Have you ever wondered what those variables are and how your way of being and thinking affects your consumption? In this article we will analyze the seven most important variables that influence our way of consuming :
– Culture We refer to beliefs, customs, knowledge, moral standards or any other habit acquired by consumers as members of society. Depending on our culture, we will value, to a greater or lesser extent, aspects such as the quality of the products, the honesty of the seller, the environmental protection of the manufacturer …
– Social class . The position of the individual in society as a consequence of his level of income, his work, the neighborhood where he lives or the level of education makes him show different values and forms of behavior. Thus, for example, some consumers opt for expensive and exclusive products while others prefer low-cost products.
– Social group . We refer to that group of people who share an affinity and exert mutual influence. There are certain values and behaviors that identify the consumer with their reference group and this in turn affects the way they consume. For example, young teenagers, gym users or hip hop fans.
– Family There are many types of families, and each of them has different consumption habits: newly formed families, with small children, with emancipated children, divorced … Our needs and consumption decisions vary depending on the type of family to which we belong.
– Personality and self-concept . We are at the base of the behavior of the individual at all times. The consumption of an insecure individual is totally different from that of one with clear ideas, in the same way that the consumption of the saving consumer has nothing to do with that of another individual who lacks that value.
– Motivation . The force that drives the individual to make a purchase can be physiological, comfort, prestige, self-realization … Each of these cases leads to a totally different buying behavior.
– Experience Memory and learning, that is, the individual’s shopping experience, make him repeat those satisfactory behaviors and avoid those that were not. This explains factors such as brand loyalty or always buying in the same establishment.
If we add to these factors the five questions related to every purchase (when buying, how to buy, where to buy, why buy and who buys), we have the perfect cocktail to define the consumption patterns of each person and realize that certainly , our way of being and thinking affects our consumption much more than we thought .