CONSUMER INSIGHTS

ASSIGNMENT – 1

CASE STUDY – 1 :
TOPIC : INCOME , SOCIAL CLASS & CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR – A FOCUS ON
DEVELOPING NATIONS

AUTHOR : Mohammed Ekhlaque , Marium Mateen Khan , Nayyer Samad

Abstract of the Research Paper / Article:

This paper aims to introduce readers to the fundamental concepts of income

and social class and how they influence consumers’ buying decisions and
marketing strategies. It attempts to provide an understanding of the theoretical
framework used for social classification and the practical implications of these
classifications in the marketplace, with particular reference to developing and
emerging economies. The paper also allows readers to gain familiarity with the
tools and processes currently used by marketing professionals for analysing
market opportunities in terms of income and social class, and help develop a
customer-centric marketing approach based on attractiveness of social class as
opposed to transaction-oriented marketing focussing on income only.

INTRODUCTION :

Regularly received money from employment or investment is referred to as

income. It is the total of all earnings, including wages, salaries, profits, interest
payments, rentals, and other sources of income. The link between income and
spending is favourable.The position of individuals of society in a hierarchy of
diverse status classes is referred to as social class. Although social class is not a
new idea (it has been around for a long time), the application of social class
theory to consumer behaviour is. The basic conceptual framework (Figure 1)
depicts the influence of a consumer's income and social status on their
purchasing decisions. The frame also emphasises that the company's marketing
strategies are a tool for inflencing people.

LITERATURE REVIEW :
The study of individuals, groups, or organisations, as well as all behaviours
involved with the purchase, use, and disposal of products and services, is known
as consumer behaviour. Consumer behaviour refers to how a person's
emotions, attitudes, and preferences influence their purchasing decisions.
Consumer behaviour is influenced by a consumer's set of beliefs about the
world, according to behavioural science. Beliefs are psychological in nature, and
they are so deeply ingrained that they inhibit consumers from critically
evaluating alternatives, perpetuating existing habits and routines. Companies
that try to persuade customers to change their behaviour by ignoring or
disputing their beliefs are fighting an uphill battle. A person's purchasing
behaviour might be influenced by their income. Consumers with more money
have more purchasing power. When a customer has more money to spend, or
when a consumer has more disposable income, he or she has more
opportunities to spend on high-end items. Consumers in the low- and middle-
income groups, on the other hand, spend the majority of their income on
necessities such as groceries and clothing.

CONNECTION OF CONSUMER’S PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SOCIO-

DEMOGRAPHICS INFLUENCING BUYING BEHAVIOUR :

When it comes to purchasing a product, a person goes through a mental

budgeting and financial management process to manage their money and
considers whether to spend it on pleasures or save it. In Latvia, income is the
most important element influencing consumer behaviour. Income is the
monetary and natural value received by a person from other persons or
organisations to offset personal expenses. Wages and other types of activity
income (after taxes) are included in this category, as are transfers, net income
from a business or agricultural activity, property (rent), dividends, and other.

THE CONSUMPTION ACCELERATOR :

The enormous growth of the burgeoning middle class in China, Indonesia, India,
and other developing nations will continue to cause huge shifts in consumer
behaviour and societal transformation. As a result, the following will occur: (a) a
significant increase in income; (b) financial and economic reforms that boost
employment and income growth; (c) an increase in consumer spending that
boosts marketing organisations' efficiency and productivity, further improving
the income generation cycle; and (d) the birth of Electronic copy available at: The
Impact of Income, Social Class, and Consumer Behavior on Developing Countries
6683 knowledgeable and experienced buyers who are willing to pay a premium
for quality and value over price.

THE UPPER MIDDLE CLASS : THE PRINCIPAL ENGINE OF CONSUMER

SPENDING :

According to researchers, a global consumer base will grow from the bottom of
the upper middle class in developing countries, who will be more global in their
aspirations and buying patterns. This is primarily owing to their interest in and
exposure to modern technology, as well as the fact that it has become more
affordable as their income has increased. The Internet's influence on consumers
will continue to grow. In China, for example, it is available to 68 percent of the
middle class, compared to 57 percent of the overall urban population.
Consumers in this category have been dubbed "knowledge consumers" or
"smart consumers." Because to the rise of the middle class, sophisticated and
experienced shoppers like Mohammad Ekhlaque Ahmed, Nayyer Samad, and
Marium Mateen Khan are willing to pay a premium . The dominant factor will be
a premium for quality and the consideration of discretionary items, not merely
fundamental necessities.

MOVING FROM BASICS TO LUXURIES :

People's consumption behaviours vary as they rise up the economic ladder.

Consumers in countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan have found that as
their wages improve, they spend less on fundamental requirements (food and
clothing) and more on discretionary items and relative luxuries. They also
purchase financial items like as mortgages and mutual funds in greater
quantities than the urban norm, with a 30 percent higher penetration rate in
financial products. They also have a high credit card penetration rate and are
significantly more technologically connected than the average population. In the
case of India, a similar pattern may be observed. Food, beverages, and tobacco
are currently the most popular consumer goods, whereas transportation and
utilities are less popular and housing are growing the fastest.

Food, beverages, and tobacco will continue to be the most popular product
categories in the next ten years, but their share of total consumption will drop
from 42 percent to 25 percent, according to researchers. Communication
consumption, which accounts for only 2% of overall consumer spending, is
increasing by 13%. Transportation, education, and health care are three more
key growth product/service categories.

KEY FINDINGS :

 Income and Social Class is an important factor that comes under the
Consumer Influences Category – which influences Consumer Buying
Behaviour .
 The research has been conducted in Latvia , which is a country in Europe .
The Latvians generally give importance to music , art etc.,
 Before buying a product , it has been observed that a person goes
through a stage of mental budgeting and financial management process
to manage their money .
 People's consumption behaviours vary as they rise up the economic
ladder.
 Some countries like , Taiwan where people spend less on fundamental
items because they are more interested in the discretionary items and
relative luxury items.
 Food, beverages, and tobacco will continue to be the most popular
product categories in the next ten years, but their share of total
consumption will drop from 42 percent to 25 percent, according to
researchers .
 Consumers with more money have more purchasing power.
 Consumers in the low- and middle-income groups, on the other hand,
spend the majority of their income on necessities such as groceries and
clothing.

CASE STUDY – 2 :
TOPIC : PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

AUTHOR : Bianca Vainikka

Abstract of the Research Paper / Article :

The study of consumer behaviour emphasizes the “why” and “how” questions
involved in decision making and buying behaviour. This exciting field visits a
dynamic blend of themes of consumer marketing strategies, psychology and
behavioural discipline. Consumer behaviour in this day and age is highly
applicable to modern society as it is an integral part of our everyday lives. This
paper examines the many challenges involved with discovering individual
consumers, as they differ greatly from one another. It focuses on the rationale
behind common consumer decision making processes and analyses the ways in
which marketers can better understand how consumers think and behave. This
paper outlines the significant factors that impact consumer behaviour
throughout the theoretical framework with the topics of: Internal Influences,
Motivation, Emotions and Personality and Influencing attitudes and behaviour.
These subject matters brings a comprehensive outlook into the complex mind of
a consumer by examining individual information processing, learning, and
attitude and behaviour change.

INTRODUCTION :

Every element of our lives revolves around the consumption of products and
services, therefore consumer behaviour can be thought of as everything.
Because it focuses on the full consumption process, including issues that
influence a customer before, after, and during a purchase, the field of consumer
behaviour includes a wide range of topics. Almost all human behaviours are
connected to consumption in some form. Individuals are directly or indirectly
involved in consumer behaviour when they travel, shop, or watch television. It
can be defined as the processes that people go through when they choose, buy,
and utilise things or services to meet their needs and preferences.

Consumer psychology deals with the way individuals or groups are involved with
consumer activities and the effect it has on them personally. It is quite difficult to
comprehend consumer psychology without having an understanding of the
ways individual’s process information and make decisions. Extensive research of
consumer psychology highlighted the underlying aspects of individuals that
make up consumer engagement.

LITERATURE REVIEW :

Internal effects, which include perception, attention, and interpretation, are the
main factors emphasised in the theoretical framework. These themes are crucial
in explaining the aspects of the perceptual process as well as the impact of
marketing stimuli. The second component, Motivation, Personality, and
Emotions, offers a psychological viewpoint on the motivation process, as well as
insight into variances in consumer personality and the impact of emotions.

INTERNAL INFLUENCES – NATURE OF PERCEPTION :

Perception, learning, memory, reasons, personality, emotions, and attitudes are

examples of internal influences that influence consumer behaviour. Perception
has a significant influence in information processing and consumer decision-
making. It starts with consumer exposure to marketing stimuli and ends with
consumer interpretation. The sensations that do penetrate the conscience are
not objectively analysed. The input is interpreted differently by each individual
and is influenced by their own biases, needs, and experiences. Information
processing is the act of perceiving inputs, converting them into meaningful
information, and then storing it. We process raw facts, but perception is
concerned with what an individual takes away from these feelings and how they
are interpreted.

CONSUMER INTERPRETATION AND SELECTIVE EXPOSURE :

This opinion was shaped by the consumer's pre-existing preconceptions, which

shaped the commercials' meaning for them. In order to avoid a contentious
interpretation, it is critical to examine the sensitivity of the design and selection
of the advertisement in this way. The next step is selective exposure. Experience
is one aspect that controls how much exposure to a particular stimuli a person
accepts. The perceptual filters of an individual are influenced by their past
experiences, and this effects what the consumer chooses to process. (Solomon
and colleagues, 2010). A crucial element of the selective exposure is perceptual
attentiveness.

MEDIA EXPOSURE AND ADAPTATION :

Marketers may be concerned about media exposure through the use of

television advertising, radio, magazines, and other forms of media since it allows
customers to choose what they want to watch, listen to, or read. Customers can,
for example, mute a television commercial if they are not interested in hearing
it. Next, we'll look at Adaption, which is a component that affects exposure. It
focuses on the extent to which consumers recognise a specific stimulus over
time. Adaption has the effect of making a stimulus so familiar to the consumer
that it is ignored over time. Adaption can be triggered by a number of causes.
Intensity, duration, discrimination, exposure, and relevance are some of them All
of these listed factors can effect a consumer and lead to adaption depending
upon the individual.

FIGURE GROUND PRINCIPLE :

People see items as unique from other stimuli because they have a distinct form,
according to the ground figure principle. Individuals can use this principle to
understand and process incoming information. One component of the stimulus
(figure) appears to stand out as a solid entity, whereas the rest of the stimulus
appears to be less prominent (ground). When an individual is familiar with an
object, they can tell which item is the figure and which is the ground. When it
comes to customers, marketers will frequently strive to make the image's centre
point the information that they want to stress.

KEY FINDINGS :

 Motivation, Emotions and Personality and Influencing attitudes and

Consumer behaviour .
 Emotions, offers a psychological viewpoint on the motivation process, as
well as insight into variances in consumer personality and the impact of
emotions.
 Opinion was shaped by the consumer's pre-existing preconceptions,
which shaped the commercials' meaning for them.
 Adaption, which is a component that affects exposure. It focuses on the
extent to which consumers recognise a specific stimulus over time.
 Marketers will frequently strive to make the image's centre point the
information that they want to stress.
CASE STUDY – 3 :
TOPIC : FAMILY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

AUTHOR : Dr.K.S. Chandrasekar

Abstract of the Research Paper / Article :

The study of consumers helps firms and organizations improve their marketing
strategies by understanding issues such as ,The psychology of how consumers
think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands,
products);The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her
environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media);The behavior of consumers
while shopping or making other marketing decisions; Limitations in consumer
knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing
outcome; How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between
products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for
the consumer; and How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing
campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.
Family is the most influential group for the consumer. The family members can
strongly influence buyer behavior. It can be distinguished between two families
in the buyer’s life. One is the buyer’s parents who make up the family of
orientation. From parents a person acquires an orientation toward religion,
politics, and economics and a sense of personal ambition, self-worth, and love.
The other is the family of procreation-the buyer’s spouse and children-exert a
more direct influence on everyday buying behavior.

INTRODUCTION :

A family is a group of two or more people who live together and are connected
by blood, marriage, or adoption. Marketers are fascinated by the roles and
relative influence of husbands, wives, and children in the purchase of a wide
range of goods and services. Three primary factors have a direct impact on
family consumption. They are the family life cycle, the family structure, and the
family decision-making process. Buying habits are seldom straightforward. It is
influenced by a variety of things. Understanding it, on the other hand, is a crucial
part of marketing management. People with similar subcultures, socioeconomic
classes, and occupations may have very diverse lives. A person's family has a
vital role in influencing his or her purchasing decision.

LITERATURE REVIEW :

An individual’s immediate family members play an essential role in influencing

his/her buying behaviour . An individual tends to discuss with his immediate
family members before purchasing a particular product or service. Family
members might support an individual’s decision to buy a particular product,
stop him for purchasing it or suggest few other options. Family bonds are
stronger than bonds in any other group and all members of the family form a
single decision unit in case of purchase of products and services for common
consumption. Each member influences and gets influenced by a family member
depending upon his/her role, life cycle stage, and relationship dynamics in the
family. Therefore, family influence on consumer behavior can be understood by
studying the buying roles, family dynamics, and life cycle stage of a family
member.

FAMILY DECISION MAKING :

Individual family members frequently play various roles in decisions that rely on
common family resources. Some people are information gatherers/holders,
looking for information about relevant products. These people often wield a lot
of power because they can selectively pass on information that supports their
preferred options. It's worth noting that family decisions are frequently fraught
with strife. Few families are wealthy enough to avoid a significant conflict
between competing demands on the family's resources. Families with children
and/or when just one partner works outside the home are more likely to
experience conflicting pressures. It's worth noting that many decisions are
intrinsically value-driven, and that there's often no "objective" approach to settle
disagreements.

DYNAMICS OF HUSBAND-WIFE DECISION MAKING :

Salespeople must grasp how couples work in concert to settle dispute across big
decisions in order to promote important products to families successfully. The
authors create a spousal fairness model and put it to the test in a multi-period
family purchase decision-making study. The findings suggest that a spousal
sense of fairness is a tool for modern couples to resolve dispute in family
decisions over time. Family decision-making must be recognised and
investigated by marketing researchers. Due to shifting home roles, husband-wife
decision-making has shifted in recent years. A study of husband-wife decision-
making is carried out. When it comes to family consumption decisions,
marketers are interested in the relative amount of power that a husband and
wife have.

FAMILY LIFE CYCLE :

The family life cycle refers to the emotional and intellectual stages you go
through as a family member from childhood to retirement. You have problems
in your family life at each level, which force you to develop or learn new talents.
Developing these abilities can assist you in navigating the transitions that
practically every family experiences. Not everyone gets through these periods
without a hitch. Severe illness, financial difficulties, or the death of a loved one
can all affect how smoothly you go through the stages. The conventional family
cycle is a series of stages that many families go through, beginning with
bachelorhood, progressing to marriage, family growth, family contraction, and
finally, death and ending with the dissolution of the basic unit.

KEY FINDINGS :

 A person's family has a vital role in influencing his or her purchasing

decision.
 Individual family members frequently play various roles in decisions that
rely on common family resources.
 Family decision-making must be recognised and investigated by
marketing researchers. Due to shifting home roles, husband-wife
decision-making has shifted in recent years.
 Salespeople must grasp how couples work in concert to settle dispute
across big decisions in order to promote important products to families
successfully.
 Family influence on consumer behavior can be understood by studying
the buying roles, family dynamics, and life cycle stage of a family member.
CASE STUDY – 4 :
TOPIC : EFFECT OF BRAND IMAGE ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

AUTHOR : Louiss Vuitton-Moet Hennessy

Abstract of the Research Paper / Article :

Consumers are influenced by many psychological, social and personal factors

that influence their perception of a brand. Brand is a powerful tool to attract
more consumers to buy particular products and, has become important in the
luxury market. A very important factor that influences consumer’s perceptions of
a brand is strong brand image. The main purpose of this article is to study and
analyze the role of brand image on consumer behaviour. This study examines
how brand image affects consumer behaviour from a consumer’s perspective. In
order to more practical approach, the study concerned case study of LVMH. All
data and result based on literature is collected from mainly books, journal,
articles, and online material. The methodology for this study was quantitative. A
questionnaire was designed to provide answer to research question. In this
study, one hundred four random participants were collected online.

INTRODUCTION :

The buying process entails a mix of mental and physical activity that almost
always results in a physical purchase (Sheth & Mittal 2004). As a result, studying
the relationship between "what we buy" and "why we buy it" is fascinating. In
this context, brands have a tremendous impact on customer decision-making. A
multitude of variables or traits impact consumers' opinions and decisions.
Consumers have varying perceptions of brands in today's increasingly
competitive marketplace; they will undoubtedly have different images of any
given brand and will frequently be forced to choose between a variety of
products or brands on the market that differ very little in price or functionality.
In such cases, the image they associate with diverse people influences their final
decision.

LITERATURE REVIEW :

BRAND EQUITY :

The answer to the question, according to Aaker, is brand equity, which he

defines as "a combination of brand assets and liabilities related to a brand,
including its name and symbol, that could impose advantageous or harmful
impacts on the values arising from the goods or services." Keller further noted
that brand awareness refers to a consumer's ability to confirm previous
exposure to a brand when it is presented as a treatment. Brand awareness,
according to Aaker, is one of the most important factors of brand equity, and it
may be defined as the degree of consumer knowledge with a brand. Brand
recognition, brand recall, and top of mind are the three levels of brand
awareness, according to him.

BRAND IMAGE :

The authors also claim that the brand image has developed in repute as a result
of the emotions and images associated with the brand, and that a well-known
and recognised brand image is one of the most valuable assets a corporation
can have (Kahle and Kim, 2006). In today's highly competitive market, buyers
must choose from a variety of items or brands that differ just marginally in price
or function, according to Kahle and Kim. The perception of reality is more
important than the actual reality when it comes to branding (Dobni and Zinkhan,
1990). According to Dobni and Zinkhan (1990), brand image is primarily a
subjective and perceptual phenomenon resulting from client interpretation,
whether rational or not.

BRAND ASSOCIATIONS :

Following Keller's lead, Pitta and Katsanis (1995) argued that a distinct,
favourable, and strong brand image allows the brand to be clearly differentiated
and positioned in the minds of consumers, increasing the likelihood of improved
brand equity. Product qualities, intangibles, costumer advantages, relative
pricing, use-application, user-customer, celebrity-person, lifestyle-personality,
product class, competitors, and country-geographic area are all examples of
brand connections, according to Aaker (1991). He thinks that creating a brand
association is crucial to developing a company's image, and that different
businesses have different connections with their potential customers. In his
paper, Aaker explores brand image and claims that associations are the most
important factor to consider while studying brand image literature.

CHARACTERISTICS AFFECTING CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR :

Furthermore, he claims that internal influences are personal thoughts and

sentiments, such as perception, self-concept, lifestyle, motivation, emotion,
attitudes, and intents, that come from within the customer. Internal and external
influences, according to Lake, influence consumer purchases in different ways.

KEY FINDINGS :

 Brand is a powerful tool to attract more consumers to buy particular

products and, has become important in the luxury market.
 Brand awareness is one of the most important factors of brand equity,
and it may be defined as the degree of consumer knowledge with a brand.
 Emotions and Images associated with the brand, and that a well-known
and recognised brand image is one of the most valuable assets a
corporation can have.
 Associations are the most important factor to consider while studying
brand image literature

CASE STUDY – 5 :
TOPIC : AN ANALYSIS OF IN STORE ENVIRONMENT AMBIENCE FACTOR
INFLUENCE ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

AUTHOR : Ndeh Patience Abimnwi & Reuben Kinyuru Njuguna

Abstract of the Research Paper / Article :

Abstract Despite studies that exist on in store environment affecting consumer
behaviour, there are still contradictory findings on propositions presented. In
view of the contradictory findings, this study depicts the consumer behaviour in
East Africa, Kenya and prevailing aspects in supermarkets. This study proposes
an integrative conceptual model on how ambience characteristics could ensure
positive consumer behaviour among retail customers. The study recommends
that supermarket in Kenya should endeavour to initiate programs that will
emphasize on scent as opposed to music and lighting as the latter do not affect
consumer behaviour while scent does.

INTRODUCTION :

Consumer reactions to in-store environments vary, according to studies. For

example, Donovan and Rossiter (1982), while researching the relationship
between consumer behaviour and store environment, discovered that
environmental stimuli influenced consumers' emotional states, which in turn
determined whether they purchased or avoided certain products. Consumers'
patronage of retail establishments, the associations they formed with store
workers, the stores they searched for, and their behaviour while in the stores
were all affected by environmental stimuli, according to the researchers.
Although the retail atmosphere could alter customers' emotional responses in
general, it was difficult to detect whether customers were too aroused when the
store environment was extremely pleasant.

LITERATURE REVIEW :

Lighting, smell/scent, temperature, noise, and music are examples of nonvisual

characteristics of a store's environment (Tlapana, 2009). People's behaviour has
also been proven to be influenced by these elements. In general, studies like Xu
(2007) have found that the environment has a considerable beneficial impact on
consumer satisfaction, albeit the study was limited in that it only looked at a
certain age group, thus its conclusions cannot be applied to the complete
population of people of different ages.

BACKGROUND MUSIC IN RETAIL STORES :

Vida (2008) investigated the impact of in-store background music on customer

behaviour in retail stores in Ljubljana, Slovenia, by intercepting shoppers as they
exited two major hypermarkets and three specialist retail stores that sell sports
equipment and clothes at checkout areas. The study was carried out using the
experimentation approach by the researcher. Background music was employed
both intentionally and unintentionally, and the study lasted two weeks, with 259
people being questioned.

The data was collected via a questionnaire, and the data was analysed using the
maximum likelihood estimation technique. The findings revealed that when
customers thought the background music was appropriate, they had pleasant
experiences that encouraged them to favourably browse store merchandise and
spend more money and time there. Customers gave higher music-fit scores to
establishments with planned background music than to retailers with unplanned
music, according to the study. Based on the study's restricted breadth of
background music and speciality retail stores/hypermarkets, it was suggested
that more research be done on foreground music and a wider range of retail
stores be used.

Modern merchants have also realised the value of employing music to set their
stores apart from their competitors and to project a certain image. Music can
also affect the pace at which customers travel through a store, create a store's
image, and attract or direct shoppers' attention, According to Olahut et al ,
Managers should not, however, overdo their music if they want to achieve these
goals. For example, while quicker music can help shoppers move across a
business, it's not a good idea to play music with an excessively fast pace because
it could affect unintended behaviour. The music should be calm, soothing, or
classical in general. This type of music encourages customers to take their time
in the store, relax, and enjoy themselves and hence take a good survey of the
goods on sale.

AMBIENCE OF THE STORE & SCENT OF THE PRODUCT :

The researchers also discovered that scented products are valued higher than
non-scented things, with congruent fragrances attracting higher valuations than
incongruent odours. As a result, smell in the retail environment has an impact
on customers' perceptions of the merchandise for sale as well as the store itself.
Ambient fragrance only had a favourable link with shoppers' perceptions of the
retail environment in average retail densities, according to the findings. Scent
had a detrimental impact on shoppers' perceptions of the store environment in
both low and high densities. Furthermore, when the density was medium,
ambient smell had a minor favourable effect on customers' moods. Michon et al.
(2005) recognise that their findings are limited in terms of generalizability
because they only looked at community malls, which may not be representative
of all malls.

IN-STORE LIGHTING :

Another study conducted in a major US metropolis looked into the impact of in-
store lighting on many areas of consumer behaviour. The researchers
performed a two-month experiment to see how bright and soft/less bright light
affected shoppers' behaviour. However, the higher effects of lighting on
merchandise browsing did not translate into increased sales. Managers should
change their in-store lighting to improve a functioning environment and thereby
add to their brand perception, according to the study. The report encouraged
studies on other merchandize retail businesses because it concentrated on wine
retailers.

CUSTOMER VALUE :

The study "Customer Value in an Emerging Market Condition" discovered that

sensory elements such as aroma and temperature were key predictors of
customer value, while lighting, music, and colour had a smaller impact. Both
connections, on the other hand, were favourable; improved olfactory variables
boosted customer value. The paradigm given here takes into account the
different effects that store ambiance environment can have on shopping
behaviour based on the various factors.

KEY FINDINGS :

 Consumer reactions to in-store environments vary, according to

convenience and ambience.
 Ambience characteristics could ensure positive consumer behaviour
among retail customers.
 Music can also affect the pace at which customers travel through a store,
create a store's image, and attract or direct shoppers' attention.
 The music should be calm, soothing, or classical in general. This type of
music encourages customers to take their time in the store, relax, and
enjoy themselves and hence take a good survey of the goods on sale.
  Smell in the retail environment has an impact on customers' perceptions
of the merchandise for sale as well as the store itself.
 Scent had a detrimental impact on shoppers' perceptions of the store
environment in both low and high densities.
 Managers should change their in-store lighting to improve a functioning
environment and thereby add to their brand perception .
 Sensory elements such as aroma and temperature were key predictors of
customer value, while lighting, music, and colour had a smaller impact .

RESEARCH GAPS :
From the above 5 Case Studies , the factors such as INCOME , SOCIAL CLASS ,
EMOTIONS , FAMILY , BRAND AND IN-STORE FACILITIES (AMBIENCE) are the
factors which fall under the category of both consumer influences and
Organizational influences that influences consumer behviour and consumer
buying decision process . But , what they missed is that , upto what extent these
factors have an impact on Consumer’s buying decision process .

Also , it is obvious that the same practice of strategy cant be applied to all over
the world . Because people from different places have different buying
behaviour . They didn’t predict the universal marketing strategy which is
applicable all over the world and in any place of the country.