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Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter 10 Marketing
Using such a system helps marketers efficiently
identify customers, their buying habits, and other
important information to help a business be
profitable.
Customer Buying Decisions
Customer buying behavior is, in part, based
on influences. An influence is the power to sway
or produce an effect. Each type of customer has
very different ways of making buying decisions.
Business-to-Consumer
A consumer buys products for personal
use. Businesses that sell primarily to individual
consumers are in the business-to-consumer (B2C)
market. Consumer buying behavior is typically
based on social, psychological, situational, and
personal influences.
• Social influences are the influences that
come from the society in which a person lives.
There are many sources of social influence,
including family, peers, culture, and media.
• Psychological influences are the influences
that come from within a person or why a
person has specific needs and wants. In
the 1950s, psychologist Abraham Maslow
developed Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as
shown in Figure 10-7. According to this
theory, needs motivate people to act. However,
some needs must be satisfied before others.
This means there is a hierarchy, or order of
importance, of needs. Maslow noticed that
people fulfill physical needs before other needs
that are not as important to survival.
• Situational influences for B2C are the
influences that come from the environment.
The weather, store location, time of day, and
current sales promotions affect buying choices.
Mood, physical health, and how much money
is in the consumer’s pocket are also situational
influences that impact buying habits.
• Personal influences are the influences that
make each individual unique. These include
demographics, such as gender, age, and race,
as well as individual personality, lifestyle,
and finances.
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Relationship selling is common in the B2B market. Many deals are finalized with a handshake which signifies trust.