Consumer Behaviour Chapter 9: Consumer Intentions, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Feelings

Consumer Behavior Chapter 9: Consumer Intentions, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Feelings

Consumer intention

It is indicator will bring effect to company marketing activities. It is useful when predict consumer act. It may also provide information for market to retain their consumer. For example, let marketer to know how much demand wills there be for a new product?

How can firm predict behaviour

1)      Purchase intention is mean what consumer will think to buy

2)      Shopping intention is mean where consumer intend to buy the product

3)      Spending intention is mean how much consumer will spend

4)      Search intention is mean the consumer intend to search information

5)      Consumption intention is mean engage in particular consumption activity.

Limit on predictive power of intention

Intention may change. Consumer has the intention to by a particular product now. But when during information search, consumer will then tend to change their intention. Also, when they intend not to buy something they may end up buying the product. For example, Mary may go into a clothes shop and intend to buy a shirt and tie; in the end they may buy entire suit. Another example is a smoker who is having strong intended to quite the smoke, but normally the it will end up failure. For marketer, the intention vary may not help them accurate predict the buying behaviour.

However, despite the limitation, consumer intention still is the best for marketer to predict consumer future behaviour. Accuracy depend on what to-be-predicted. For example, if the behaviour is keep repeating, marketer are more likely to predict. Also, when the time is short, they is unlikely consumer will change their intention, so marketer can easily predict consumer intention in the short term.

Conversely, if the time is long then there is a high chance for intention to be change. If a new product is launched, understanding the product and feel the product is suit them, then it will create the intention to buy the product. Volitional is the degree the consumers are able to perform at will.

Consumer attitude

Attitude means what we like and dislike and it is used to determined intentions. Holding favourable attitudes toward one product, it will let you feel likely to have intentional to purchase it.Peference 2mean selected something that you like over another. Even consumer prefer our brand toward other, our marketer cannot said they will buy our brand. For marketer, have then ask more specific question and get the right answer from the customer. Positive attitude mean they intend to buy. Negative attitude mean they do not want to buy. Neutral attitudes mean they will either buy or not.

How attitude and preference measured

Attitude toward the behaviour

Very good or very bad. Very wise or very fool

Attitude toward the object

Do you like the product or not

Preference

Do you prefer this brand over another brand. For example do you prefer Apple product or Dell?

Using above question to test on people attitude and preference, then marketer can feel what kind of attitude they want and come out with marketing strategic that can let consumer feel that it can benefit to them. For example, if consumer find there is a price barrier, marketer then can use price cut, rebate to solve this problem.

Variety of consumer attitude

Attitude toward company, product, retailer, product attributes and various type of brand association (logo, symbol and slogan), advertise and spoke person. Consumer have all positive attitude company except one they will also not buying your product. For example, some consumer may like Mitsubishi product but because of Jack neo is being spokesperson of Mitsubishi before, then the consumer may choose not to buy the product.

The role of belief in attitude

Beliefs is mean something believe and accept as true and are based on knowledge. Belief about a product attribute determined the favourability attitude toward a product.

Fishbein model

Model proposes that attitude toward an object is based on the sum set of belief about object’s attributes multiplier with evaluation of this attribute. Negative answer will be strongly undesirable, positive is strongly desirable. +3 is the maximum can the mark is given, it means the consumer strongly believes. -3 is the minimum mark they can give, it show consumer is less believe. The higher the mark is better.

Sum of (belief of object attribute X evaluation of the attribute)

The ideal point model

Consumer indicates where they believe and ideal point the over various attributes. The lower the score which is better because the lower the score which is better , it show they meet the consumer ideal.

The formula will be:

(Ideal – brand) must be positive X important = Total score

 Attitude change

Business objective usually want to change consumer attitude, attitude adjustment is often required when turning product non-users to users. Need to change preference when they want shift competitors’ customer to their own company. After the ideal point calculation, marketer then can use to compare our competitors. Marketing keep measure and improve until competitor is far away from them.

Change consumer attitudes

Changing beliefs

Firm hope to change belief of product attributes and it will result with consumer have favourable attitude toward their product and influence what consumer buy. A strong advertising helps to reduce the belief about a competitive brand.

Change attributes importance

Increase new and improve attribute is important and is need to make sure they can catch up your competitor ideal point or even can make sure their competitor unable to catch them. For example, P&G brand have keep doing this research every 3 month until they get a good score and excess all their competitor.

Three primary way to changing consumer attitudes:

1)      Changing beliefs

2)      Changing attribute importance

3)      Changing ideal points

Changing belief, marketer can use advertising to make people slowly belief their brand. However, if the changing people attitude is very expensive, because cost may be higher than sales, company then no need change it. Also, examine whether consumer will resist the change or not. If yes then better do not change.