Understanding Buyer Behavior
Read this chapter. The terms "customer" and "consumer" are often mistakenly used interchangeably. The distinction is blurry because different organizations, academics, and governments have varying definitions for both of them. One easy way of distinguishing between the two is to think of the consumer as a potential customer to a firm and the customer as someone that already consumes the goods a specific firm produces. For example, if you regularly purchase shoes from Footlocker, you are a Footlocker customer. But if your friend does not shop at Footlocker, then Footlocker considers him a consumer: a potential customer. Firms often target consumers and existing customers differently.
Introduction
As noted, many of the parents of today's kids are the baby boomers marketers have been tracking for over forty years. Primarily, their importance is based on their group's enormous size. Just as important, however, is that they have a great deal in common; some demographics, such as age, income, and health; so me shared concerns such as college for their children, retirement, and diminishing health; and some behaviors such as voting Republican, eating out, and buying expensive walking shoes. Nevertheless, they still remain individuals who were brought up in a unique family and retain a personal way of thinking and behaving. The ultimate challenge facing marketers is to understand the buyer both as an individual and as a member of society so that the buyer's needs are met by the product offered by the marketer. The purpose of this chapter is to present a discussion of several of the key buyer behaviors considered important to marketers.