Changes in Consumer Behaviour Essay Example

did 10 years ago. As we grow older with every new generation, our values and perceptions change, which is indicative of the way in which we purchase our goods and services. Consumers are concerned about what they buy, from household goods to genetically modified food. As this generation is more health concise, we make decisions based on the quality of the product and decide whether consuming this product will be good for our body and mind, or what the consequences will be if we purchase and consume this product.

These are the questions we as consumers are continually asking ourselves when we purchase goods, as we live in an age were health is vital and we relate a healthy lifestyle to a healthy mind, were the slogan of “you are, what you eat” is not just an advertisement campaign but a way of life. Many factors contribute to the change in consumer habits. They come under three major points: personal, physiological and social. It’s not just what we watch on television and listen to on radio stations.We as consumers are living in the “information age” were we are more aware of what is happening around the world and kept up to date with current events.

With such media vehicles such as the internet being the number one information source of the new age, we are being largely exposed to a number of advertisements and campaigns that influence what we buy and how we buy it. The Government and certain consumer groups are an essential part of communicating to the consumers, to understand why such issues of gene modification are a problem to our health and or lifestyles.But

also being a resource for obtaining information on burning issues such as these, to better make the consumers aware of possible risks involved in purchasing these products that have been for example: genetically modified.

Background Research

Consumers today are very largely involved with the concept of healthy lifestyles and very concisely purchase products that are healthy for them and their family. A healthy body is perceived as a healthy mind and this is a vital part of consumer’s way of thinking. The issues that have been raised in today’s society are things such as the American obesity epidemic and the obesity rate in Australia. These issues are being addressed everywhere, such as in the news, magazines, radio stations and television advertisements which question the way in which we consume our food, what products are we buying? And also in some cases going to the extreme in stating that parents are slowly killing their children with feeding them specific foods.

This is a huge factor that has brought about changes in the way consumers purchase and behaviour.Other factors are current events, such as when the 9/11 incident occurred; a lot of patriotic Americans bought and consumed American made products to help the American economy grow. The American government also put out campaigns to promote American produced and made products to the public to change the views of consumer purchases. Just another example of factors that support change in consumer behaviours.

Governments and consumer groups control or filter what information is known about certain products.The Australian consumers association or ACA produces a magazine that informs consumers about their rights and about the value and safety of products. The government on the

other hand works in conjunction with the health department to reveal the real truths about products, such as the smoking campaign, that informs us of what really is in a cigarette and how much damage it is doing to your body. These groups play a vital role in educating the consumers about certain truths that need to be made aware to the consumers of today’s health concise age.

Analysis

 Typical Consumers of Today

Barbara is a typical consumer of today.She has values and lifestyles of today’s typical consumer that really wants the best for her family by always “making sure that her family eats well”. She watches the amounts of “fats and sugars in her diet” and is aware of the products she chooses when shopping, by “reading the labels of the products she regularly buys”. She also access information about products via the internet to further her knowledge about products and how good or bad they are for her and her family.

This having a major impact on her consumer behaviour towards purchasing particular products The typical consumers of today are all about healthy lifestyles and values.They are more concerned about the products they buy and consume. In an article in the AC Nielson press report, Jane Perrin the Managing director of Global services stated that “Around the world, consumers are looking to improve and simplify their lives with the foods they eat and the products they use in their homes,” as well as informing us that “While we may differ regionally, ethnically and culturally, we all want good health, value and convenience in our lives. ”(Press Release, AC Nielson, 27th of July 2006). Changes in Consumer behaviour

also relate to the knowledge the Consumers now obtain and how easy it is to obtain it.We as consumers can access huge amounts of information from libraries, the internet, and magazines such as Choice (ACA) magazine.

These tools enable us, as consumers to obtain the knowledge and make decisions based on opinions and perceptions gained from the information we have acquired. This making a shift or change in the way we are aware and perceive certain products that will inevitably affect our attitudes towards the products we buy. 3. 2 Changes in Consumer behaviour Factors that have brought upon change in consumer behaviours are factors that can be categorized in personal, physcological or social.Personal factors such as family, age, where the consumer lives? And who exactly is responsible for the decision making in the household? These questions all interrelate to the personal factors that bring about change in consumers behaviours.

Physcological factors which relate more to this issue are factors such as motives. What motives to we have when we purchase? , for example a Mother may buy certain cereal for her children because that is the cereal they enjoy, while another mother may purchase a cereal based on the lowest sugar content and highest fiber content.Perception also relates to the example above as it shows that one mother may perceive things differently to that of another. Ability and knowledge is another huge factor, as we mentioned earlier, accessing information to further our knowledge is a pivotal role in why consumer behaviours change towards certain products. It is proven that Inexperience buyers often use prices as an indicator of quality more than those who have knowledge of

a product. An example being that consumers chose the most expensive six-pack of beer, because they assume that the greater price indicates greater quality.

Lifestyles being a common factor, in a recent marketing journal it stated that “Recent US trends in lifestyles are a shift towards personal independence and individualism and a preference for a healthy, natural lifestyle. ”(Handson, P ,U. S Consumer Trends” Journal of International marketing, Vol 34, pg 2-3) Proving that consumers, especially in America are more concerned about healthy and proactive lifestyle. Social factors are those of family influences, such as the fact that consumer behaviour starts in the family unit (Neal, C. Quester, P. & Hawkins, D. 2004, Consumer Behaviour pg. 206), as well as family roles and preferences are the model for children's future family. With also facts stating that family buying decisions are a mixture of family interactions and individual decision making (Neal, C. Quester, P.& Hawkins, D. 2004, Consumer Behaviour pg. 206) 3. 3 Educating Consumers Governments, consumer groups and manufacturers should definitely play a role in helping educate consumers about burning issues such as the topic of gene modification.

They should promote these issues in a fashion were consumers can obtain and be informed of information regarding issues of health risks, to help the consumer make educated decisions on products they regularly purchase. The role of these groups such as the government, manufacturers and consumer groups like the ACA (Australian Consumers Association) is to inform consumers about their rights about products, the safety of the products and the values in which they promote the products. The ACA produce a magazine that informs consumers of risks and their own

rights about products and the safety of the products.While manufacturers are printing the table of ingredients and content on the back of their products to enable consumers to know exactly what they are buying.

Conclusion

Typical consumers today are concerned about the products that they purchase and consume. They have values and perceptions that promote a healthy lifestyle of eating for them and their families. Changes are always occurring that affect the way in which consumers buy and perceive products, as every generation has different beliefs and principles we as consumers will always purchase by the factors that have brought upon change.Personal, psychological and social factors all affect the way in which consumer behaviour is shifted and what new direction it takes.

These factors determine why we buy? How we buy? When we buy? And what we buy? Educating consumers is of high importance, we need to make consumers aware of the fact that, the products they purchase can be a possible health risk. The role of manufacturers to continually provide accurate packaging information is critical, as well as consumer groups like the ACA and government providing regular updated information of the safety and the rights of the products that we are buying and consuming. .

References

1. Roy Morgan Research Group, Viewed on 20th of March 2007 ;www. roymorgan. com. au; AC Nielson Market Research Group, Viewed on 23rd of March 2007;
2. www. acnielson. com. au; Neal, C.Quester, P. & Hawkins, D. 2004, Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. Choice (ACA) Magazine website online, Viewed of the 20th of March 2007 www.
3. choice. com. au Journal of Consumer Research, Viewed on 20th of
   

March 2007 http://www. journals.uchicago. edu/inthenews_2006. html