics of consumption: differences in motives, needs, shopping goals of men and women. For example, according to British and American research in psychology and marketing, women and men have different attitudes toward material possessions (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1982; Kamptner, 1991; Wallendorf and Arnould, 1988; Dittmar (1989, 1991) Gilligan, 1982; Williams, 1984). According to the rankings, women are more likely to choose products with sentimental value, while men are more likely to choose products related to leisure and finance. In addition, there were differences in attitudes towards goods: women saw their possessions as important because of the emotional comfort they provide and they represent relationships with others in a symbolic form, while men were more attuned to the features of property associated with use. , with activity and self-expression. These differences may be interpreted as a reflection of male and female gender identities.

Paradoxically, a significant part of the research is devoted to consumption risks.

Psychological characteristics are studied product/service life cycle(ZhCT). The life cycle refers to the time a product exists on the market. The life cycle consists of the following main stages: product creation, introduction to the market, growth, maturity, decline. The standard life cycle is expressed graphically by a Gaussian curve. The psychologist’s task here is to find and implement psychological methods for prolonging or increasing life cycle.

"Psychology of Prices" is one of the branches of consumer psychology. (In Russia, an analogue can be called the psychology of money). According to the psychology of price, there are two types of prices: price as economists understand it, equal to “cost plus profit” and price as psychologists understand it, that is, the monetary expression of value, in other words, how much money a consumer would not mind paying for a particular product and Is it profitable for the market?

Note that not all consumption phenomena are explainable. Some stand out selection anomalies– inexplicable, most striking manifestations of consumer irrationality. Let’s say one of the anomalies is that in some types of consumption people put off the most interesting, tasty, pleasant “for later”. This mechanism is not fully explained. Another phenomenon that is difficult to explain in psychological terms is “diversity bias” - when choosing several products, people choose more diverse products when they choose them all at the same time, and similar, similar, same type when they choose them sequentially. Another anomaly is that some people after providing them with free samples of goods for testing, they do not buy them, even if they really liked these goods, but wait for the next sampling, sale or trial sets. Psychologists are also unable to explain overconsumption - a phenomenon when people, having overeated, overdrinked, overplayed. then they “can’t look at this product.” Many experiments have been carried out, many theories have been created, but the authors themselves note that they are all ineffective in explaining consumption. Therefore, the explanation for these anomalies comes down to one thing - the inexplicable irrationality of choice.

In addition to theoretical ones, they also study practical problems. Let's list some interesting ones: the influence of alcoholism on the specifics of consumption; psychological effectiveness of “Free applications” (samplings, bonuses, sachets); “effects of affect” - the influence of emotions, affects, on a purchase, satisfaction with a purchase, etc.; visual components during consumption (Visual rhetoric); emotional responses to music in television advertisements.

Product review results

Different authors highlight different product research results(in reality interconnected). The preliminary results of the product research include the following. One of the first results is consumer grade(evaluation) - a decision on how good a product is, how convenient it is, etc., that is, whether it satisfies basic needs. Another result is the identification consumer benefits(consumer benefit). Consumer benefit refers to the resources that a product will bring (convenience, beauty, efficiency, cheapness, etc.) and what problems it will eliminate (the main ones are time savings, ease of use compared to analogue products). Let us note that the benefit cannot be reduced only to benefits. For example, saving money and beauty are a manifestation of benefit, but not benefit.

Another important answer is satisfaction choice. There are two main components of satisfaction/dissatisfaction – emotional and cognitive. It is noted that it depends not only on the product itself, but also on the expectations placed on the product, and on the time of searching for the product.

The end result of studying the product is drawing conclusions(conclusions) about choice, purchase/use (infiriens-making), i.e. buy - don't buy, consume - don't consume.

Principles of consumer psychology

Jane Spear (1999) highlights several principles of consumer psychology.

(1) Gestalt principle. This principle is based on the concept of Gestalt psychology. It is believed that in order to analyze the popularity of a product or company, it is necessary to find out what cultural values it carries within itself and turn to the relationship between its perceived and real attributes.

(2) Iceberg principle states that we only see the superficial reasons for purchasing behavior; moreover, they only seem to be rational, actually explaining behavior. In fact, a person is controlled by hidden, unconscious reasons and factors (the underwater, invisible part of the iceberg). For example, even if a person buys closed boots to protect his feet, his desired, preferred shoes may well be open platform sandals, and the boots were purchased only because of necessity. This principle is consistent with the idea of the irrationality of economic man.

(3) Dynamic principle states that people and their motivations are constantly changing under the influence of social, economic, or psychological factors. A millionaire who grew up in dire poverty may spend half his life buying the cheapest margarine, since it takes a long time for the psychological impulse to adapt to the economic situation;

(4) Principle image and symbols postulates that the image on the packaging, images associated with the product are a stronger factor of consumption than the quality of the product and its composition, since they are symbols of something sacred or important for a person. This arises due to the influence of subtle associations with these images.

Since the beginning of the last century, American psychologists have been solving the problem of consumer irrationality - a person’s tendency to perform actions that are not amenable to the clear laws of logic, utility, and utilitarianism. Irrational behavior is the opposite of rational behavior - logical, balanced, calculated using formulas, having patterns, constructed according to a plan.

George Loewenstein. The Creative Destruction of Decision Research // Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 28 December 2001.

Tversky, A., Kahneman, D. The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice // Science, 1981, Vol. 211, pp. 453 - 458.

Miller, D. The study of consumption // Material Culture and Mass Consumption. Blackwell Pub., 1994, pp. 133-157.

Hawkins, S. A. & Hastie, R. Hindsight: Biased judgments of past events after the outcomes are known. // Psychological Bulletin, 1990, Vol. 107, 311-327.

Ashesh Mukherjee, Wayne D. Hoyer The Effect of Novel Attributes on Product Evaluation // Journal of Consumer Research, · Vol. 28, December 2001.

For example, Fred van Raaij W. Postmodern consumption // Journal of Economic Psychology. Vol. 14, 1992, pp.541-563.

George Loewensteyn, “The Creative Destruction of Decision Research,” Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 28 December 2001.

For example, MUTHUKRISHNAN V., KARDES FRANK R. Persistent Preferences for Product Attributes: The Effects of the Initial Choice Context and Uninformative Experience // Journal of Consumer Research, · Vol. 28 June 2001.

For example, Ganzach Y., Mazursky D. Time dependent biases in consumer multi-attribute judgment.

Jacoby J. Consumer behavior: a quandrennium // Annual Review of Psychology, 1998.

Sobel Marc J., Bayes and Empirical Bayes Prosedures for Comparing Parameters // Journal of the American Statistical Association, Volume 88, Issue 422 (Jun., 1993), 687-693.

For example, Abelson, R.P. Script processing in attitude formation and decision-making. In: J.S. Caroll & J.N. Payne (eds.), Cognition and social behavior. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum., 1976.

Holdbrook M. N. What is Consumer Research? // Journal of Consumer Research, Vol 14, June 1987, p.130.

Imagine standing in a supermarket and just watching different people shopping. Over time, you will probably see that there are at least three ways people behave.

Some of them quickly and purposefully move from one shelf to another, almost without looking, clearly collecting only well-known or familiar products into the basket. The faster a person moves and the less distracted he is by glancing elsewhere, the more difficult it will be, you can be sure, to persuade him to “try something else.” Because this person is most likely a clear conservative in his preferences and he will give up his habits only if the products he has chosen disappear from sale for a long time. However, it is also quite possible that this person is simply in a hurry and therefore “turned on” the familiar stereotype of choice so as not to be distracted by extraneous things and not waste time.

Another type of buyer clearly compares different products, but you can also notice that such people are only interested in certain groups of products - they pass by others with complete indifference. Most likely, these are “price hunters”. After comparing several well-known and relatively similar quality products, they will choose the one that is cheapest today. When they return home, they will most likely proudly tell you how great they were able to save on today's trip to the store. However, let us again emphasize that it is necessary to distinguish between both personality types and variants of situational behavior, since outwardly a person who, by the will of fate, finds himself without money today, can behave in the same way.

The third behavior option is “researcher”, that is. Those who are clearly interested in everything new closely examine the packaging, study the signatures, on occasion start a conversation with the seller, asking him about the properties and origin of the product, and noticeably hesitate before making a choice. Research has shown that the causal basis for such behavior is not always purely childish curiosity or a “reaction to novelty.” No less often, this is due to the experience of an unsuccessful purchase. Having made a mistake once, the buyer does not want to take too much risk the next time, and his exploratory behavior is an option to compensate for his mistake (see 126).

Obviously, each buyer has his own optimal behavior of the seller, his own type of advertising message, and perhaps even product packaging. But the trouble is that the variety of buyers and the factors that determine their choice and the likelihood of making a particular purchase are far from limited to the options described.

Representatives of the “Consumer Psychology” direction have identified a lot of factors that determine buyer behavior. Many of these factors can be seen on the surface of phenomena, already at the level of simple demographic differences. Men and women who have at least a small surplus of available funds beyond what is necessary to meet the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing prefer to spend it in different ways. It is equally obvious that there are age differences in commitment to purchasing different groups of goods. The eternal problem of gaps between generations, differences in their tastes, values and passions is also a serious concern for business, since predicting (or shaping) the tastes of future solvent generations is one of the tasks of forecasting the development of a business, on the success of which its fate often depends.

Among other possible social and demographic factors, the ethnicity of buyers also turns out to be significant; the number and age of children, since a significant part of purchases is made by people specifically for them; belonging to a certain social level or class; a person’s education and level of income; a person’s tendency to mobility, movement both in geographical and social space; presence or absence of interest in fashion; public and social activity, etc.

Behind the facade of these superficial differences, more and more profound factors can be discovered, which also become the subject of close attention to “consumer psychology.” The use of psychological testing methods, initially the most popular personality tests, made it possible to discover that in the process of choosing a product, the buyer can be influenced by factors such as anxiety, which, for example, affects the preference for electric razors over conventional ones; rigidity - in situations of persistent refusal to try new products: compulsivity (obsessive habits) - for example, an obsessive desire for cleanliness leads to a clearly excessive purchase of cleaning products and detergents.

Over time, highly specialized tests, questionnaires and other techniques, often developed for specific types of products and services, have become increasingly widespread in the field of “Consumer Psychology”, for example, “Personality and Preference Inventory”, “Nutrition Anxiety Scale”, etc.

Their use made it possible to discover more and more factors influencing purchasing behavior. There were so many of these factors that the opposite need arose - to at least somehow group them into categories reflecting general trends. Such work, in turn, led “Consumer Psychology” to either a trivial or, on the contrary, a non-trivial discovery. It turned out that everything ultimately comes down to either rational arguments or emotions. Two key parameters obtained as a result of factorization of a set of data are called - impulsiveness And profitability, compliance(convenience). Moreover, if the second of these parameters turned out to be somewhat more characteristic of the male version of purchasing behavior, where more attention is paid to rational justification, comfort, convenience and compliance with standards, then in the purchasing behavior of women one can more often find a manifestation of the impulsiveness factor. At the same time, impulsivity can be significantly influenced by poorly understood factors - packaging, its color and shape, symbolism of the picture, advertising, while the compliance factor is influenced rather by normative social ideas, awareness of belonging to certain groups, contacts with friends, etc. .

Diving into the depths of the human psyche in search of what determines his decision to buy a bun with poppy seeds for breakfast instead of a bun with raisins continues, right up to turning to psychoanalytic methods and attempts to penetrate into the very depths of the unconscious. However, judging by the practical results, no one has yet managed to reach the ultimate truths, otherwise we would all have long ago become endless buyers from the same sellers who hold the secrets of universal influence. However, knowing something about human nature, we hope that this will never happen.

From this article you will learn:

What is consumer psychology

Where is consumer psychology used?

What are the different principles of consumer psychology?

How to use consumer psychology in practice to your advantage

There are two models of buyer behavior. The first is the consumer’s focus on satisfying his needs, the second is the client’s desire to make his desires come true. It is hardly necessary to consider in detail what consumer psychology is if the basis of his motivation is solely the desire to satisfy his needs. In this case, it is enough to find out when, where and what purchases he made. If we are looking for an answer to the question of why these particular acquisitions were made, then we are already considering a more complex phenomenon of motivation. Read more about this in our article.

Theoretical aspects of studying consumer behavioral psychology

Desires largely determine consumer behavior. Material and psychological factors are presented in the book “The Powerful Consumer” written by George Katona. In the original, this work is called “The powerful consumer”. The Hungarian psychologist argued that recession, exuberance and inflation can be seen as both a consequence and a cause of consumer behavior. To understand the reasons that lie behind a consumer's propensity to make certain choices, the expression of his desires, as well as his preferences, it is necessary to use knowledge from disciplines such as economics, anthropology and psychology.

The term “behavioral psychology” can be used to describe everything that we know about consumer behavior, but it is more accurate to use it in situations where the question concerns the reasons why the consumer acts this way and not differently. The answers given to the question “Why?” usually relate to wants, not needs.

For a more complete understanding of the psychology of behavior, several basic provisions must be taken into account.

The Gestalt principle.

To answer the question of why a consumer chose a particular product, we need to look at this problem more broadly. So, if we need to understand why a person purchased a particular brand of soap, it would be wiser to study the gestalt of behavior that is associated with both bathing and washing. Thus, the study of many issues related to consumer psychology begins after a deep analysis of his behavior.

Iceberg principle.

This principle tells us that the necessary information is not always open to us “in the palm of our hand.” Given this, it turns out that most consumer behavior, as well as his social behavior, including such actions as voting in elections or refusing to drink alcohol, is explained by reasons that are deeply hidden. Scientists, when studying the motives of consumer behavior, do not directly ask the question: “Why?”, since in this case the respondent will have to explain the personal motives of a particular purchase, and this is most often impossible to do.

Dynamic principle.

A person constantly motivates himself to do something. His behavior is influenced by society, as well as economic and psychological attitudes. Collection methods that focus on obtaining behavioral data at the time the survey is conducted often ignore the most relevant information.

When asking a person a question about how much he receives, we are not interested in how stable his financial situation is at the moment, whether the income of this consumer is growing, remaining unchanged or decreasing, and these subtleties are much more important than information about his level of income at the time of the survey. According to psychologists, consumers whose financial situation is worsening, improving, or staying the same actually fall into three completely different categories, even if their earnings are the same at the time of the survey.

Image and symbolism.

The production of any product is based on a certain concept. So, after viewing an advertisement, the consumer is left with a certain vague image in his head, which is formed from the melody, background, rhythm, country or candidate, general configuration. The results of many scientific studies confirm our tendency to instantly change our opinion and reinterpret a neutral statement if we learn that a person we like or dislike is associated with it. Our reaction is related to the signature (identifying characteristic) of the information received, rather than to what it carries.

It is these four principles (formed on the theses of anthropology, depth psychology, futurology and symbolism) as the most important methods that underlie innovations in the psychology of consumer behavior as a science. Applying these principles helps you more consciously approach understanding the motives of buyer behavior. It is necessary to distinguish between interpretive studies (based on genetic and structural methods) and descriptive studies (which use methods of description and explanation, as well as predicting the behavior of the subject).

Of course, the data we obtain from the latest methods is very important, but it does not form the basis of the entire study. If our goal is to motivate the client and determine his actions, then we must be able to explain his behavior, so to speak, interpret. When we can distinguish and exclude the deliberate lies of our respondents, then we will be able to build a correct model of consumer behavior.

Today, when studying the psychology of behavior, a method is used in which respondents are given the opportunity to talk more fully about their behavior, but at the same time eliminating the attempt at “self-diagnosis.” The interviewer does not ask the person why he bought that car and not another, but specifically encourages the interviewee to talk in detail about what life circumstances prompted him to make a decision to buy a car - this helps the researcher make a reliable analysis of the real motives for such consumer behavior.

At the beginning of the study of the psychology of consumer behavior, specific and reasonable assumptions are made regarding buyer behavior. They can be based on knowledge of such disciplines as cultural studies, depth psychology, futurology or symbolism. And the question of why the client buys only this soap and no other may well lie at the basis of an analysis of the psychology of his behavior. Turning to the first principle, we study the established norms of behavior (rituals, habits) of the consumer associated with the use of this product.

So, if we are talking about soap, then we consider the connections that exist between this product and the direct process of bathing or washing. The buyer may associate soap not only with the feeling of being physically clean, but also with the performance of ritual ceremonies of a religious nature (baptism and ablution), when the body is cleansed of guilt and everything vicious (the “iceberg principle”).

By following the dynamic principle, a researcher in the psychology of consumer behavior can identify the most important changes in it. The latter may be related to the level of income: it grows, falls or remains at the same level. After all, even with the same income, buyer behavior may differ.

In the process of communication (in other words, in communication), people constantly exchange some information, and symbolism plays an important role here. Most often, it happens that it is easier for the buyer to grasp a non-verbal image than a very specific verbal message. When they say, “awaken the beast within you,” people understand it in a figurative sense, that is, “feel the power within you,” but its literal perception will seem absurd. More often, the consumer buys precisely the image of the proposed product, and not its specific advantages, or casts his vote not for the program that the candidate promises to implement, but for his image.

Do we need new products? The psychology of consumer behavior also studies situations such as “the choice of the lesser of two evils,” when the client is faced with the question: “To buy or not to buy?”, and in these cases he is guided, among other things, by moral aspects. As long as we only try to understand the buyer's behavior, everything seems normal. But there are companies that are interested not only in specific consumer behavior. They literally impose this or that product on him, push him to perform certain actions.

Economists are probably most likely to rely on the pie-like model of consumer wants and needs, which is far from practical. The more pieces were cut from it, the less remained. In their opinion, human needs and desires are limited. However, the results of modern research into the psychology of consumer behavior indicate that, on the contrary, people’s desires and needs are constantly growing.

After the creation of radio, the recording industry immediately began to develop. Now a person can use not just one channel, but many different ones. This, it would seem, should reduce the size of the “pie”. But the rules of psychology of a different quality apply here: the more musical and other types of entertainment available to the consumer, the more of them he wants to get.

The growing popularity of studying the psychology of consumer behavior has a positive impact on the overly rational-logical theories followed by economists and marketers. For example, it is a recognized fact that during an economic crisis, the consumption of luxury goods increases, although, in principle, the opposite should be the case. There is clearly little explanation for this situation from a logical standpoint.

The thing is that during such periods a person has a feeling of insecurity, and he wants to have things that symbolize high quality and stability. Therefore, regardless of whether he has such an opportunity or not, he still purchases a more expensive product (a precious stone, a trip to the Maldives or a Toyota Land Cruiser).

5 Tips on How to Use Consumer Psychology to Your Advantage

Tip 1. The payment process should be simple and painless.

It has been proven in practice that people are more willing to spend non-cash funds. This is explained by a peculiarity of psychological perception: the “pain of payment” (unpleasant sensations when parting with money) comes later, after payment. According to researchers in the psychology of consumer behavior, a client who pays with a bank card experiences positive emotions from the purchase, and does not experience the negativity inherent in situations when he parted with cash.

Application in practice. Provide the ability to pay for goods or services using a bank card on your company’s website or office. It’s even better if you provide the “Autopayment” service. In this case, the client will not experience stress every month when paying the loan in cash.

Tip 2. Allow customers to pay in installments.

In his study, Harvard Business School professor John Gourville compared two methods of raising money for charity. The first is a one-time payment of $350. The second was in the form of daily payments, which amounted to one dollar. As a result, it turned out that it is easier for a person to give money if his daily payment is not higher than the amount of daily expenses (four dollars in 2003).

Application in practice. For example, the provider offers a tariff with a monthly payment of 900 rubles. Divide this amount by the number of days in the month (30) and get 30 rubles - the fee for each day of using the tariff. It is small, although the total amount will remain unchanged. To enhance the effect, you can compare this amount with something quite insignificant, for example, with the price of one box of matches.

Tip 3. Apply the anchor effect.

Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman, together with Israeli psychologist Amos Tversky, conducted an experiment in which they twisted a tape measure marked from zero to one hundred so that the arrow pointer always fell on the numbers 10 and 65. Those who participated in the study were asked to write down the number drawn and asked:

Participants' responses varied, but the average rating (after seeing the numbers 10 and 65) was 25% and 45%. This phenomenon has been called the “anchoring effect,” and it makes itself felt in cases where people are faced with numbers of an arbitrary nature before they need to estimate some unknown value.

Application in practice. When a consumer chooses a product, invite him to take part in a marketing study, where his answer is pre-linked to a higher price for the service. It is important that in this matter the amount beneficial to the company is stated.

The human brain is designed in such a way that, whenever possible, it tries not to do unnecessary calculations. Thus, the “Default” option, that is, refusal to make any choice, is considered in the psychology of consumer behavior as the optimal solution. There is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. In a study on the ability to control consumer behavior, psychologists Eric Johnson and Daniel Goldstein randomly divided participants into three groups. Each was asked to imagine that they had settled in a country that had a donation policy. Only 42% of the participants in the first group expressed a desire to become donors, 82% of the members of the second group also decided to support this policy, and for the third group this figure was 79%.

Application in practice. Give your new customers the opportunity to use high-speed Internet (100 Mbit/s) for free for the first week. Additionally, offer them the option to cancel the service at a time that is convenient for them. From the eighth day, if the subscriber has not done anything, transfer him to a paid tariff while maintaining the speed, and if he refuses, change the tariff to the one he chooses from the next day. This is what one of the Russian companies did. As a result, most customers accepted the default choice, and the average tariff price increased by 18%.

Tip 5. Use conflicts of interest.

The author of the article “Burden of Disclosure: Increasing Acceptance of Questionable Recommendations,” Harvard University professor Sunita Sah and her colleague describe their experience studying the psychology of consumer behavior. The subjects were asked to choose between cubes A and B, each of which had its own set of prizes. Moreover, the prizes that people received when choosing cube A were better than the prizes corresponding to cube B. Of all participants, 92% chose cube A without outside prompting.

In the same case, when the subjects were misled by saying that die B had the best prizes, 52% of the subjects chose it. But if the consultant, offering cube B, said that he was financially interested in their choice, then the figure increased to 81%.

Application in practice: During a conversation with a client, mention that if the consumer chooses a certain product, the manager will be paid a bonus. This technique works in any area of business, but it also has a side effect: customers may feel that they are being pressured, and this can affect their loyalty to the company.