Ans. Cultural
Factors
Cultural Factors exert the broadest and
deepest influence on buyer behaviour. The marketers need to understand the
roles played by the buyer's culture, sub-culture and the social class Let us
learn these factors in detail. Culture: Culture is that complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other
capabilities and habits acquired by humans as a member of society. In the
context of buyer behaviour we may define culture as the Buyer Behaviour sum
total of learned beliefs, values, and customs that serve to direct the buyer
Sehaviour of members of a particular society. It is the most basic cause of a
person's wants and behaviour. Human behaviour is largely learned. Growing up in
a society, a child learns basic values, perceptions, wants and behaviour from
the family and other important institutions.
Marketing managers must understand both
the existing cultural values and the emerging cultural values of the societies
they serve. They must always try to spot cultural shifts in order to imagine
new products that might be wanted. Some cultural trends affecting the buying
behaviour of Indian consumers include the following :
· Gender roles are losing their identity
· Greater concern about health and fitness (has created a huge
industry for exercise equipment and clothing, low calorie foods, health and
fitness services).
· There has been a shift toward informality (it has resulted in more
demand for casual clothing, sports shoes, lighter entertainment etc.)
· There is an increased desire for leisure time (it has resulted in
more demand for convenience products and services such as microwave ovens, fast
food etc.)
· In metros, two-income families are becoming the norm (some view it
as a necessity to achieve a reasonable standard of living; this is also bound
to affect their ability to buy, choice of products, time available for purchase
and consumption)
Sub-culture : In any society as heterogeneous as the one in India, there are
bound to be subcultures. Subcultures are groups in a culture that exhibit
characteristic behaviour patterns sufficient to distinguish them from other
groups within the same culture. The behaviour patterns that distinguish
subcultures are based on factors such as race, nationality, religion and
urban-rural identification. A subculture takes on importance in marketing if it
constitutes a significant part of the population and specific purchasing
patterns can be traced to it. Each subculture has different attitudes, beliefs,
customs and languages that must be taken into consideration by the firms
attempting to sell to them.
Social
Class : Social class is a ranking within a society
determined by the members of the society. Social classes are relatively
permanent and ordered divisions in a society whose member share similar values,
interests, and behaviours. Social class is not determined by a single factor
such as. income but is measured as a combination of occupation, income,
education, wealth, and other variables. The lilies between social classes are
normally not fixed and rigid; people belonging to one social class call move to
a higher class or lower class. Marketers are interested in social class because
the buying behaviour of people is strongly influenced by the class to which
they belong or which they aspire. Social class is not an indication of spending
capability; rather it is an indication of preferences and life-style. For
example, a young manager might be having the same income as that of a middle
aged foreman in a steel factory, but they probably have quite different family
backgrounds, tastes, and aspirations.
a)
The Upper Class : People who are in the
top strata of the society. This class includes two groups: (1) socially
prominent "old families," often with inherited wealth, and (2) newly
rich corporate executives, owners of large businesses, and highly-paid
professionals. They live in large houses in exclusive neighbourhoods and
exhibit a sense of social responsibility. The upper class patronizes exclusive
and fancy shops. They go for expensive goods and services, but they do not
display their wealth in a conspicuous manner. They form a very small part of
the society. In terms of percentage they may range between 2 to 3 percent.
b) The Upper-middle Class : This class comprises moderately successful businessmen,
professionals and owners of medium to small size companies. People belonging to
this class are well educated, and they crave for success in life. They may
engage in conspicuous consumption as compared to upper class. This class buys
products that signifies its class status. In terms of percentage they may range
between 12 to 15 percent.
c) The Lower-middle Class : This class comprises office employees-both government and private,
junior executives, teachers, technicians, and small business owners. People
from this class crave for respectability by engaging in those activities, which
are approved by the society as "right things". They are future
oriented, strive to move up in the next higher social class, exhibit self confidence,
and are risk takers. In terms of percentage they may range between 30 to 40
percent.
d) The Upper-lower Class : People in this class are blue-collar workers, semi skilled workers,
and lower grade service personnel such as clerks etc. they are more tied with
their families and male female roles are sharply defined. They live in smaller
houses. They patronize products keeping an eye on economy aspect of purchase.
In terms of percentage they may range between 30 to 35 percent.
e) The Lower-lower Class : They belong to the lowest strata of the society. 'This class
includes unskilled workers, the unemployed, uneducated and low-income earners.
They live in substandard houses. Their priority is to purchase only essential
things. They are not in the position of purchasing durable products. In terms
of percentage they may range between 20 to 25 percent. In some developing and
poor countries their percentage may go up to 40 percent.
The conclusions from social class research
are:
· There are substantial differences among these classes with respect
to buying behaviour.
· Because of this diversity, different social classes are likely to
respond differently to a seller's marketing program. Thus it may be necessary
to tailor marketing programs, which are in tune with the characteristics of a
specific social class.
No comments:
Post a Comment