- Trending Categories
- Data Structure
- Operating System
- MS Excel
- C Programming
- Social Studies
- Fashion Studies
- Legal Studies
- Selected Reading
- UPSC IAS Exams Notes
- Developer's Best Practices
- Questions and Answers
- Effective Resume Writing
- HR Interview Questions
- Computer Glossary
- Who is Who
Functions of Consumer Attitude
To a layperson, consumer attitude should be viewed as a succinct description of his opinion. As a result, a consumer may develop an unfavorable opinion about Korean-made items. It signifies that the customer has evaluated the country's products and determined they are low quality. A consumer mindset illustrates this. In theory, attitude is a taught proclivity to respond consistently favorably and unfavorably to a given stimulus. Another way to define attitude is a relatively long-lasting arrangement of interconnected beliefs that characterize, assess, and urge behavior concerning an object or a circumstance.
These two descriptions reveal several attitude qualities. The first is that attitude is "not a passing experience" but rather a permanent mood or judgment. Second, it takes its origins and strength from various information sources, including perception and experience. Finally, it indicates the expected course of action by the customer. Attitude is frequently used as a substitute for characterizing a person's "belief system."
The Functions of Consumer Attitude
Notwithstanding the importance of consumer attitudes, two critical objections have been leveled against them. The most serious critique is that it makes the somewhat simplistic assumption that attitudes impact particular and overt customer behavior. The facts do not back it as strongly. Nonetheless, the functions of attitude are far too crucial to be overlooked. Consumer attitudes, in their most basic form, provide the following purpose.
The Utilitarian Function
Consumer attitudes provide a functional role by directing customers toward fulfilling their intended requirements. Hence, if TV purchasers regard technology and after-sales service assistance as the two most essential factors in TV selection, the messaging of those brand alternatives that claim to possess the two traits will be more appealing to the buyers. Such attitudes towards these companies will assist the buyer in achieving his goals. It will also help them avoid failure and disappointment in brand appraisal.
The Ego Defensive Function
Its function safeguards customers from internal and external concerns and the environment. Marketing stimuli, notably products, become an instrument of the protective process in this context. Numerous consumer psychologists have led marketers to feel that a favorable consumer attitude towards pricey jeweler wristwatches and other conspicuous prestige items serves as a defense mechanism for these customers. Nevertheless, it should be noted that pricey things alone do not constitute a consumer defense mechanism. Low-cost goods, such as mouthwash and deodorants, can also prevent anxiety.
The Value-Expressive Function
Consumer attitudes frequently indicate their beliefs and self-concept. Consumers' self-identity is maintained through value-expressive attitudes, which lead to expression and decision. When customers publicly share ideas that mirror their solid values and self-concept, the projection is frequently forceful, obvious, and excessive. This function is visible in customer selection and evaluating products, prices, promotional items, and distribution channels. So, a customer will always choose and wear handloom and Khadi, support items from small-scale enterprises, and may have a negative attitude towards showy consumerism and their public endorsement by commercial houses to reflect his fundamental and Gandhian ideals in life. Consumers, in general, tend to flaunt this type of mentality.
Consumers will identify how their happiness (utility) will fluctuate in response to various degrees of performance in those qualities after determining that the consideration set of alternative brands holds all the desired traits. Hence, the potential automobile buyer will consider how much it will matter to him in utility terms if the brand 'x' of the car has a 4/10 level of fuel-efficiency performance rather than a 6/10 level of performance. The same might be said for female lipstick customers. The utility function allows customers to create an 'ideal' brand by combining the performance levels of superior qualities.
The Constituents of Consumer Attitude
The primary aspects that a buyer would confront during an information search for the goal of analyzing and attaining a choice. The consumer mindset is an important characteristic that will steer the client through the procedure. Because an attitude delivers a set of indications to marketers in terms of evaluation technique, knowing customer attitude may assist marketers in forecasting future purchases and gauging the strength or otherwise of their current sales. They, too, are redesigning their marketing mix initiatives.
Nevertheless, attitude as a notion needs to be more straightforward. An attitude is made up of three parts. They are emotive, cognitive, and conative. The affective component of an attitude speaks to a consumer's feelings. The cognitive component relates to these customers' information and knowledge base. The third and last component of the attitude, the conative, relates to the customer's goal.
The Marketing Response to the Consumer Attitude
Marketers may pick one or more steps to influence customers' evaluations of brand alternatives in their favor. Marketers may, at first, change their brand design if they believe the customer ratings are authentic and genuine. Additionally, marketers may manipulate consumer evaluations to appear honest and authentic. Moreover, marketers may seek to change customer perceptions of the brand alternative through more robust communication and other marketing activities. Nevertheless, in the case of competitive assessment, marketers also aim to change customer perceptions of competing brand alternatives compared to their own. It is accomplished by either downplaying the high-importance product features on which rival items are scored higher or underestimating their performance.
A more constructive path marketers might take is to create new brand qualities or refocus on neglected brand traits. The same could be done by modifying the ideal product to make it closer to the marketers' brand alternative. To summarise, marketers face an unpleasant challenge when customers are in the process of evaluating brands. In this aspect, the acid test of marketing efficacy is whether consumers are driven to the actual buy action. In any case, the answer will pass judgment on the appropriateness of the marketing response.
Attitude and Consumer Decision-Making
Customers are bombarded daily with marketing messages telling them what they should and should not buy. Kids learn about the various claims and positions of the brands. Consumers construct their perception of brands, also known as brand image, based on input from many sources. The brand image assists people in determining which brand is more likely to exist. A specific advantage or trait (technically known as the product attribute). It should be emphasized that because these brand beliefs are based on customer perception, they may occasionally differ from reality. As a result, a potential automobile customer may assume that brand A has style, although this may not be the case.
Similarly, a potential lipstick consumer may assume that lipstick brand B possesses the property of social status. In actuality, this may not be the case. Hence, customer attitudes are founded on perceptions, whether real or false. Nonetheless, they give an important signal as to whether or not consumers will pursue a specific course of action. Therefore, after being inundated with several newspaper advertisements for various TV brands accessible in India, a person may suddenly notice: " "Ah, the TV commercials! I cannot take it any longer!"
An ordinary housewife may have something to say to her husband after observing the Sunday morning transmission: "You know something, the TV advertisements are so fascinating that they have taught a lot to our children in choosing brand selections for grocery." These two assertions convey a summary appraisal of a marketing stimulus, i.e., promotional approaches, and suggest how they will behave if customers are asked to respond. As a result, the first customer will most likely zap or skip TV advertising. The second homemaker may regulate the children's television viewing hours.
Individuals have different feelings and behaviors regarding a specific thing, person, or service. This is referred to as a person's attitude. Attitudes heavily influence consumer behavior. Customers have opinions about numerous things, including goods, brands, companies, celebrities, commercials, and so on. Marketing managers may measure customer attitudes by creating attitude scales.
- Related Articles
- Consumer Attitude: Formation and Change
- Components of Attitude
- Measurement of Attitude
- Theories of Attitude
- Attitude Change
- The Balance Theory of Attitude
- Attitude Behavior Relationship
- Attitude: Meaning and Functioins
- How does Attitude Affect Organizational Behavior?
- Preferences of Consumer
- Consumer Rights and Consumer Awareness
- Attitude Virus is a Threat to Organizations
- Theory Of Consumer Behaviour
- Stages of Consumer Socialization
- Evolution of Consumer Psychology