Consumer Behavior Models to Know for Intro to Marketing

Understanding consumer behavior models is key in marketing. These models explain how consumers make decisions, what influences their choices, and how marketers can effectively communicate and connect with them. This knowledge is essential for crafting successful marketing strategies.

1. Engel-Kollat-Blackwell (EKB) Model

   • Focuses on the consumer decision-making process, emphasizing the stages of problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase evaluation.
   • Integrates psychological, social, and environmental factors that influence consumer behavior.
   • Highlights the importance of feedback loops in understanding consumer satisfaction and future purchasing behavior.

2. Howard-Sheth Model

   • Describes consumer behavior as a function of inputs (stimuli), processing (cognitive and emotional), and outputs (purchase decisions).
   • Emphasizes the role of individual characteristics, such as motivation and perception, in shaping consumer choices.
   • Introduces the concept of "decision-making units," recognizing that multiple individuals may influence a purchase.

3. Nicosia Model

   • Illustrates the communication process between marketers and consumers, focusing on how marketing messages influence consumer attitudes and behaviors.
   • Divides the consumer decision process into four fields: the consumer's attributes, the marketing communication, the consumer's response, and the feedback to the marketer.
   • Highlights the importance of consumer involvement and the role of external factors in shaping decisions.

4. Stimulus-Response Model

   • Based on the idea that consumers respond to external stimuli (e.g., marketing messages, product features) in predictable ways.
   • Emphasizes the importance of understanding the stimuli that trigger consumer responses and the resulting behaviors.
   • Useful for developing marketing strategies that effectively capture consumer attention and drive action.

5. AIDA Model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)

   • Outlines the stages a consumer goes through when interacting with marketing communications.
   • Highlights the need to capture attention first, then generate interest, create desire, and ultimately lead to action (purchase).
   • Serves as a framework for designing effective advertising and promotional strategies.

6. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

   • Proposes that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy, from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.
   • Suggests that consumers are motivated to fulfill lower-level needs before addressing higher-level needs.
   • Provides insight into how marketers can position products to appeal to specific needs at different levels.

7. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)

   • Suggests that a consumer's intention to perform a behavior is influenced by their attitudes toward the behavior and subjective norms.
   • Highlights the role of social influences and personal beliefs in shaping consumer intentions.
   • Useful for predicting consumer behavior in various contexts, including product adoption and brand loyalty.

8. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

   • Expands on TRA by incorporating perceived behavioral control, recognizing that consumers may feel they have varying levels of control over their actions.
   • Emphasizes the importance of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control in predicting intentions and behaviors.
   • Provides a comprehensive framework for understanding consumer decision-making in uncertain situations.

9. Consumer Decision-Making Process

   • Involves five key stages: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior.
   • Highlights the iterative nature of decision-making, where consumers may revisit earlier stages based on new information or experiences.
   • Recognizes the influence of internal (psychological) and external (social, cultural) factors throughout the process.

10. Kano Model

    • Classifies product features into five categories: basic needs, performance needs, excitement needs, indifferent needs, and reverse needs.
    • Helps marketers understand how different features impact customer satisfaction and loyalty.
    • Encourages the development of products that not only meet basic expectations but also delight consumers.

11. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

    • Proposes that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness significantly influence users' acceptance of technology.
    • Highlights the importance of user attitudes in determining whether they will adopt new technologies.
    • Useful for marketers in understanding how to position technology products to enhance user acceptance.

12. Diffusion of Innovation Theory

    • Explains how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread among consumers.
    • Identifies five adopter categories: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.
    • Provides insights into strategies for promoting new products and encouraging adoption among different consumer segments.

13. Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

    • Describes two routes of persuasion: the central route (involving careful consideration of arguments) and the peripheral route (involving superficial cues).
    • Suggests that the route taken depends on the consumer's motivation and ability to process information.
    • Helps marketers tailor their messages based on the target audience's level of involvement.

14. Hawkins Stern Impulse Buying Model

    • Focuses on the psychological and situational factors that lead to impulse buying behavior.
    • Identifies triggers such as emotional states, environmental cues, and product characteristics that can prompt unplanned purchases.
    • Highlights the importance of understanding consumer emotions and context in driving impulse purchases.

15. Kotler's Black Box Model

    • Emphasizes the importance of understanding the consumer's internal decision-making process (the "black box") that occurs between stimuli and responses.
    • Recognizes that marketers cannot directly observe consumer thoughts and feelings but can infer them through behavior.
    • Encourages marketers to focus on understanding consumer needs, preferences, and motivations to effectively influence purchasing decisions.