What Is Consumer Behavior, and Why Is It Important?

Consumer behavior represents the study of individuals and the activities that take place to satisfy their realized needs. That satisfaction comes from the processes used in selecting, securing, and using products or services when the benefits received from those processes meet or exceed consumers’ expectations. In other words, when an individual realizes that he has a need, the psychological process starts the consumer decision process. Through this process, the individual sets out to find ways to fulfill the need he has identified. That process includes the individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior. When the process is complete, the consumer is faced with the task of analyzing and digesting all the information, which determines the actions he will take to fulfill the need.

To simplify the explanation even further, you can think of consumer behavior as the process that determines the why, what, who, when, and how of what a consumer purchases.

Consumer behavior is often misconceived as only useful to the sophisticated and bigger corporations. Nothing could be farther from the truth. After all, consumer behavior can teach companies of all sizes about the consumption patterns of their consumers as well as the internal and external influences that affect those customers. When you understand the behavior of consumers, you can create products and services that provide the consumers with more value. And then you can market those products and services in ways that the consumers understand. The whole point of studying consumer behavior is to motivate customers to purchase. In this blog, I explain the basics of consumer behavior and show you how you can use it to better your marketability, explain your value, and increase your sales.

Consumer behavior answers the following questions:

Why do consumers buy?

Consumers make purchases for a variety of reasons. These reasons include the following:

• To reinforce self-concepts

• To maintain their lifestyles

• To become part of a group or gain acceptance in a group they already belong to

• To express their cultural identity

What internal and external factors influence their purchases?

Each consumer is influenced internally by his own attitudes, personality, perceptions, self-concepts, and emotions. He also must deal with external influences, such as household structure, group association, and cultural beliefs.

Who do they buy from?

Consumers purchase from businesses that fulfill their psychological needs by making them feel welcome, understood, important, and comfortable.

When do they buy?

Consumers buy based on their consumption patterns, which are determined by their family life cycles and household structures.

How do they purchase?

Consumers go through a decision-making process that guides them in their purchases. This process takes into account both internal and external influences of the consumer. Consumer behavior provides a wealth of information about the individuals that purchase your products and services. When you understand a consumer, you can speak directly to him and his needs. This special communication not only increases the consumer’s ability to understand the value in your product, but it also increases sales. Consumers buy what they understand and what they see value in. Consumer behavior also provides you with insight on how to create an effective marketing strategy. After all, if you don’t understand your consumers, how can you market to them? Companies often fail to gain an understanding of what their consumers want and need before they actually create their marketing strategies. They lack knowledge of what influences their consumers. So remember that evaluation and understanding of consumer behavior should always come before the development of a marketing strategy or plan. Today consumers are faced with an array of product selection, and competition is fierce among companies. This is why our understanding of consumer behavior is vital to the success of your business. When you understand your consumers better than your competition, you have a greater chance of winning their business. When you’re equipped to speak and market directly to consumers and the needs they’re facing, you can help walk them through the decision-making processes and counteract any negative influences they may encounter in the process. Throughout this blog, I explain both the processes and the influences that affect individuals when it comes to consumer behavior.