‘barriers’ and ‘influences’ affecting consumer behaviour philippa mckeown senior consumer...
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‘‘Barriers’ and ‘Influences’ Barriers’ and ‘Influences’ Affecting Consumer Affecting Consumer
BehaviourBehaviour
Philippa McKeown
Senior Consumer Affairs Officer
Consumer Council
GCSE Home Economics Teachers’ Conference
I went to the market but I didn’t buy…
• disability
• age
• ethnicity
• knowledge
• resources (time, money, location)
BarriersBarriers
DisabilityDisability
“disabled people have a fear of complaining which is related to their low levels of confidence”Quote from Consumer Proficiency research11.Consumer Knowledge well, what do you know? March 2004
• Physical barriers
• Perceived barriers
• Hidden disabilities
• Socially isolated
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/6034.bb.wmv
BBC Learning Zone Clip:
Age – Older ConsumersAge – Older Consumers
Those who can’t jump into a car are losing out and are at the
mercy of family and friends, home help or
deliveries.
Those ‘buy one get one free’ are no good for me because by
the time I use one, the other is out of date.
Cooking information is usually small and virtually unreadable, very difficult to compare like with like.
Quotes from: Silver Service? Are supermarkets meeting the needs of older consumers? Consumer Council in partnership with Age Concern, November 2007
Age – Older ConsumersAge – Older Consumers
• Older people in Northern Ireland are the least likely to shop online.
• Elsewhere in the UK, the number of over 55’s buying online has more than doubled in the years 2004 – 2006 from 1.4. million to 3.4 million (Verdict, UK e-Retail 2007).
Source: Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency 2003 – 2007, March
2008
Age –Younger ConsumersAge –Younger Consumers
Source: Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer
Proficiency, March 2008
Young people are less well informed about their rights (57 per cent compared to 63 per cent average)
They are least likely to take further action if unhappy about goods or service (55 per cent compared to 64 per cent)
Young people were the least likely to be satisfied with the way their complaint was handled.
Age –Younger ConsumersAge –Younger Consumers
Three quarters of young people and adults believe shops treat young people differently to adults
One in four felt that shop staff did not act in a respectful way to young people
Source: Consumer Council Children Shopping Research, 2006
EthnicityEthnicity
• Language barriers
• Prejudice
• Cultural differences
• Social isolation
Friends awarded £7,500 compensation over racist bouncer at Belfast
nightclub…the doorman made racist remarks to Mr Lopez, who is Portuguese and black….http://news.bbc.co.uk
Polish Cultural Week
The festival of Polish arts and culture is aimed at helping local people understand more about the backgrounds of those families who’ve
settled here in search of work and a better way of life.Belfast Telegraph 6/5/2009
KnowledgeKnowledge
In general, consumer skills remain less well developed among:
• young people (15-24)
• older people (55+)
• those living on a low income
Source: Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency 2003 - 2007
KnowledgeKnowledge
Consumers in rural areas tend to be less confident about expressing their consumer rights and taking further action and were less aware of where to go to for help and advice1.
Research in 20032 also showed consumers from minority, ethnic and disability groups and those living in areas of social need having fewer consumer skills.
1. Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency 2003 – 2007, March 2008
2. Consumer Knowledge well, what do you know? March 2004
Other barriersOther barriers
1 in 4 people of working age have low literacy levels.
Source: Adult literacy in Northern Ireland,
NISRA, 1998
Resources
Time Money Location
Working hours
Low income
Rural
Dependents Access to credit
Food deserts
Lack of time to do ‘research’
Financial capability
TransportShopping
around is a luxury that some can’t
affordQuote from Consumer Council Disability Panel member
N.B This list is not exhaustive!
Access: can people get the goods or services they need or want? Choice: is there any?
Safety: are the goods or services dangerous to health or welfare?
Information: is it available, accurate, accessible and useful? Fairness: are some consumers unfairly discriminated against? Redress: if things go wrong, is there a system for putting them right? Representation: do consumers have a say in how goods or services
are provided?
7 Consumer Tests
Impact of MarketingImpact of Marketing
“Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.” Will Rogers
“ I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first of course is ransom notes…” Philip Dusenberry
Targeting Young Consumers
“advertising at its best is making people feel that without their
product, you’re a loser. Kids are very sensitive to that. If you
tell them to buy something, they are resistant. But, if you tell them
that they’ll be a dork if they don’t, you’ve got their attention.
You open up emotional vulnerabilities…”
Nancy Shalek, Shalek Agency, cited in Juliet. B. Schor’s Born to Buy: the
commercialised child and the new consumer culture, Scribner, 2004
Middleton, S., Ashworth, K. and Walker, R., Family Fortunes: pressures on parents and children in the1990s, Child Poverty Action Group, 1994
Social Psychology of Food
“Parents struggle hard to protect their children from
bullying – and make sure that their children’s
lunchboxes are as full as their classmates. In this way,
snacks like crisps or chocolate are not seen as luxuries
but a way for their children to participate in
conventional behaviour…”
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Cultural
Economic
Environmental and ethical
Personal
Physiological
Psychological and
Social
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Cultural
Someone of Chinese origin might shop for specific ingredients at an Asian supermarket
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Economic
A person living on a tight budget would be unlikely to buy luxury items as part of their weekly food shop.
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Environmental and ethical
A shopper opposed to animal cruelty may choose not to buy products that have been tested on animals.
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Personal
A teenager might feel more comfortable ordering a CD online, whereas an older consumer might prefer to go to a high-street music store.
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Physiological
Someone who is trying to lose weight may wish to avoid fast food and high sugar snacks.
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Psychological
Some shops play music designed to make consumers feel good, stay longer and buy more.
Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors
Social
Some consumers are influenced by trends and want the latest ‘must-have’ toys, fashion items or technology.
You Were Spotted! Activity
Cultural
Economic
Environmental and ethical
Personal
Physiological
Psychological and
Social
1. Spotted…shopping for chilies, sausages and sweet potatoes at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market.
2. Spotted…buying fresh haddock reduced to £1 because it’s nearing its use-by date.
3. Spotted…disposing of used plastic carrier bags at the supermarket collection bin.
4. Spotted…coming back from the sales, trying to juggle several shopping bags whilst chatting on the mobile.
5. Spotted…loading a trolley with half price bedding plants and compost.
6. Spotted…at the till, filling a rucksack with shopping essentials. 7. Spotted…queuing at a
late night Spar to buy milk.
8. Spotted…at the electrical counter in Tesco discussing the merits of a camera phone with the salesperson. 9. Spotted…taking
delivery of shopping which was ordered online.
10. Spotted…at the cinema with a home-made picnic of sandwiches, crisps and fruit juices.
You Were Spotted! Activity
Recap on resources
Lesson Plans
Being a consumer
What influences consumer behaviour
What type of yoghurt are you?
Multimedia
BBC Learning Zone Clip – disability
Silver Service DVD - older consumers
Buy Rights – Have Your Say – young consumers