Factors Impacting Consumer Buyer Behavior

There are numerous factors that affect the way consumers choose to buy various products. These factors can be divided into the following categories and subcategories:

• Cultural
  • Culture
  • Subculture
  • Social Class
• Social
  • Groups and social networks
  • Family
  • Roles and Status
• Personal
  • Age and life-cycle stage
  • Occupation
  • Economic situation
  • Lifestyle
  • Personality and self-concept
• Psychological
  • Motivation
  • Perception
  • Learning
  • Beliefs and attitudes

Cultural Factors
Marketers have to evaluate trends among various cultural groups to determine how individual consumers’ buying behavior is affected by the cultures, subcultures, and social classes they belong to. These factors are often directly related to an individual’s upbringing and the behaviors they learned growing up.
Social Factors
Social factors are directly related to individuals’ interpersonal relationships and positions within their family. Marketers need to understand how these factors are related to the individuals’ buying behavior.
Personal Factors
These factors are very individual to each consumer. Marketers recognize commonalities regarding buying decisions among these various groups and use this information to target optimally consumers.
Psychological
Psychological factors directly affect consumer buyer behavior, although their effects are not always apparent to consumers. Marketers take advantage of the effects of consumers’ motivation, perception, learning, and beliefs and attitudes.

In my marketing group’s practicum presentation, we discussed how cultural and social factors impact the marketing of the Apple iPhone. According to data collected by the Nielsen Company, 29% of White and Hispanic smartphone users are iPhone users. The data also showed 15% of African American smartphone users and 36% of Asian/Pacific Islander smartphone users are iPhone users (Kellogg, 2013). Apple can use this information to determine how popular the iPhone is among various cultural groups and how to direct its marketing efforts. Follow the link below to read more about the factors impacting consumer buyer behavior in terms of the iPhone.

Group 2 Practicum

Kellogg, D. (February 1, 2011). Among mobile phone users, Hispanics, Asians, are most-likely smartphone owners in the U.S. Nielsen. Retrieved
December 14, 2013 from: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2011/among-mobile-phone-users-hispanics-asians-are-most-likely-
smartphone-owners-in-the-u-s.html