You
are what you consume !!
The consumer today has
an infinite number of opportunities. They have variety of alternatives to
choose from for buying simple goods or complex service solutions. The
technology and the Internet have contributed immensely in the availability of
options to the end customer. It is very common to see that people check out the
smallest details of the offerings for the customer, compare it with substitutes
and with competition. They have already virtually taken their decision at the
comfort of their respective dwellings. However, why does some products still do
not excel in their respective industries if this is the case. The reason behind
this is perhaps the diverse nature of disparities of consumer behavior.
Different people have different habits of living, eating, organizing their
lives and dealing with specific matters. This remains the same when it comes to
their respective consumption patterns.
Consumer behavior in its
very nature is a much elaborated topic. It includes psychological patterns,
segmentation and culture which narrowly define the liking of a product or
service by a particular individual. The example of mobile phone technology is a
good way of explaining the point of disparities amongst the potential consumer.
It is common to witness extra ordinary smart phones with heavy applications and
software. Such a gadget is likely to attract the techno friendly consumers
around the globe but it would certainly not attract an old aged couple whose
primary objective is to get in touch via the mobile phone. Thus, this
definition exists in for all the consumers and for all their products. A
rational consumer is always expected to choose the products and the offerings according
a strict definition of what he feels his or her requirements are. On the other
hand, there are other set of consumers who purchase their products to impress
their peers and increase their respective social status by buying a very
expensive product (Timothy 2005).
Thus, different
customers perceive different products according to their own set of
psychological beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and recommendations about a
particular product. Thus, an
organization is never expected to design a universal product which would cater
to the needs of every individual across the globe. Cultural differences are
found in local regions inside a country and changes in extreme forms when
international boundaries are concerned. This makes every single customer
different from every other customer as far as their consuming habits are
concerned. It can be simply defined as one person has more attraction towards
junk food while other might be suffering from some disease like obesity and
junk food would only contribute towards adding to his specific problem.
Market researchers thus
often target a specific group of customers for whom their product is
specifically targeted. It is common to judge people today with the consumption
patterns. For example- if someone walks into a designer wear showroom and urges
for a new Louis Philippe designer wear and nothing else, it can be said that
the consumer is highly brand conscious and that particular brand plays an
enormous role in the spending patterns.
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