Chapter 10

Buying and Disposing

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 8eMichael Solomon

10-2

Issues Related to Purchase and Postpurchase Activities

• A consumer’s choices are affected by many personal factors…and the sale doesn’t end at the time of purchase

10-3

Situational Effects on Consumer Behavior (cont.)

• Mood Effects: The way we feel at a particular time affects what we buy or do

• Day Reconstruction Method• How do morning vs. afternoon vs. evening vs.

late-night purchases differ?• Weekend vs. weekday purchases

• Situational self-image (“Who am I right now?”)

10-4

Social and Physical Surroundings

Affect a consumer’s motives for product usage and product evaluation

• Décor, odors, temperature

• Co-consumers as product attribute• Large numbers of people = arousal

• Examples: Jam-packed bars and stadiums• Interpretation of arousal: density versus

crowding• Type of consumer patrons

• social class• similarity to me

10-5

Temporal Factors (Time)

What exactly is TIME?• Time styles: consumers try to

maximize satisfaction by dividing time among tasks

• Time poverty• One-third of Americans

feel rushed• Marketing innovations

allow us to save time• Polychronic activity –

“multitasking”

10-6

Temporal Factors (cont.)

Psychological time: consumers’ perception of time

• Often much different than reality

• Time categories relevant to marketers• Good times for ads / sales messages: occasion/leisure

times, time to kill, distraction needs• Bad times for ads / sales messages : flow, engrossment and

deadline times

• Time perspective metaphors• Time is a pressure cooker• Time is a map• Time is a mirror• Time is a river• Time is a feast

10-7

Temporal Factors (cont.)

• Time styles / attitudes come from culture• Linear separable time – “there’s a time and place for

everything”, follow the clock (Americans)• Procedural time – “when the time is right”, ignore the

clock (French)• Circular/cyclic time – present-oriented, actions governed

by the seasons (Hispanics), little sense of future

• Queuing theory: mathematical study of waiting lines• Waiting for product = perception of good quality• Too much waiting = negative feelings• Marketers use “tricks” / distractions to minimize

psychological waiting time

10-8

The Shopping Environment

Antecedent states: mood/physiological condition influences what we buy, how much we spend and how we evaluate products and services

• Mood = combination of “affective valence” and arousal• The difference between “mood” and “emotion”• Happiness = high in pleasantness and moderate in arousal• Elation = high pleasantness, high arousal• Mood biases judgments of products/services• Moods are affected by store design, music, interaction

with staff, TV programs, ad humor, etc.

10-9

Reasons for Shopping

Reasons for shopping:

• Utilitarian vs. Experiential

• Experiential / Hedonic reasons include:• Social experiences• Sharing of common

interests• Interpersonal attraction• Instant status• The thrill of the hunt

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Retailing as Theater

• Competition for customers is becoming intense as nonstore alternatives multiply

• Malls gain loyalty by appealing to social motives (much less about ‘buying product’)

• Retail techniques:• Landscape themes• Marketscape themes• Cyberspace themes• “Home away from home”

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FedEx Makeover

BEFORE AFTER

10-12

Store Image

Store image: personality of the store

• Atmosphere

• Location

• Merchandise mix and layout

• Congeniality / politeness / helpfulness of sales staff

Is store image easy to copy?

10-13

E-Commerce: Clicks versus Bricks

• E-commerce reaches customers around the world, but competition increases exponentially

• Benefits: good customer service, technology value

• Limitations: security/identity theft, actual shopping experience, large delivery/return shipping charges

• Can marketers instill “good mood online?”

• Is “store image” still relevant online?

10-14

Atmospherics & Consumer Involvement

Atmospherics: conscious designing of space and dimensions to evoke certain effects

• Colors/lighting, scents, and sounds/music affect time spent in store and spending

• Getting Consumers Involved in a Product Creation Experience• Build-A-Bear Workshop • Club Libby Lu• Viking Home Chef and Viking Culinary

Academy• Universal Studios

10-15

In-Store Decision Making

• Spontaneous shopping consists of:• Unplanned buying: reminded to buy something• Impulse buying: sudden, irresistible urge to buy

• Point-of-purchase (POP) stimuli: product display or demonstration that draws attention• Music store CD sampler, “endcap” displays

• Salespeople Effects• Commercial friendships• Are “commercial friendships” a good idea?• Good salespeople vs. bad salespeople

10-16

Quality Is What We Expect It to Be

• Expectancy disconfirmation• consumers form expectations of product

quality based on prior performance and experience

• Disconfirmation is when expectations aren’t met

• Marketers must “manage expectations”• Don’t promise what you can’t deliver• Consider under-promising a little• When product fails, marketers must reassure

customers with honesty

10-17

Customer Expectation Zones

10-18

Acting on Dissatisfaction

Three ways consumers can act on dissatisfaction:

• Voice response: appeal to retailer directly (encourage this!)

• Private response: express dissatisfaction to friends or boycott store

• Third-party response: take legal action

• Or… Do nothing.

10-19

TQM: Going to the Gemba

• Observe first-hand how people actually interact with their environment in order to identify potential problems

• Gemba: the one true source of information• Need to send marketers/designers to the precise

place of product consumption• Host Foods study in airport cafeterias

10-20

Going to the Gemba

10-21

Product Disposal

• Strong product attachment = painful disposal process

• Ease of product disposal is now a key product attribute to consumers• Disposal fees for tvs, computers, etc.

• Some consumers buy new products before disposing of old products

• The “move-then-throw-away” phenomenon

• Disposal options (see next slide)

10-22

Consumers’ Disposal Options

10-23

Lateral Cycling: Junk versus “Junque”

• Lateral cycling: already purchased products are sold to others or exchanged for still other things• EBay, Flea markets, garage sales, classified ads,

bartering for services, hand-me-downs, etc.

• Divestment rituals:• Iconic transfer: taking photos of objects before

selling them• Transition-place: putting items in an out-of-the-

way location before disposing of them• Ritual cleansing: washing, ironing, and/or

meticulously wrapping the item