SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

 

INTRODUCTION:-

Social psychology can be attributed to be a primary driver of the way in which consumers decide what should be purchased. The main  drivers to understand  consumer behavior are motivation, opinion, attitudes and lifestyle. several definitions made on this subject indicate that the consumer behaviour is made from the intellectual and societal trends that people go through and make decisions with respect to the goods and services to be purchased. Consumers buy products in order to satisfy their physical, social, psychological and mental needs. The motivation of a person to buy a product is not just related to it's overall quality. Consumers also derive utility from the social validation that they receive from using a product. For example, a person is motivated to buy a Mercedes car despite completely knowing the fact the other brands such as BMW and Audi provide roughly the same features because he/she feels that by driving a Mercedes would give him/her more social validation.

 There is a famous assumption in Economics which states that the principles of economics would function only if people are rational. Many a times it is seen in real life that the buying trends of the consumers is not in sync with their income. For example an American citizen is ready to take a loan of $5,000 to purchase a t-shirt of the company called Supreme. This example clearly highlights that consumers sometimes give an impetus to their wants than their basic needs. For an individual goods are not just products but, they are brands. A consumer becomes loyal towards using the products of a particular brand overlooking it's need in his/her life. People their own reflection in the brands they use. For instance, a Harley Davidson driver would have a different personality than a driver of a racing bike. As a result, nowadays; brands have also started taking political stands in order to consolidate the world view of their users.

THE INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISEMENTS ON HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY  

Advertisement is used to create an impact on the buyers into buying the products of a specific brand by highlighting product differentiation. Due to the advent of advertisement, the new brands on the market can also showcase their features and do the customer acquisition. The emotional appeal of a brand can also become a consideration by the consumer to buy a product. Brands also use subliminal marketing of their products. Meaning that they would hide subtle references of their products in their advertisements and would also hire celebrities to purchase their product.

IMPULSIVE BUYING

Impulse buying is basically the process of purchasing the product without understanding the need of that product. Nowadays, due to the extent of fast fashion it can easily be understood. many fast fashion brands such a Shein tend to do high intensity marketing of their products in order to create an artificial need of that product in the mind of the consumer. For example, if a person determines to lose his/her weight, he/she should look for healthier options in the departmental store. However, if there is an incentive on purchasing a product of junk food which is irresistible then, the person tends to buy junk food. This sensation of instant purchasing can be further studied by the study of human evolution. In the pre-historic era, the early man tended to eat the flesh as he found it as he knew that the times are so precarious that it would become impossible to take this piece of flesh to a safe place.

DELIBERATE BUYING

Deliberate buying is the process of purchasing a good only after have a thorough analysis of the utility that can be derived from that product. A conscious effort is taken by the individual to understand the use of that product in day-to-day use. It is relatively difficult to influence this behavioral pattern of the customer as the consumer has the time to be rational in his approach. Brand loyalty has the capability to influence even deliberate buying, but by only marketing gimmicks a deliberate buyer cannot be convinced. A brand has to create a positive impression for a long period of time before it can claim the trust of a deliberate buyer. It is affected by the factors such as requirement, consumer preferences and expectation of future prices. 

APPLICATION OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

A large number of issues with respect to consumer behaviour can be understood with the help of social psychology. The society as a whole become easier to understand with the help of these techniques. A psychologist can understand the driving factors of a product which can further be used to derive the relationship between various micro-economic variables. Thus, it can be concluded that psychology has the capability to ascertain various human relationships with respect to products, brands and utility in general. Therefore, the subject of social psychology becomes utmost important to understand the dynamics of any problem in marketing, advertising and human resource management.