Core Concepts in Fashion Chapter Six

Chapter Six Consumer Behavior Refers to the way a customer acts when purchasing

Chapter Six Types of consumer decision making Habitual Decision making Consumer is loyal to brand Product may not be expensive For example, toothpaste or favorite brand of jeans Limited problem solving Customer will review many options Possibility try on several options For example, purchasing of a swimsuit (for most people) or a new pair of boots

Chapter Six Types of consumer decision making Extended problem solving Occurs when consumer does not know a lot about the product Usually an item which is rarely purchased by an individual For example, wedding dresses or a new car

Chapter Six Types of products Convenience product Shopping Product Usually purchased routinely Habitual decision making process is used Shopping Product Takes time to make a decision New jeans or a swimsuit as examples Uses limited problem solving Specialty good Consumer feels product is special and will go out of her way to obtain it For example, a special wedding shop

Chapter Six Stages in the buying process Problem recognition A consumer realizes they have a need which is unmet Information search Depending on the product, consumer may search the internet and magazines to get an idea of how they can solve this need Evaluation of alternatives Consumer has narrowed choices and will look at pros and cons of each choice

Chapter Six Stages in the buying process Purchase decision The consumer actually purchases the product Will evaluate if the product met the need If it didn’t this is called “cognitive dissonance” meaning the customer is unsure of making the right choice

Chapter Six Buying Motives Rational buying motive Consumer uses thought and process before purchasing a product Emotional buying motive Consumer buys product because of feelings and emotions associated with product Patronage buying motive Consumer purchases product because he likes the brand and is comfortable with it

Chapter Six Reference group Aspiration group Disassociated groups The group a person associates with Aspiration group The group a person would like to be associated with and belong to Disassociated groups A group which a person does not want to belong-and will dress different from that group

Chapter Six Reasons for purchasing fashion Acceptance To be accepted either by aspiration group or reference group Physical attraction People want to be attractive Emotional Needs Retail therapy! Buying not because you need something, but rather because it fills a need (such as happiness)

Chapter Six Market Segmentation A homogeneous group, which can be easily identified The reason for breaking the population into these smaller groups is so they can more easily be marketed to People similar in age, income, wants or needs Six ways to segment markets, discussed next

Chapter Six Ways to segment markets Demographics Psychographics Age, race, income, marital status and number of children These are generally the things difficult, if not impossible to change Assumption that people all in the same age with same income, for example, will buy the same products Psychographics Lifestyle, personality and values For example, those who are environmentally concerned may fall into this values category

Chapter Six Market segmentation Product parameters Benefits sought The attributes of the actual product Frequency of use How often the customer will buy the product Type of product use The way in which the customer will use the product

Chapter Six Market segmentation Cohort Groups Groups who are about the same age and experienced the same events while growing up-which impacted their buying habits Matures Baby Boomers Generation X Generation Y Tween

Chapter Six Market Segmentation Family lifecycle Geographical The phase in life for a consumer For example, a family with two young children will have different needs than an older couple without children Geographical People who live in different areas will likely need different products Residents of Montana need heavy sweaters in the winter, while residents of Southern California do not

Chapter Six Researching markets Focus Groups Mall Intercept survey Group of 8-10 people Asked a series of questions while being watched by researcher on reactions to products Mall Intercept survey Written surveys given in a mall setting Mail Survey When a survey is sent to a home or email address Telephone survey When a consumer is called at home to answer questions