Ans.
Social
Factors
In addition to psychological and personal
factors, buyer behaviour is influenced by social factors. These social factors
influence the buyers in different ways. For some products the influence of
social factors is quite pronounced and for others it may not be that
pronounced. Important social factors which have certain bearings on buyer
behaviour are : reference groups, family, and social roles and statuses. Let us
learn them.
Reference
Groups : A reference group is any person or
group that serves as a point of comparison (or reference) for an individual in
forming either general or specific values, attitudes, or behaviouc From the
buyer behaviour perspective, reference groups are groups that serve as frames
of reference for individuals in their purchase or consumption decisions. This
may consist of all the groups that have a direct (face[1]to-face)
or indirect influence on the person's attitudes or behaviour.
Reference groups can be classified in
terms of a person's membership or degree of involvement with the group, as well
as in terms of the positive or negative influences they have on his or her
values, attitudes, and behaviour. These groups are as follows:
a) A
contractual Group : This is a group in which a person holds membership or
has regular face-to-face contact and of whose values, attitudes, and standards
he or she approves. Thus, a contractual group is likely to have a congruent
intluence on an individual's attitudes or behaviour. This group includes
friends, family members, neighbours, and company-workers.
b) An
aspirational Group : In this group, a person does not hold membership and
does not have face-to-face contact but wants to be a member. Thus, it often
serves as positive influence on that attitudes or behaviour. Young people would
like to be associated as well as like to emulate sports heroes, movie stars,
prominent personalities etc. for them these work as aspirationalgroups.
c) A
disclaimant Group : In this group, a person holds membership or has face[1]to-face contact but
disapproves the group's values, attitudes or behaviour. Thus, the person tends
to adopt attitudes and behaviour that are in opposition to the norms of the
group. For example, neighborhood friends who have been dropped out of school.
d)
An avoidance Group : In this group, a person does
not hold membership and does not have face-to-face contact and of whose values,
attitudes, and behaviours he or she disapproves. Thus, the person tends to adopt
attitudes and behaviour that are in opposition to those of the group. For
example, one may vocally reject the actions of those peers who do not
demonstrate adequate respect for their parents and religion.
Family : A family is a group of two or more
people related by blood, marriage, or atloption living together in a household.
Because of strong bond and close continuous interaction family members may
strongly influence buyer behaviour. During their lives many people belong to at
least two types of families:
b)
Family of Orientation : The buyer's parents make up
the family of orientation: Even if the buyer no longer interacts very much with
his or her parents, the parents can still significantly influence the buyer's
unconscious behaviour. In countries like India where parents continue to live
with their children; their influence can be profound.
Family
of Procreation : It consists of the buyer, his/her
spouse and children. It exerts a more direct influence on everyday buying behavior.
The family is the most important consumer buying organization in society, and
it has been researched extensively. Marketers are especially interested the
relative roles and influence of husband, wife, and children on the purchase of
a large variety of products and services. Research has shown that husband-wife
involvement varies significantly across different product categories and the
stage in the buying process. Marketers have acknowledged the role of family in
general and involvement of husband-wife dyad in the purchase decision-making
process in particular. However, one of the trickiest problems for marketers is
to figure out who makes purchase decisions for a household. The problem being
that there is rarely consensus among couples themselves. The information about
who influences the purchase decision within a family setup serves as the basic
input in designing the marketing communication and subsequently in media
selection.
Research on family-member influence in
durable goods buying is more abundant than that on frequently purchased items.
Even a casual observer would probably agree that important, one-time purchases
are likely to involve more than one household member. In contrast to
non-durables, purchases of durable goods are often preceded by a progression of
interrelated decisions and activities through time. Husbands, wives, and
children have more opportunities to become involved at one or more steps in the
process. One can presume that family members are also more motivated to
participate, since the purchase of an automobile, for example, often precludes
other acquisitions, given families' budget constraints.
Roles
and Status : In life a person performs various
roles and may belong to many groups such as family, clubs and work environment.
The person's position can be defined in terms of both role and status. A role
is a prescribed pattern-of behaviour expected of a person in a given situation
by virtue of the person's position in that situation. Each role carries a
status reflecting the general esteem given to it by society. For example the
role of a product manager has more status in a society than the role of a son.
As a product manager, a consumer will buy the kind of clothing that reflects
his role and status. People often choose products that show their status in a
society.
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