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Introduction. Basic concepts of consumer psychology.

Social psychology of consumption- a field of social psychology that studies the psychological characteristics of consumer behavior and attitudes towards goods and services.

In particular, the social psychology of consumption studies the consumer cycle, the main element of which is consumer choice; attitude to the product or its attributes and consumer preferences as a special form of this relationship; psychological factors of consumer behavior; factors influencing the subject-object relation to goods and services.

The object of consumer psychology - consumption as a social process. The consumer is not considered as an object since this is one of social roles, and consumption is influenced by the same factors as other social processes.

The subject of consumer psychology- psychological patterns of consumption. In Russia, the attitude to a product or service is the central theme.

Consumer Behavior- this is a social activity directly involved in the acquisition, use and disposal of products, services, ideas (including the decision processes preceding and following this activity).

Consumer- an individual or organization that buys, uses, owns and disposes of a product or service. Consumers can be people, groups of people, as well as organizations of various sizes and profiles of activity that use goods, services, ideas.

The role of businessmen and psychologists in an organization is to

(1) that goods meet the needs of buyers for the benefit of both buyers and sellers;

(2) in the peculiar direction of the needs of the buyer;

(3) in creating new needs by releasing new products (for example, back in the 80s there was no need for detergents and dish sponges, but it was marketers who created them).

To consider human consciousness in the process of consumption, the concept of economic consciousness is used.

consumer behavior

The following types of consumer behavior are distinguished:

Cyclic, repetitive actions and actions of the individual (for example, in a situation of everyday shopping)

Marginal acts of consumer behavior (for example, when a consumer moves from one status to another)

Acts of consumer behavior as a result of the influence of consumer schemes and stereotypes, which are formed as a result of socio-cultural patterns, elements of subculture.

Spontaneous consumer acts and reactions under the influence of certain circumstances or provoked by an emotional state.

Unique actions and deeds that are the result of the individual experience of the individual.

Kazantseva S.M. Sociocultural determinants of consumer behavior. - Diss. for the competition … cand. sociological Sciences. - Tyumen, 1997.

This model is the relationship between the consumer's decision to purchase and the factors that determine it, and proceeds from a number of premises:

The starting point of consumer behavior is the life (organizational) style, or way of life. A consumer (or an organization) buys/consumes products in order to maintain or improve their lifestyle (organizational) style, which is in interaction with a number of factors

The consumer has a dual nature. On the one hand, a member of several social groups and therefore subject to the influence of social or external factors. On the other hand, the consumer is individual, and therefore his lifestyle is influenced by a number of internal, psychological factors. Internal, psychological, factors are considered as processes of the consumer's reaction to external influences.

The desire to maintain or improve one's lifestyle shapes consumer attitudes and needs. In a certain situation, the consumer is aware of the problem (need or opportunity to improve or maintain lifestyle), thereby starting the process of purchasing decision.

Decision making process:

Consumer awareness of a problem

Information retrieval

Evaluation and selection of purchase alternatives

Purchasing Use and Solution Evaluation

PP factors are divided into

External (social, external impact on the consumer)

Internal (psychological)

Among the external factors: Marketing activities, Influences formed by the social environment, Culture, Reference groups, Family, etc.

Imagine that you are standing in the supermarket and just watching how different people shop. Over time, you will surely see that there are at least three options for human behavior.

Some of them quickly and purposefully move from one shelf to another, almost without looking, obviously collecting only well-known or familiar products into the basket. The faster a person advances and the less he gets distracted by looking at something else, the more difficult it will be for you to persuade him to "try something else." Because this person is most likely a clear conservative in his addictions 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 in vain.

Another type of buyer clearly compares different products, but it can also be seen that such people are only interested in certain groups of goods - they pass by others with complete indifference. Most likely, these are “price hunters”. By comparing several well-known and relatively similar products in quality, they will choose the one that is currently the cheapest. When they get home, they're likely to be proud to tell you how great they were at saving money on today's grocery shopping. However, we emphasize again that it is necessary to distinguish between both types of personality and variants of situational behavior, since outwardly a person who, by the will of fate, today finds himself without money, can behave in the same way.

The third variant of behavior is the "researcher", that. Those who are clearly interested in everything new, closely examine the packages, 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. Studies have shown that the causal basis of such behavior is not always purely children's curiosity or "reaction of novelty". No less often behind this is the experience of an unsuccessful purchase. Having made a mistake once, the buyer does not want to risk too much the next time, and his exploratory behavior is a variant of compensation for the mistake made (see 126).

It is obvious that each buyer has his own version of the behavior of the seller, his own type of advertising message, perhaps even the packaging of the product. But the whole 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 being limited to the options described.

Representatives of the "Consumer Psychology" direction have identified a lot of factors that determine the behavior of the buyer. 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 even a small surplus of free funds beyond what is needed to meet the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing prefer to spend them in different ways. It is equally obvious that there are age differences in the commitment to the acquisition of various groups of goods. The eternal problem gaps between generations, differences in their tastes, values and passions are also a serious business concern, since predicting (or shaping) the tastes of future solvent generations is one of the tasks of predicting the development of a business, the success of which often depends on its fate.

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

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

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

Their use made it possible to discover more and more factors influencing buying behavior. There were so many of these factors that the opposite need arose - to somehow group them into categories that reflect general trends. Such work, in turn, led Consumer Psychology to either a banal or, conversely, to a non-trivial discovery. It turned out that everything ultimately rests either on rational arguments or on emotions. Two key parameters obtained as a result of factorization of a set of data are called - impulsiveness And profitability, suitability(convenience). Moreover, if the second of these parameters turned out to be somewhat more inherent in the male variant 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 manifestations of the impulsive factor. At the same time, impulsiveness can be significantly influenced by poorly conscious factors - packaging, its color and shape, the symbolism of the picture, advertising, while the conformity factor is more influenced by normative social representations, 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 roll with poppy seeds for breakfast instead of a roll with raisins continues, up to turning to psychoanalytic methods and attempts to penetrate into the very depths of the unconscious. Nevertheless, judging by the practical results, no one has yet managed to reach the final truths, otherwise we would all have long ago become endless buyers from the same sellers who own the secrets of universal impact. However, knowing something about human nature, we hope that this will never happen.

Consumer psychology- a branch of psychology that studies the characteristics of the consumer market, a person as a consumer, subject and object of advertising. Consumer psychology studies not only the taste preferences of the buyer, the dynamics of supply and demand for various goods and services, but also the personality, characterological characteristics of the buyer. Based on the results of customer research, you can develop effective advertising, predict a group of buyers of new goods and services, fashion trends for a particular product.

The focus on the consumer has led to physical properties goods began to be considered in terms of psychological satisfaction. Consumer orientation has contributed to the increase in marketing research spending.

Consumer psychology research methods

Consumer psychology research methods:

observation;
public opinion polls;
focus groups.

Projective techniques allow you to find out the real attitude of the client to goods or services:

role-playing games- this technique involves getting used to the role of a service provider or consumer, depending on the objectives of the study, 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 this product;
psychological portraits– drafting psychological portrait goods, "humanization" of it, the identification of any human qualities that endow the product with consumers;
personifications- presentation of the product as a person, personality and, based on this, consideration of possible optimizations of its design, product characteristics;
obituaries- write an obituary about the impact of the product. A striking example is advertising of mosquito repellents, cockroach repellents and others.

The nature and purpose of advertising

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

Advertising Promises

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

promises certain benefits;
trouble if the buyer does not purchase the advertised products;
the acquisition of love, friends, self-respect and self-realization;
excellence in anything.

Trademark identification

Brand identification and preference research have importance for the development of advertising or its continuation. Continuation and correction depend on how recognizable a certain brand is and whether advertising forms buyers' preference for this particular brand. advertising campaign. Special attention of advertisers is aimed at ensuring that the buyer distinguishes this particular brand from the brand of other companies that produce similar products.

A trademark includes such elements as a logo, name, sound and color accompaniment. 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

facilitation of recollection;
recognition;
physiological measurements;
study of the number of sales;
return coupons.

The study of television programming is important for the placement of promotional items at the most optimal time. D. Schultz, S. Schultz highlight such aspects as:

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

Aspects of products that affect the consumer:

brand - recognition;
product image - a reflection of ideas, thoughts and feelings associated with this particular product;
product packaging.

efficiency in the context of the volume of production produced by the enterprise;
efficiency in the context of recognition in the market and efficiency in the context of the formation of a certain policy of the organization, support for production and compliance with the advertising image. The effectiveness of advertising depends on many factors, for example, on the time it is shown on a TV channel, placement of advertising in print media, creative design of an advertisement, and others.

A special attitude in modern conditions is formed to advertising on the Internet. The ever-increasing number of Internet users allows us to talk about the prospects of advertising in the global network.

The contingent of users is able-bodied youth and people under 45, that is, the most promising consumer group.

The psychology of advertising deals with the study of purchase motivation and, based on this research, provides some guidance on product design, window dressing, store employee behavior, placement, and context. advertisements. Much depends on the personal factors of the consumer products.

Motives of consumer behavior

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

aesthetic motives that Special attention given appearance product, the attractiveness of its forms, a bright label, a harmonious combination with other objects, etc. This type of motive is the strongest and most durable;
motives of prestige, which appear only in a certain social group. For some goods, a person can spend great amount money just because this product can emphasize its status, social status, to improve the position in society. As a rule, such motives come with the growth of material well-being;
utilitarian motives are manifested by the consumer in the first place when evaluating performance, durability, the possibility of quick and high-quality repairs, etc .;
tradition motifs. For the manifestation of this type of motivation, as a rule, colors are used that are close to the national one, or they use the colors of the flag, exciting and thereby awakening positive emotions To this species goods;
achievement motives are very close in meaning to prestige motives. These motives differ from others in that when advertising a particular product, the manufacturer tries to use famous person, for example, a three-time champion of Russia to advertise a sporting product or a pop star to promote a new line of perfumery, etc.

Personal factors affecting the consumer

Consider the personal factors that affect the consumer:

gender - according to statistics, in most cases, women deal with acquisition issues in the family;
age - children can be active purchase intermediaries: attracted by bright packaging, children ask their parents, relatives to buy a toy or some kind of sweet, not focusing on the purchase price, which many manufacturers of children's products rely on, and this moment the question of the ethics of children's advertising is considered. Young people are the main buyers of fashionable clothes and youth accessories (for example, cell phones). Middle-aged people are mainly interested in purchasing food and household appliances, while older people are mainly interested in purchasing food 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 thing, and people with limited funds will purchase, focusing not on the quality of the product, but on the price;
ethnicity affects the distribution of the purchase of a certain set of products, taste preferences in buying clothes, etc.;
time allotted for shopping - limited time unnerves the buyer, purchases are made for reasons of quick acquisition, and attention is paid to products known to the buyer.
In case of excess time, the buyer carefully studies the inscriptions on the products, analyzes the price characteristics in several outlets 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 available for sale, try on prices, etc .;
mood;
individual characteristics of the buyer;
habits and commitment to a particular manufacturer;
How affordable is the price for the consumer?

Consumer psychology is a branch of psychology that studies the peculiarities of thinking and behavior of an individual as a consumer of goods and services, the subject and object of advertising, and also engaged in research psychological features consumer market.

Knowing the nature of the average buyer, it is easier to develop more effective advertising, anticipate demand, put forward new offers that are likely to be in demand, predict fashion, and so on. Today, no product is sold without taking into account the psychology of the consumer.

How do marketers find out what the consumer wants and how he actually feels about the goods and services available? There are a few research methods consumer opinions:

surveillance,
polls,
projective methods,
focus groups (groups specially created for research).

For example, there is such a projective technique as “ Personification". It helps to optimize the design of the product, to make it seem more human, animated, communicative. In the course of personification, the product is visualized as an anthropomorphic creature, that is, it is presented as a person that it could be. So there are talking, having hands, feet and face toothbrushes, chewing gums, detergents and so on. On the shelf in the store there is such a product, as if saying to the buyer: “Take me to you! We have a lot in common!".

age,
social status,
moral,
mood,
habits,
subjective acceptability of the price,
time spent shopping
purchase purpose.

Most consumers are women, as they are in the family, as a rule, are engaged in purchases and advertising is more focused on women's perception. But apart from gender great value plays age buyer: if you need to sell children's goods or confectionery, marketers are guided by the psychology of children; fashionable clothes and gadgets - for teenagers; food and household appliances- for adults medicines - for pensioners.

Wealthy people focus on the quality of the goods, not paying attention to the high cost. People below average income they pay attention to the price, and then to the quality, but the choice is still made, focusing on the cost.

The shopper who came into the store after work just to buy bread is one type of buyer, and the one who came on a day off is more likely to have fun- a completely different type. If time the purchase is limited, and the goal is specific, the buyer will quickly take a familiar, familiar product, the one that he usually buys, and leave. If time is unlimited, the buyer will consider different options for the product and “price the price”.

When there is no clear goals, the temptation to buy an unnecessary, but attractive thing is much higher. People who go shopping with a shopping list are less likely to buy unnecessary items because they write down their goal on a piece of paper and keep it in front of their eyes at all times. This simple action allows you to save money and not buy too much, unless, of course, you can resist the temptation.

Motives of consumer behavior

In addition to the personal characteristics of the buyer, consumer psychology takes into account two significant aspects of his behavior:

striving to meet needs
wish fulfillment.

When a person buys a product to satisfy needs, his motives are very clear. If the consumer is driven by some desire, it is more difficult to identify its motives.

To motivate consumers to buy a particular product is designed to advertising. Advertising is always seductive and often deceptive, which is why it is often considered unethical and inhumane. She promises that along with the purchase, the individual will get some benefit (love, respect, prestige) or, on the contrary, scares her with trouble if the advertised product is not purchased.

motives encourage people to act. Those motives that encourage the purchase of a product, psychologists organize into several groups:

Aesthetic. These are the strongest and longest lasting motives. A person is attracted by what is beautiful, new, fresh, harmonious, bright, goes well with things already in use, with which you can decorate yourself or your home.

The consumer always pays attention to the volume, color and shape of the product. Wrinkled and soiled things no one wants to buy, and an attractive wrapper, label or packaging box can compensate for many of the shortcomings of the product.

Utility. Answers to the questions “How to use the thing?”, “How long will it last?” and “Can it be repaired if it breaks?” determine the desire or unwillingness to purchase the product. The psychology of the consumer is such that he always wants an easy-to-use, high-quality, long-lasting and quickly repairable product.
Motives of prestige. The higher the level of material well-being of a person, the more often he seeks to buy things and services that can emphasize his status. These motives are very strong, so manufacturers are not afraid to raise the cost of status goods and make them as expensive as possible.

An expensive purchase raises a person's position in society, even if his social status is not too high. People driven by the motive of prestige can for a long time to limit oneself in food, essentials and rest in order to acquire a desired, expensive, prestigious thing.

Achievement motives. These motives are awakened when a successful and popular person is involved in advertising a product. People look up to many famous personalities, want to be like them, achieve similar or identical career heights. It seems that the product advertised by the idol is the key to success, so its importance (and with it the desire to buy) increases significantly.
Tradition motifs. Such motivation arises against the background of associations with state symbols, homeland, home, parents, and traditions of the people. For example, looking at a product in color scheme state flag, for a consumer with more the likelihood of positive emotions, feelings of patriotism and belonging, and, consequently, a desire to buy a “native” thing.

Consumer psychology, like any other area of psychological knowledge, although amenable to study and analysis, is not exact science. There is a lot of illogical and contradictory in it. But it is precisely these contradictions that support a strictly rational economy. If it were not for human nature to succumb to the influence of advertising and make sometimes completely thoughtless spending, the consumer market would be largely limited.

What is consumer psychology? Consumer psychology

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