Consumer Behavior Analysis: The case of brand choice

Abstract

Cognitive theories have dominated the field of consumer behavior for the last decades. However, the observed lack of consistency between altitudes and behavior has suggested the need of investigating more thoroughly situational and behavioral variables. Consumer behavior analysis can be viewed as an alternative theoretical approach that emphasizes situational variables and measures of behavior. Within consumer behavior analysis, the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM) interprets consumer behavior as occurring at the intersection of the individual's learning history and the consumer setting, which signals utilitarian and informational consequences associated with consumption-related responses. Utilitarian consequences are mediated by the product or service and are related to its functional benefits. Informational consequences are social, mediated by other people, and are related to feedback upon consumers' behavior, such as social status and prestige. In the present paper, as an example of the type of research inspired by the BPM, investigations on consumers' patterns of brand choice are described, which have been able to identify, among other things, how consumers' brand repertoires are formed and how brands are selected within those repertoires. Taken together, results indicate that the BPM ofIers a useful conceptual framework for interpreting, investigating and explaining consumer behavior.