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    • Time: 42 hours
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    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.