Cultural Aspect Of Consumer Behaviour Essay

Evaluate Cultural Aspect of Consumer Behavior

Introduction

What does culture mean in the context of buyer behavior?

Culture in the context of buyer behavior is defined based on who the consumer is that is being evaluated. China, for example, has two different types of consumers. One group includes those consumers who are somewhat older, and another group that includes young college graduates, for example. There is a difference in consumption patterns between these two groups. When the average person thinks of China, for example, the first thought that comes to mind is that of the young consumer purchasing trendy products at the mall or at Wal-Mart. There is another consumer that has embraced global consumerism, and that consumer group is those individuals that purchase global luxury brands (Jap, 2010).

The purchase of these items is tied in with social status and one’s self concept (or mianzi) (Jap, 2010). One can argue that both types of consumers are important to the global organization that is attempting to promote its products in new markets, and that without this new brand of trendy consumer, it would be more difficult for economies to expand. Both

Individualism means that the consumer makes purchase decisions on his own and consults references such as the internet to research products and services of interest. In contrast, in a collectivistic society, decisions regarding purchases are made based on consulting family and friends (Nayeem, 2012). This process also limits the types of purchases that are made by family members in a collectivistic society. In China, for example, the younger generation is becoming more individualistic, so this limits the influence that friends and family have over purchases. What this new brand of individualism means is that the consumer may make purchasing decisions more