In this graduate-level course, take an in-depth look at consumer behavior and its role in marketing by examining it in terms of internal influences, external influences, the consumer decision-making process, consumers, and culture.
Consumer behavior studies individuals, groups, or organizations and how they choose, purchase, and discard products, services, experiences, or ideas. The discipline also examines these processes' effects on consumers and society. This is a broader definition than those used in the past, which focused more on the immediate experience of the buyer and the consequences of the purchasing process. There are several good reasons for studying consumer behavior. First, consumer behavior theory provides managers with the right questions to ask about specific consumers. Second, in addition to influencing consumers and companies, marketing practices designed to influence behavior can also affect society. Finally, successful marketing decisions by commercial firms, nonprofit organizations, and regulatory agencies require a solid understanding of consumer behavior. Numerous examples of actual business practices make it clear that successful firms can apply theories and information about consumer behavior daily because the more knowledge the marketer is armed with, the more likely a campaign is to resonate with the target consumer and succeed.
- Unit 1: Introduction to Consumer Behavior
- Unit 2: The Consumer Learning Process
- Unit 3: Understanding the Consumer
- Unit 4: Influencing Consumer Attitudes
- Unit 5: The Purchasing Process
- Unit 6: Consumer Analysis and Marketing Strategy
- Unit 7: The Effects of Consumer Groups
- Unit 8: The Influences of Class, Ethnicity, and Age
- Unit 9: Cultural Influences
- Unit 10: Informing Marketing Strategy
- Identify the concepts and theories that explain and predict consumer behavior;
- Explain how audience behavior is affected by internal factors such as perception, emotion, personality, and attitudes;
- Explain how audience behavior is affected by external factors such as social class, cultural values, religion, and ethnicity;
- Evaluate the consumer decision-making process and determine the impacts situational influences can have on the process;
- Identify the processes that occur after a purchase and how those processes affect marketing strategy;
- Identify how the post-purchase process affects marketing strategy;
- Explain how the internet is expanding consumer data access and influencing consumer behavior; and
- Analyze the role emotional branding plays in designing marketing messages.