TOPIC Refer to instructions ACADEMIC LEVEL Undergrad. (yrs 3-4) DISCIPLINE Business Studies DOCUMENT TYPE Assignment SPACING DOUBLE CITATION STYLE MLA

1. Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Influences on Consumer Behavior in Product Purchase
Introduction
Consumer behavior focuses on the diverse reasons for the purchase of products and the
consequences thereafter. A consumer goes through six stages during a purchase: realization of the
need for the item, information research of the product, evaluation of varieties, product choice and
purchase, use and evaluate the product and disposal. Therefore, the level of involvement in a
product is an interest in buying and consuming the goods. High involvement goods are complex,
expensive and pose a high risk if a mistake occurs such as specialty goods. On the other hand,
low involvement items are lowly priced thus a low risk in case of making a bad choice.
The research paper seeks to elaborate on the influences on consumer behavior. In the
methodology, the review of purchases of three different types of products reveals the reason for
their purchases. The findings show that influences such as peer, family, lifestyle, demography,
situation, culture and personality are vital to the decision-making process in buying products.
The discussion expounds on the description and examples of the influences mentioned above.
Research study

2. The research focused on purchases made in the last month of a convenience good, a
specialty good and service. The convenience good bought was a box of chocolate bars from a
friend involved in a campaign to raise funds in support of buying supplies for the less fortunate
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the disinterest in the product, the social situation
required impulsiveness in the decision for the purchase. The specialty good is a high tech brand
headphone designed for noise cancellation. Among the influences for its purchase is peer
pressure from a circle of friends and its usefulness in a time where most courses have online
tutorials. The service is an insurance policy for a laptop. Majorly, the parents insisted on the
benefit of a cover in case of damage to the laptop seeing that it is the main learning hub gadget
during the quarantine period. Importantly, the cover had an offer, therefore favorable and
affordable.
The purchase of the box of chocolate though unnecessarily satisfied the social cohesion
sense of belonging as it was a purchase of nobility. However, it presents the challenge of how to
use the product. Perceivably, the headphones are a major boost to the electronic gadgets use and
a statement among peers. However, they create consumer curiosity to see if the brand is
competitive with other designs in the market.
Discussion
Situational influences refer to temporal factors that affect how an individual will buy. A
major factor is the physical conditions such as the location of a good outlet; it's layout, scent,
lighting, and display of items. According to Szmigin, Isabelle, and Piacentini (2018) in their
book Consumer behavior, another aspect is the social situation a buyer finds him/herself in, for

3. example, where an acquaintance may prompt the purchase of an item they are selling to show
support. The time of year or day or the available period of shopping also determines the kind of
purchase. Similarly, the motive to make a purchase affects the time spent. For instance,
emergency buying requires less time than a gift. Lastly, the general mood of the consumer
affects their choice of product.
As stated in the book Consumer behaviour: Applications in marketing by East, Robert et
al. (2016), the consumer’s personality is the view of an individual by other people. According to
psychologists, openness, neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness are
traits that involve consumer behavior. Examples of these traits best explain their use in product
purchase as detailed in the sentences that follow .people who possess high levels of openness to
having a higher likelihood to respond well to graphic advertising. An optimistic character may
readily accept a new product than a pessimist. Extroverts are more likely to buy convenience
goods than extroverts. An individual with experience in technology will choose a suitable gadget.
The ease of interaction of a consumer may result in the purchase of goods in product activation.
According to Sigmund Freud as extracted from Consumer behaviour: Applications in
marketing by East, Robert et al. (2016), the personality of a consumer involves three elements
whose relative strength influences their buying behavior. One, the ID which is mental energy
source driving a person to action; two, the superego that internally represents the socially
approved conscience and lastly, the ego that acts as the conscious guide of the impulses of the id
in getting socially accepted manner of satisfaction. The study into these abilities establishes the
motive of consumer choice.

4. Lifestyle refers to the activities, priorities, and customer lifetime values as well as their
worldly perception. In marketing segmentation, targeting and positioning, analysis of the
consumer lifestyle assist manufacturers to understand the needs of different people. Moreover,
the price elasticity of demand may change its priority to the consumer due to its increased
value. Crucially, in the journal "Consumer Behaviour towards Lifestyle Marketing–Issues and
Concepts" by Arunadevi (2016), the influence of lifestyle forms the basis for relationship
marketing as a customer’s desire to associate with specific product design.
Culture encompasses the shared values, customs, behavior, attitudes, and beliefs in a
society. Majorly, it prescribes a way of life for a community. When one decides to buy a product,
they consider the impact of the cultural acceptance of the product. For example, even if a Muslim
finds pork on a discount, they will not make a purchase. Culture affects the type of food taken,
dress code, mode of interaction and absorption of new ideas.
Trends in the market brands have shown the homogenizing of culture therefore global
branding is a difficult task. Most individuals defy the usual order and innovating brands that are
inacceptable to their society but create a motivational conflict that appeals to their peers as
revealed in the journal on Contemporary issues in marketing and consumer behavior by Parsons
et al. (2017). Besides, the competitiveness of a product largely depends on the difference in
suiting the cultural needs of a customer compared to the rival brand.
The consumer’s family is the major determinants of an individual’s market choices. The
consumption habits of goods nurture in people depending on the products consumed in their
homes. Growing up in a home using apple brand products will simultaneously result in the other

5. members getting accustomed to the products. However, the use of a certain product may create a
desire to change or trying out another type. Essentially parents influence the choice of the
purchases made by their children. Consequently, family attributes to level two in Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs where familiarity to certain products provides safety.
In the article "Personal Influences on Consumer Behaviour.” by Hemsley-Brown, Jane,
and Izhar (2016), demography factors include gender, age, level of income and educational level.
The male preferences differ from the female. Teenagers are more likely to purchase items in the
current market trends compared to middle-aged people. Comparatively, a person with a high
level of income will go for expensive brands. Considerably, people in different professions make
different choices in fashion styles as a way to keep with the self-image.
Peer influence is the pressure or coercion to buy a commodity because members of a
group or fraternity express interest in it. The buyer may not need the product or service but will
buy it to fit in the group they belong to. The peer factor is the major attribute of the social class.
Most people buy specific goods as a statement of the social class they affiliate with or intend to
belong to. Notably, peer influences lead to the purchase of goods of hedonic value other than
the utilitarian value.
Conclusion
Consumer behavior changes from time to time, depending on the type of goods.
Therefore the continual study into the changes in the consumer enables a prediction in the
product preference. Notably, the influences of the good buying power of the market target give

6. insight to the production company on the expected delivery. Vitally, the influence factors give a
customer a source of comparison when deciding on the specific brand to purchase.
After the purchase of the product, the consumer looks forward to attest to the usability of
the product. For convenience goods, the review of product usefulness is fast as most goods are
short-term. Hence, there is a huge variety of convenience goods as the decision-making process
is quick with minimal involvement and loss. For specialty goods, the influence is greater since
the process involves extensive research on the product. Thus it takes time to assess the purchase
therefore the specifications of specialty goods are greater than convenience goods. Services may
have low or high involvement, depending on the components in the service.

7. Works Cited
Arunadevi, P. "Consumer Behaviour towards Lifestyle Marketing–Issues and Concepts." Asia
Pacific Journal of Research 1.2 (2016): 202-207.
East, Robert, et al. Consumer behaviour: Applications in marketing. Sage, 2016.
Hemsley-Brown, Jane, and Izhar Oplatka. "Personal Influences on Consumer
Behaviour." Higher Education Consumer Choice. Palgrave Pivot, London, 2016. 44-64.
Parsons, Elizabeth, Pauline Maclaran, and Andreas Chatzidakis. Contemporary issues in
marketing and consumer behaviour. Routledge, 2017.
Szmigin, Isabelle, and Maria Piacentini. Consumer behaviour. Oxford University Press, 2018.