Unit 37: Consumer Behaviour and Insight
Unit code J/508/0596
Unit level 5
Credit value 15
Introduction
This unit is
designed to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of the consumer’s
decision-making processes, from needs recognition through research, the
evaluation of alternatives, purchase and post-purchase evaluation. While
students will learn the underpinning theories and frameworks, they will also be
expected to relate these to real-world examples, including their own personal
experiences.
·
How
do we buy products and services?
·
What
motivates us to seek out a particular product or service? What research do we
undertake prior to making a decision?
·
Do
we seek out other people’s opinions, perhaps through social media? To what
extent do other people’s opinions influence our own?
·
How
do we feel after we have made the purchase?
·
These
are the types of questions to which organisations seek to gain answers. An
important part of marketing is understanding the processes behind how a
consumer makes the decision to purchase a product and/or service. This is
applicable as much to Business to Business (B2B) as it is to Business to
Consumer (B2C).
·
The
knowledge, understanding and skill sets that students will gain on successfully
completing this unit will enhance their career opportunities; whether setting
up in business independently or being employed by an organisation.
Learning
Outcomes
By the end of
this unit a student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate the ability to map a path to
purchase in a given category, including the decision-making process.
2. Evaluate appropriate forms of research
to understand influences on the decision- making process (B2C and B2B).
3. Evaluate how marketers influence the
different stages of the decision-making process (B2C and B2B).
Essential
Content
LO1
Demonstrate the ability to map a path to purchase in a given category,
including the decision-making process
Introduction to
consumer decision-making:
·
Model
of consumer decision-making. The five stage process
·
The
value of mapping a path to purchase: the consumer decision journey from
pre-purchase, purchase, receive and post-purchase.
·
Levels
of consumer decision-making – extensive problem-solving, limited
problem-solving and routine response behaviour.
·
Four
views of consumer decision-making: economic, passive, emotional and cognitive.
Factors that
influence decision-making:
·
The
influence of heuristics on decision-making
·
The
influence of elements of the marketing mix on decision-making.
·
The
influence of new technologies (e.g. e-tailing, online transactions and
purchasing, eBay and the rise of C2C purchasing).
·
Model
for organisational decision-making. Different buying stages.
LO2 Evaluate
appropriate forms of research to understand influences on the decision-making
process (B2C and B2B)
Researching
different stages of the decision-making process:
·
The
differences between B2C and B2B decision-making processes.
·
How
does market research differ between B2B and B2C? This covers skills sets,
research methodology, sample sizes, the importance of tele-depth interviews and
applying the Pareto principle.
Influences on
the decision-making process:
·
Personality,
self and motivation.
·
Measures
of consumer learning: recognition and recall, attitudinal and behavioural.
·
Understanding
aspects of consumer perception: dynamics, imagery and risk.
LO3 Evaluate
how marketers influence the different stages of the decision- making process
(B2C and B2B)
·
Approaches
to consumer learning: behavioural and cognitive: Influence of culture and sub-culture
on consumer behaviour. Patterns of buyer behaviour.
·
Role
of opinion leaders in influencing purchasing decisions.
·
How
organisations use an understanding of buyer behaviour to influence the
decision-making process within both a B2C and B2B context.
·
The
use of digital audience research developments to understand and influence
consumer behaviour.
Learning
Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
|
Pass
|
Merit
|
Distinction
|
|
LO1 Demonstrate the ability to map a path to
purchase in a given category, including the decision- making process
|
|
|
P1 Explain
and analyse the stages of the consumer decision- making journey for a given
product/service.
P2 Explain
why it is important for marketers to map a path to purchase and understand
consumer decision- making.
|
M1 Evaluate
how marketers are responding to the decision-making process, applying
relevant concepts and models.
|
LO1, LO2 and LO3
D1 Critically evaluate the application of
appropriate theories, concepts and models that influence and impact upon the
decision- making process, supported by specific examples and contexts.
|
|
LO2 Evaluate appropriate forms of research to
understand influences on the decision-making process (B2C and B2B)
|
|
|
P3 Compare
and contrast the key differences of the decision-making process in the context
of B2C and B2B, providing specific examples.
P4 Evaluate
the different approaches to market research and methods of research used for
understanding the decision-making process in both B2C and B2B contexts.
|
M2 Provide a
coherent and justified evaluation of how different factors influence
decision-making and buying behaviour, supported by specific examples.
|
|
|
LO3 Evaluate how marketers influence the different
stages of the decision-making process (B2C and B2B)
|
|
|
P5 Evaluate
how marketers can influence the different stages of the decision-making
process of B2C and B2B, giving specific examples.
|
M3 Critically
evaluate how marketers influence each stage of the decision- making process
with reference to relevant methods and models applied.
|
|
