Socio-psychology and Consumer behavior

        Socio-psychology and Consumer behavior

                                                 -Tanisha Agrawal

Interpretation of Social Psychology.

Social Pyschology is the scientific study of how the presence of others influences people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, as well as how internalised social standards influence people even when they are alone.

Purchase decisions by consumers are frequently made in a social setting. Furthermore, the messages that impact these decisions usually mention persons who utilise the goods being reviewed as well as social occasions where the product can be discovered. It's hardly surprising, then, that social psychology research and theory have had a significant impact on consumer behaviour study. 

In summary, social psychologists have begun to investigate consumer phenomena, but their findings have had limited impact on consumer behaviour. Simultaneously, consumer research has begun to investigate phenomena that have theoretical and empirical consequences for social psychology study that have been overlooked by social psychologists.

The quantity of individuals present, as well as who you are with, may influence the decisions you make and the behaviours you exhibit. 

In the presence of close friends, for example, you are likely to act significantly differently than in the presence of coworkers or employers. Humans are social beings and hence they tend to behave socially among people. They can modify the way they behave according to different circumstances.

Understanding social perception and social interaction is also required to grasp social behaviour. The way we view other people and our assumption of how they perceive us has a big influence on how we act and make decisions. Consider how you act in public versus when you're alone at home. You may act anyway you want at home, but in public you are much more muted and restrained. Because we can change the way we react at different places. 

What is the reason for different social behaviour? 

Because our interactions with others have an impact on our thoughts, feelings, moods, attitudes, and perceptions.

Relation between social Pyschology and consumer behaviour?

When studying consumer behaviour, it's vital to look at motivations, cognitions, emotions, ideas, and lifestyle. Understanding these elements can assist any marketer in better understanding and appealing to the behaviour of their customers.

Consumer habits research may help advertisers in a variety of ways, including acquiring a better understanding of how people think and reason, as well as deciding between multiple options, such as different brands, commodities, or locations. 

Marketers may benefit from psychological aspects of consumer behaviour to better understand how customers react to purchases and the social dynamics that influence purchases. For example the pricing of products ending in 49 and 99. The sellers have used this Pyschological reaction of consumers to make them feel that the prices are low and compelled them to purchase it. Also the offers and striking the prices out schemes have significant influence on consumer's willingness to buy the products.

Understanding consumer psychology in general can help marketers adjust their plans and improve their campaigns in order to fully develop their target customers. When researching psychological influences on customer behaviour, motivation is the most important factor to consider. Simply said, an incentive is something that pushes a customer to do something or buy something. People need to be motivated and incentivised enough to purchase something.

Consumers are forced to purchase specific items in order to fulfil a specific want or need. Physical needs such as hunger and thirst, as well as psychological demands such as a need to belong, can trigger these drives or needs.