Situational Influences
Chapter 2
 Situations influence consumer behaviour
 There are four main types of situations
 Situational influences can be categorised
according to five main dimensions
 Situational influences have implications for
marketing strategy
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Topics Covered Today
 Types of situations
 The nature of situational influence
 Situation classification
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

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Physical
Social
Time
Task
Antecedent
 Situational influences and marketing
strategy
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Types of Situation
 Communication
Where? Alone or with others? Surrounding noise?
 Purchase situation
Where? Alone or with others? In a hurry?
 Consumption situation
Public or private? For pleasure or for work?
 Disposal situation
Required for next purchase? Trade-ins?
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Consumer Behaviour is
Product — Person— Situation
Specific
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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The Role of Situation in
Consumer Behaviour
 Insert Fig. 2.2 3/e
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Five Classes of
Situational Influence




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Physical surroundings
Social surroundings
Temporal perspectives
Task definition
Antecedent states
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Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Examples of Physical
Surroundings





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Store location
Interior decor
Music
Smell
Temperature (air-conditioning or heating)
Amount of choice provided (by product
category or across the categories)
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Examples of Social
Surroundings
 Types of customers in the store
 Queues and crowding
 Whether the consumer is likely to be known
by others/recognised
 Whether there are high profile
people/celebrities shopping at that store
 Whether the product will be consumed
privately or in the presence of others
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Examples of Temporal
Influences
 Whether the product is seasonal
 Whether the product is urgently required
(broken calculator before the exam)
 Whether there is time for shopping or not:
the product may be just an excuse for
shopping
 How long the previous product lasted or
was expected to last
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Examples of Task
Influences
 Is the product utilitarian or used as a status
symbol?
 Is it a gift or for oneself?
 Must the product be long lasting/tough
(e.g. a watch to be taken on a boat trip) or
decorative (e.g. a dress watch)?
 Is the product intended for several uses?
(e.g. a laptop for study and internet access)
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Examples of Antecedent
States
 Moods
 Feeling sad triggers buying sweets or going to a funny
movie
 Feeling rejected triggers buying games software
 Momentary conditions
 Can’t buy ice cream because teeth hurt
 Can’t buy a book because left the credit card at home
 Buy more groceries because hungry before shopping
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Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Impact of Physical Density
on Shopper Perceptions
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Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Situational Influence and
Marketing Strategy
 Developing a situational influence matrix
 Positioning the product based on situation
 Segmenting the market based on usage
situation
alone
in combination with other segmentation variable
person/situation segmentation
Copyright  2002 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. PPTs t/a
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy 3e by Neal, Quester and Hawkins
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Use Situations and
Product Positioning
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