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WHY DO WE SHOP? Every day we make a lot of buying decisions. We buy food, clothing, household items, etc. From small value items to very large valuables, from direct stores to online stores. So, why do we buy those things?
Factors affect shopping behaviour Shopping is strongly influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological traits6.
CULTURAL FACTORS Cultural factors have a profound effect on consumer behavior. CULTURE Culture is the most fundamental cause for one’s will and behavior. Human behavior is formed primarily through learning. Growing up in a society, a child learns basic values, perceptions, needs and behaviors from his or her family as well as from other important organizations. Each group or society has its own culture, and its cultural influences on buying behavior which can vary widely between countries.. SUB-CULTURE Each culture includes many smaller subcultures - groups of people who share common values based on common life experiences and circumstances. Subculture includes nationality, religion, race and geography. Many subcultures make up important market segments and marketers often design products and marketing programs that fit their needs. For example: Hispanic Americans consumers - This is considered a potential target of many brands. The population of this group is expected to grow 163% from 2010 to 2050. Purchases in 2010 are $ 1.5 trillion. This consumer group tends to have strong family orientation and shopping because of the family; Children have a voice for which brand they want to buy. More importantly, these are the first generation immigrants to the United States, very loyal to brands. They support brands and sellers showing special interest to them. SOCIAL CLASSES Almost every society has a social hierarchy. Social classes are relatively stable and orderly parts of society. Members in each class share similar values, interests, and behaviors. The social class is not determined by a particular element but by a combination of occupation, income, education, property, and other variables. The different social classes have very different preferences for products and brands of clothing, furniture, leisure activities, vehicles...
6 Principles of Marketing edition 14 (Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, 2012)
