2020
2021
BUYING BEHAVIOUR
PROF. D. RIGONI
SAM STROO
,BUYING BEHAVIOUR: INTRODUCTION
Looking at the unconscious psychological processes, and apply it for media consumption, pricing, ad
testing, ..
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE COURSE?
The lectures will be online, while the classroom activities will be more interactive
Online lectures, reading material, videos
Apply knowledge in the classroom: individual group assignments, peer teaching, case studies
EXAMPLE OF CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: Each group builds a sensory chart for specific products or brands and
presents the results to the class
o This is a way to map brands according tot he different sensory levels
o Produce a slogan or a jingle that fits the products and studying why certain slogans work
HOW DO CONSUMERS MAKE DECISIONS? Conscious and unconscious +
emotions are also a very important aspect
There are internal and external processes that both influence buying
behaviour
How to study this? Measure implicit behaviour, or simply ask the
consumer, physiological reactions, eye tracking, ...
COURSE ORGANIZATION
o Online: Classes (recorded videos uploaded on Ufora)
o On campus: 4 workshops (Q & A) with me
o 2 workshops (Group assignment) with teaching assistant Joyce De Temmerman: 5-7/10, 16-17/11
6 GUEST LECTURES
1. Wannes van Giel – Bigtrees: sustainable food 4. Farida Bensadoun – AB Inbev (23/11 9h)
(12/10: 9h30) 5. Suzanne Muller – Alpro (23/11: 11h)
2. Simon Q. – Insites consulting (12/10: 11h30) 6. Tom mere- WHY5 Research (30/11: 11h)
3. Timothy Desmet – Icense (9/11: 10h)
COURSE CONTENT
OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTER: 5 CHAPTERS
- What is buying behavior? Why and how is it studied?
- How do consumers make decisions? Are consumers rational or irrational? What are the psychological
processes involved in buying behavior?
- Who are the different consumers? How do we deal with different consumers? How does gender
influence consumer behavior?
- When & Where: How are consumers influenced by external factors? How can different social
situations affect buying behavior?
- Why do consumers buy what they buy? What is the motivation behind consumers’ buying decisions?
SAM STROO 1
, What: defined, why study it, how can we study it
How: irrational decisions, perception and attention, learning and memory, decision-making, attitudes
Who: Demographics, psychographics, cultural differences
When & Where: Social influences, social biases, nudge
Why: motivation defined, classifying consumer needs, values
ASSESSMENTS
Written exam (75%)
o Multiple choice – knowledge & applications + Open-ended questions – business cases
o Examples will be displayed at the end of each lecture
o Tip: Do not use summaries from last year
Permanent evaluation (25%)
• Group assignment (Workshop 1): design a quali research (12,5%)
• Group assignment (Workshop 2): design a quanti research (12,5%)
Bonus point: participate in two academic researches (2 researches = 1 bonus point)
Check sona to see when studies set up (consumer lab, campus tweekerken, first floor hoveniersberg)
Studies will be set up during October, November & December but do not wait untill December to
inscribe for a study
Example questions:
PERMANENT EVALUATION
Design a qualitative and quantitative research to study consumer behavior
Two short papers in English (max 1500 words): Qualitative research (12.5% - deadline 1/11)/
Quantitative research (12.5% - deadline 13/12)
Peer assessment correction (deadline 20/12)
More info: “info students group assignment buying behaviour 2020” Ufora
After the first workshop you can start with the group assignments
SAM STROO 2
, CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS BUYING BEHAVIOUR?
DEFINING BUYING BEHAVIOR
Consumer buying behavior: the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase,
use or dispose of products, services, ideas, activities, people or experiences to satisfy needs and desires.
Choosing (based on price, characteristics ..), purchasing, using (evaluating, will you become an
ambasador of the brand/ product?)
Different types of buying behavior (online, offline, on-premise, off-premise): decision-making could be
longer or shorter for different products => a lot of purchase possibilities & new technologies that
change consumer buying behaviour
For example: amazongo => allows customers to enter a store and no registers, you grab what you want and just
go (no waiting in lines) & it gives an idea how quickly the field of consuming buying behavior changes & how
quickly it changes our habits & perspectives
Products, services, ideas, activities, people or experiences
Not just tangible products! Also: software, apps ...
Expertise (for example: upwork => marketplace where people can buy expertise)
Experiences: you are not just buying the ticket for a spa, you also pay for the expeirience
Buying behavior is a process, not an event! It starts with just wqlking on the street, which products we
want & what we want to pay, then buy & evaluate afterwards
3 PROCESSES INVOLVED IN BUYING BEHAVIOR
PRE- POST-
PURCHASE
PURCHASE PURCHASE
These processes strongly depend on the type of product or service (e.g. luxury products, unsought products ...)
Different psychological processes when buying a house, or an insurance
You will spend more time in options when you buy a house
The length & processes differ strongly based on what product it is for
PRE-PURCHASE
= Evaluation that consumers do before they buy something (perspective of buying a product) + also for
companies: what is the reason towards dropping sales & how can you solve it?
Normally, consumers think that more expensive results in more qualitative products
So we associate quality with price, unconscously
CONSUMERS COMPANIES/ RESEARCHERS
Do I need the product? How do we change attitudes towards our product?
Where do I get extra information? What cues do people use to infer quality?
Where do I find it? What price strategy do we use to attract more
Can I have a better price? consumers?
SAM STROO 3
