Buying and Disposing

Issues Related to Purchase and Postpurchase Activities

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?”)

Social and Physical Surroundings Affect consumer moods and purchase likelihoods Décor, odors, temperature Co-consumers as product attribute Large numbers of people = arousal vs. crowding Jam-packed bars and stadiums Casinos Type of consumer patrons social class similarity to me

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 Polychronic activity – “multitasking”

Temporal Factors (cont.) Psychological time: consumers’ perception of time Often different from 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 / high-stress, high-pressure times Social media?

Temporal Factors (cont.) Time styles / attitudes come from culture Linear Separable Time / “Monochronic” – “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 (Latino cultures) Queuing theory: mathematical study of waiting lines Waiting for product = perception of good quality Too much waiting = negative feelings Marketers use “tricks” / distractions / re-framing to minimize psychological waiting time

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 in pleasantness, high in arousal Mood biases judgments of products/services Moods are affected by store design, music, interaction with staff, TV programs, ad humor, etc.

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

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

Quality Is What We Expect It to Be Expectancy Disconfirmation Consumers form expectations of product performance based on prior experiences Expectancy Disconfirmation happens 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

Acting on Dissatisfaction Three ways consumers can act on dissatisfaction: Complain to Business: appeal to retailer directly (encourage this!) Complain to Others: express dissatisfaction to friends or boycott store Involve Third Parties to Seek Redress: take legal action Or… Do nothing.

Product Disposal Strong product attachment = painful disposal process Ease of product disposal is now a key product attribute for consumers’ decisions Disposal is more complicated than ever before Some consumers buy new products before disposing of old products Disposal options (see next slide)

Consumers’ Disposal Options

Lateral Cycling: Junk versus “Junque” Lateral Cycling: previously purchased products are sold to others or exchanged for other things EBay, flea markets, Craigslist, 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