Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Understanding the Buyer

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Marketing Management

Part of the book series: Springer Texts in Business and Economics ((STBE))

  • 6206 Accesses

Abstract

Focus on the buyer is the key dimension of marketing and is what sets the discipline apart from all other business fields. The marketer must therefore understand how buyers come to the decision to purchase a product. This decision-making process is a complex one, both for consumers who are end users and for industrial buyers. For consumers, the process includes the effects of experience, lifestyle, promotion, and price. More general factors influencing consumers may be culture, geography, social class, occupation, psychological factors, peer pressure, and the effect of globalization. Marketers have conducted a great deal of research to understand the consumer decision process better and, as a result, have developed the tools of lifestyle analysis and segmentation to be able to serve consumers more efficiently and more profitably.

On the industrial side, organizational purchasing is subject to a different set of influences, both because it is usually based on derived demand and because the decision is often split between decision-makers and influences. Other factors that affect buyers’ product acceptance are the diffusion of innovation, usage, and loyalty and the existence of a customer franchise.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Snyder, G. (2019). How chicken sausage links became a centerpiece to South L. A.’s black food culture. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2019-08-27/chicken-sausage-south-los-angeles. Accessed 28 August 2019.

  2. Berner, A., & Tonder, C. L. V. (2003). The postmodern consumer: Implications of changing customer expectations for organisational development in service organisation. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 29(3), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Srivoravilai, N. (2006). A model of corporate reputation: An institutional perspective (PhD thesis). Warwick University.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Blackwell, R. D., Miniard, P. W., & Engel, J. F. (2006). Consumer behavior (10th ed.). Cincinnati: South-Western.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Grewal, D., Monroe, K. B., & Krishnan, R. (1998). The effects of price-comparison advertising on buyers’ perceptions of acquisition value, transaction value and behavioral intentions. Journal of Marketing, 62, 46–59.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Mittal, V., Kumar, P., & Tsiros, M. (1999). Attribute-level performance, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions over time: A consumption-system approach. Journal of Marketing, 63, 88–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Festinger, L. A. (1962). A theory of cognitive dissonance. California: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Schaninger, C. M., & Danko, W. D. (1993). A conceptual and empirical comparison of alternative household life cycle models. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(4), 580–594.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gilly, M. C., & Enis, B. M. (1982). Recycling the family life cycle: A proposal for redefinition. In A. Mitchell (Ed.), Advances in consumer research (Vol. 9, pp. 271–276). Ann Arbor: Association for Consumer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Oyetunji, F. (2016). A conscious life: Navigating critical stages aspects of life successfully. Bloomington: Author House.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Englis, B. G., & Solomon, M. (1995). To be and not to be: Lifestyle imagery, reference groups, and the clustering of America. Journal of Advertising, 24(1), 13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Darrell, D. (1994). The new superregions of Europe (p. 20). New York: Dutton.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Wang, J. (2018). Why it took Starbucks 47 years to open a store in Italy. Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennawang/2018/09/13/why-it-took-starbucks-47-years-to-open-a-store-in-italy/#53abaff8fc00. Accessed 27 August 2019.

  14. Ranganathan, R. (2003). The risks and rewards of wooing the Asian-American market. The National Underwriter Financial Services Edition. Accessed via Lexis Nexis on 10 February 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Steere, J. (1995). How Asian-Americans make purchase decisions. Marketing News, 3(13), 9.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Read, B. B. (2003). Gracias por Llamar (thank you for calling). Business and Management Practices, p. 23.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Aguilar, L. (2003). Broncos score big with NFL’s Latino marketing strategy. The Denver Post, p. C–01.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Streisand, B. (2003). Latino power. U.S. News and World Report, p. 34.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Devine, L. (1999). Reaching the Hispanic market: It all adds up. San Diego Business Journal, 15(43), 7A.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Quora Consumers’ Forum. (n.d.). Why doesn’t Italy have Starbucks? Quora. https://www.quora.com/Why-doesnt-Italy-have-Starbucks. Accessed 28 August 2019.

  21. Purdy, C. (2018). Coffee culture: Starbucks’ bid to conquer Italy has begun. Quartz. https://qz.com/quartzy/1473903/starbucks-opens-more-outlets-in-italy-following-debut-in-milan/. Accessed 25 August 2019.

  22. Childers, T. L., & Rao, A. R. (1992). The influence of familial and peer-based reference groups on consumer decisions. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 198–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ritchie, K. (1995). Marketing to generation X. American Demographics, 17, 36.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Heath, R. P. (1995). Qu est-ce que c’estT. American Demographics Marketing Tools, p. 74.

    Google Scholar 

  25. VALS-2. (2004). Psychographic segmentation system. Menlo Park: SRI International.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Asato, C. (1995). Marriott’s time-share club chooses DB software that performs like a marketer, not a scientist. DM News, p. 17.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Gatignon, H., & Robertson, T. S. (1988). A propositional inventory for new diffusion research. Journal of Consumer Research, 11, 26.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mahajan, V., Muller, E., & Bass, F. M. (1990). New product diffusion models in marketing: A review and direction for research. Journal of Marketing, 54, 27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Steenkamp, J. B. E. M., Hofstede, T., & Wedel, M. (1999). A cross-national investigation into the individual and national cultural antecedents of consumer innovativeness. Journal of Marketing, 63, 55–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Gatignon, H., Eliashberg, J., & Robertson, T. S. (1989). Modeling multinational diffusion patterns: An efficient methodology. Marketing Science, 8(3), 231–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and nature of man. New York: William Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Sobol, K., Cleveland, M., & Laroche, M. (2018). Globalization, national identity, biculturalism and consumer behavior: A longitudinal study of Dutch consumers. Journal of Business Research, 82, 340–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Bartsch, F., Riefler, P., & Diamantopoulos, A. (2016). A taxonomy and review of positive consumer dispositions toward foreign countries and globalization. Journal of International Marketing, 24(1), 82–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Miller, R. B., Heiman, S. E., & Tuleja, T. (2011). The new strategic selling: The unique sales system proven successful by the world’s best companies (3rd ed.). New York: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Webster, F. E., & Wind, Y. (1972). Organizational buying behavior (p. 79). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Kotier, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management (15th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Anders, G., & Grimes, A. (1999). eToys shares nearly quadruple in IPO as market value outstrips toys ‘R’ us. Wall Street Journal, A3, A6.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Deogun, N. (1999). Joe wakes up, smells the soda: Coffee roasters beaten by pop try to be hip. Wall Street Journal, B1.

    Google Scholar 

Further Reading

  • Hutt, M. D., & Speh, T. W. (2004). Business marketing management: A strategic view of industrial and organizational markets (8th ed.). Cincinnati: South-Western.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, J. K. (2007). In your face: How American marketing excess fuels anti-Americanism. Upper Saddle River: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krasonikolakis, I., Vrechopoulos, A., Pouloudi, A., & Dimitriadis, S. (2018). Store layout effects on consumer behaviour in 3D online stores. European Journal of Marketing, 52(5/6), 1223–1256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, C. Y. (2018). Consumer behaviour in switching between membership cards and mobile applications: The case of Starbucks. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 171–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mandel, N., Rucker, D. D., Levav, J., & Galinsky, A. D. (2017). The compensatory consumer behavior model: How self-discrepancies drive consumer behaviour. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 27(1), 133–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mooij, M. D. (2019). Consumer behavior & culture: Consequences for global marketing and advertising (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd..

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, M. C., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindsets shape consumer behaviour. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 26(1), 127–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J. P., & Olson, J. J. (2005). Consumer behavior and marketing strategy (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritzer, G. (2010). Enchanting a disenchanted world: Revolutionizing the means of consumption (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd..

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeugner-Roth, K. P., Žabkar, V., & Diamantopoulos, A. (2015). Consumer ethnocentrism, national identity, and consumer cosmopolitanism as drivers of consumer behaviour: A social identity theory perspective. Journal of International Marketing, 23(2), 25–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zollo, P. (2004). Getting wiser to teens: More insights into marketing to teenagers (2nd ed.). Ithaca: New Strategist Publications.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School and McDonough School, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

    Michael R. Czinkota

  2. International Business and Strategy, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Michael R. Czinkota

  3. Professor of Marketing and International Business, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Masaaki Kotabe

  4. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, USA

    Masaaki Kotabe

  5. Professor of Strategic Marketing Management, Vice Rector for Faculty and Research, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Demetris Vrontis

  6. Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    S. M. Riad Shams

Authors
  1. Michael R. Czinkota
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masaaki Kotabe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Demetris Vrontis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. M. Riad Shams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael R. Czinkota .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Czinkota, M.R., Kotabe, M., Vrontis, D., Shams, S.M.R. (2021). Understanding the Buyer. In: Marketing Management. Springer Texts in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66916-4_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation