Consumer Behaviour Assignment Analysing Survey Findings Of Samsung Smartphones

Question

Task:
Presume that you are working as a consumer behaviour consultant at the company that makes/produces your chosen product or service. During one of the recent meetings, the company has asked you to analyse a recent survey sample that was completed by consumers who recently purchased their product or service.

Based on the survey sample, you are required to prepare a consumer behaviour assignment that include:

• a one-page summary of survey sample results (i.e., a shorter yet concise version of the survey sample results presented in writing).
• a two-page analysis of the sample survey’s key findings (i.e., what does gathered data from this sample survey mean? How does this survey inquire into consumers’ perception, attitudes, motivation, cultural and individual factors? Which consumer behaviour theories and concepts may have been used in each of the questions to inquire into consumers’ perception, attitudes, motivation, cultural and individual factors and why?
• a one-page statement in which you are to outline current consumer behaviour trends that should be considered by the company and justify why these trends are of particular concern from a marketing perspective.

Answer

Introduction
The concept of consumer behaviour explored in the present context of consumer behaviour assignment is considered to be an integral aspect for majority of the marketers because it enables in a greater understanding of the factors that influence their purchasing decisions (Parsons et al., 2017). The discussion presented below demonstrates the analysis of the survey findings acquired from consumers who have recently purchased smartphones from Samsung. The learner being the consumer behaviour consultant is expected to identify consumer expectations and key trends involved while purchasing products for marketers.

Summary of Survey Sample Results
From the survey results it was visible that majority of the consumers ensured that the brand’s beliefs and values aligned with their personal perspective along with the appeal of the marketing techniques stimulating their senses into purchasing Samsung’s products. However, despite their personal perspectives involved, the rational decision-making is still innate among the consumers because they compared the product with other brand’s product before making the final decision. Meanwhile, the comparison might not have yielded significant results because majority of the consumers purchase the product because it made them happy. Once again, the personal factor was prioritised more over other factors influencing consumer decision-making. The personal preference also included the fulfilment of their daily necessities or providing them with sufficient cognitive stimulation. According to Ismagilova et al. (2020), personal factors play an important role in influencing consumer behaviour and they essentially comprise of occupation, age, economic condition, lifestyle, personality and others. If the use of Samsung smartphones would instil easiness in the daily occupation of the consumers then, they would purchase the product without any hesitance.

However, the sociological perspective also has a severe impact on the consumer purchasing decision. According to Rizvandi et al. (2019), the sociological model of consumer behaviour indicates that society acts as an influencing factor in terms of buying behaviour of the consumer. Since every consumer is inclined towards buying products from ethical brands so majority of the participants have mentioned that they would disregard a brand and their products if they are found to be indulged in unethical practices. The sociological perspective indicates the popularity of social circle and the use of word of mouth recommendation in increasing sufficient purchases of a brand. It provides them with a sense of belonging in some social groups and enhances their position as an equal accordingly.

Sample Survey’s Key Findings
The gathered data from the sample survey indicate that more than economic and psychoanalytic perspectives, the use of sociological perspective has grown to be more prominent over the others. This way the marketers working for Samsung would successfully be able to encourage referrals and recommendations amidst its existing customer base to reach out to potential customers more. Furthermore, the survey findings have also indicated that the consumers are significantly focused on the use of the products that aided their daily requirements. According to Oved (2017), Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can be considered appropriate in describing the needs proliferating the customers to buy certain products. If the marketers at Samsung can tap onto the knowledge of customer needs and encourage to ensure then the consumers would be inclined towards purchasing the products of Samsung that directly caters to their needs.

The survey heavily inquiries into customer perception, attitudes, motivation and individual factors by creating questions that address their personal perception. For example, the customers were asked questions about their preferences, the reason behind their purchase and how they choose a specific brand. Most of the answers were based on addressing their personal satisfaction and needs. Furthermore, the cultural and social norms were inquired with the help of questions related to sociological perspective. It was found that majority of the customers rely on the recommendations of their close personnel for purchases and often buy from eminent brands to belong to a particular social group. According to Throntveit (2021), Veblenian Social-Psychology Theory asserts the idea that humans are social creatures and eventually make purchases based on societal and cultural norms.

Apart from focusing on consumer needs and their social circle, the use of Reasoned Action theory was quite visible in the survey. According to Xiao (2020), the Reasoned Action Theory suggests that consumers make purchasing decisions when they expect a specific results aligning with their anticipation. Some of the questions from the survey asserted to the idea that the consumers were inclined towards purchasing the products of Samsung to ensure their personal satisfaction instead of pleasing others. However, it cannot be denied that the economic perspective was heavily disregarded apart from asking questions about the income source of the customers. The economic condition of a consumer plays an important role in navigating their purchasing decisions and the things they can afford (Dauntand Harris, 2017). Even though Samsung has some affordable items available, some of them are quite expensive which may not be afforded by the consumers.

Current Consumer Behaviour Trends
Consumer behavioural trends are constantly shifting because of market advancements. Thus, Forbes.com (2021), has identified some of the key behavioural trends among consumers that must be considered by Samsung and other companies:

• The consistent desire for convenience and easiness in their purchasing experience. Even though e-commerce has made it easier for the companies to constantly provide convenience to the customers but at the same time some innovation is expected in this spectrum.
• The demand for maintaining transparency is consistently growing because consumers have become extremely ethical and expect their favourite brands in similar way. Consumers are very likely to stop purchasing from a brand if they do not maintain ethical standards.
• The importance of content marketing is growing as well because consumers are expecting maximum innovation and consideration from all of its favourite brands to initiate maximum engagement. The use of social media or heartfelt advertisements are all a part of content marketing approach.

Conclusion
This discussion led to the understanding of different aspects of consumer behaviour and the internal or external factors that influence their decision-making attributes. The job of the marketers at Samsung is to ensure that these factors have been clearly identified to reach a satisfactory outcome of engaging their customers with the brand more.

Reference List
Daunt, K.L. and Harris, L.C., 2017. Consumer showrooming: Value co-destruction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 38, pp.166-176.

Forbes.com. (2021). 15 Customer Behavior Trends Emerging This Year. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/03/15/15-customer-behavior-trends-emerging-this-year/ [Accessed 13th September, 2021]

Ismagilova, E., Slade, E., Rana, N.P. and Dwivedi, Y.K., 2020. The effect of characteristics of source credibility on consumer behaviour: A meta-analysis. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, p.101736.

Oved, O., 2017. Rethinking the place of love needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Society, 54(6), pp.537-538.

Parsons, E., Maclaran, P. and Chatzidakis, A., 2017. Contemporary issues in marketing and consumer behaviour. Routledge.

Rizvandi, A., Tojari, F. and Zadeh, Z.S., 2019. Sport consumer behaviour model: Motivators and constraints.

Throntveit, T., 2021. Thorstein Veblen, Bard of Democracy. European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, 13(XIII-1).

Xiao, M., 2020. Factors influencing eSports viewership: An approach based on the theory of reasoned action. Communication & Sport, 8(1), pp.92-122.