Consumer Behavior; Analysis of Internal Influences (Factors) on Consumer Behavior Instructions and Submission
1.0. Motivation and Involvement
1.1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
Maslow’s hierarchy is a distribution of needs, according to Abraham Maslow, depending on the nature of the different needs that are associate by humans. Maslow indicates that the basic needs are necessities and are required for survival. These needs create a stream of desire as they increase p the hierarchy. According to this hierarchy, different needs are affected by the fact that they are also human wants that compete for competition. The niche in which Bauerfeind knee support braces fall is a common activity that is very vital. Games and sports. According to the information provided on its website include the product may also be used to offer help in the recovery of knee injuries by patients. This creates two needs that are affected by the hierarchy.
The Bauerfeind knee support braces are designed for use by injured athletes to control the distribution of the inflammation around the knee area. The product is also used in knee support for athletes who want to experience the comfort and have control of their knee muscles while improving their performance. The knee support kit provided by his company has two significant needs that can be able to fulfill the health of the user upon injury or during play to avoid injury. The kit also offers support of the muscles during games to avoid any muscle difficulty due to support from this kit, which helps to improve the resilience and abilities of the user. This category of needs falls under safety needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. While the knee brace support is used to help in the protection of the user from injury and ease recovery of injured knee joints is a healthcare need which falls under the safety needs of an individual
1.2 Motivational conflicts that consumers face
The price of the product plays a significant in controlling the consumer’s ability to purchase a particular p-product. Different prices of the brand in the knee brace industry pose a challenge to the Bauerfeind products in the industry. While most companies are offering low-cost products as low as 23 dollars for knee braces, Bauerfeind provides the same product for its brand at a higher price of about 93 dollars. Different marketing strategies can be used to enhance the performance of the product to promote its importance over its cheap competitors like Futuro. This problem can be taken care of through the provision of enough information as needed by the consumer to make enough qualitative comparisons between the product and its competitors. Similarly, other methods can consist of product promotion such as odd pricing, and the use of discounts can be used to create perceived motivation among the buyers encouraging them to continue buying the products of the brand. Similarly, the product advertisement strategy can also be changed to another product promotion design that indicates the quality of the product brand using a celebrity. Other personnel who have used the product in history to get better results for their injured knee for their support during training and exercises may also be used in marketing the brand. This will help in creating the trust of the consumers making it easy for them to help in making important purchasing decisions about the product.
1.3 Developing an involvement profile
Verbeke and Verkier (2003) describe consumer involvement as factors that control the decision-making process in consumer activity. These processes are used to arrive at a final answer with regards to the choice of the consumers using different parameters such as the brand of the product, its price, quality, and persona appeal. Consumer involvement is used o help the consumer to identify the critical role of decision making in choosing products that meet their needs as tailored by the qualifi9catuiosof the products to meet their needs.
Brand loyalty plays a critical role in consumer activity in purchasing from the company. Branding provides a special connection between consumers and their producers hence creating the likely hood of consumers buying particular form brands. Bauerfeind is a well-developed brand in the knee support endorser since 1985. Brand loyalty of its consumers is used to create forecasts in the future market and understand consumer wants. The price of the product also affects the decision making of consumers. The lower the quality of the product, the higher the chances of purchase, especially for prospective customers with low income. Highly-priced products are likely to be avoided by such consumers. Companies like Bauerfeind focus on the high-end products that are a little expensive in the market. Although the price is reasonably low for other products, the company seems to target consumers with a higher income level.
Similarly, attitude may affect the buyer’s ability of some clients towards the product. T5yhe different cases of consumer refection on the history of the product draw a lot of significance in consumer choice. For example, consumers with a negative perception of the quality of the results of Bauerfeind support products are likely to have negative energy toward the product, increasing the involvement. Consumers who have received positive results from the product or have heard testimonials about the product are likely to have positive attitudes hence increased buyer ability. Advertisements provide consumers with enough information that is needed by the consumer to make important decisions in the market. The higher probability that the consumer has access to enough information is relevant when purchasing products.
2.0. Personality
2.1. Theories of personality traits
Horney’s Neo-Freudian theory indicates the need for using the individual behavior of the consumers to identify them in their main groups of personality, including; compliant, aggressive, and detached. These personality traits are bound to the branding of the consumers’ final products. For instance, a well-known and recognized product like Bauerfeind knee support braces in the knee support industry improves the ability of specific buyers to buy products just because they are familiar with the brand or its products. In the previous analysis of the product, it was discovered that the product uses brand advertising more than it does for its personal product. This means that the quality of the products produced by the brand has obtained some trust among the consumers and has created a stream of returning customers. Most of the products that are produced by the Bauerfeind Company almost entirely depend on the advertisement for the brand of the company.
Cognitive theories; verbalizer vs. visualizer. This theory indicates the nature of creating awareness of the products of the company to its users. It attempts to compare the effects of verbal and visual information in advertising. The Bauerfeind knee support braces adverts are mainly based on the idea of the product itself, and most adverts are based on the non-verbal communication using the product itself and its application. Most of the adverts of Bauerfeind Company show the product in use or using video communication
2.2 Concept of brand personality
Brand personality refers to the personal attributes of a particular bland. They define the brand characteristics and how the consumer relates to the products of the company. The company logo is the most outstanding feature on the knee brace kit for this product (Terver, 2019). This helps the consumers to identify the brand to its consumers using the logo of the Bauerfeind products. The name of the brand is engraved on the products themselves to further market the brand products of the company. The blue color that the company uses to make its products is an important visual aspect of the brand characteristics. Almost all other braces that are made by the company have a blue color representing the brand.
3.0 Perception and Positioning
3.1 Attribute-based perceptual map
3.2. Extrinsic and intrinsic cues for assessing the quality of product
`Extrinsic cues are properties of the brand that encourage the use of the products. These cues include characteristics such as the price of the product, the brand name of the product, and other attributes such as packaging of the products. There is not much information from the sources about the packaging that is used by consumers. Intrinsic cues of a product are bound to the product itself and demonstrate the quality of the product. T5hey are features of the product that make the product unique, allowing it to serve its purpose. The product, Bauerfeind knee support brace, is made up of soft stretchable fabric that ensures that comfort is provided to the knee when the user is putting the product on. The product has an extra cushioning that is added to it to provide extra support to the knees while delivering equal sets of pressure to the different parts of the knee that are injured. This ensures that the consumer can be able to feel relief in pain. According to Bauerfeind.com, the extra cushioning provides extra protection to the knees joint when the user is engaging in vigorous sporting activities. According to Olesen & Glacalone (2018), it can be deduced that the packaging of products plays an essential role in the perceived quality of the products. Better quality packaging gives consumers the notion of high-quality products. Similarly, product quality also plays an essential role in the creation of the instinct that consumers may think that products packed in poor packaging. Marketers can use better quality products to improve the thought of the consumers on product quality. This will help in the creation of the perspective of high-quality products hence the perceived interest to buy the products. According to product comparisons on the marketplace at amazon.com, Bauerfeind has one of the highest product processes in the market, with the product going at 93 dollars as compared to most of the other brands that retail at less than 60 dollars. The brand name of the product is very critical in creating the perceived interest in the market, and hence the recognized brand has influenced the consumer ability of the product making it
3.3. Perceived risks likely to be associated with your chosen product
The quality of the product and the price can be questionable in the eyes of the consumer with regard to the price of the competitors. Perceived risks are anticipated by the consumers who have the will of buying the products from the company. The risks that might be associated with this product include poor brand reputation as a result of the poor reviews of the consumers. For instance, poor perception of a consumer over the product default can lead to poor decision making among employees. Poor imaging, according to Lake (2019), results in the reduction of the score of the business in the industry and may lead to loss of consumer trust. Poor market information can lead to miscommunication in the industry about a brand and may affect the consumer’s ability to buy from a particular brand. Similarly, product information is a very important tool when dealing with the advertisement industry. This makes sure that the brand is well marketed to consumers to help clear doubts (Lake, 2019). Lack of information in the market about a particular product result in reduced attentional hence the difficulty in making sales.
4.0 Reinforcing Consumer Learning
Managing of inappropriate behavior among consumers can be a difficult task for marketers. Unpredictable behavior might require that the marketers play a significant role in changing the behavior of the consumers in order to meet particular goals (Wells, 2014). According to Peter and Nord (1984), shaping otherwise referred to as successive approximation is used by marketers to set goals for their marketing campaigns when dealing with such behavior. Inconsistent and unpredictable behavior observed when consumers are making decisions to buy particular products on the market. According to Vinney (2018), operant conditioning employs shaping in a step by step manner to help in the promotion of positive learning outcomes using reinforcements. Marketing van also employs similar characteristics of step by step conditioning to encourage consumers to buy particular products. For instance, a consumer with negative brand imaging and hence dislike to Bauerfeind products
According to Morgan, Foxall, and Rogers (2017), the interception of behavioral economics in social economics using the step by step model that was used in Bandura’s classical condition can be used to control consumer perspectives of the pre-purchase behavior and the attraction of the consumers. The Bauerfeind product can introduce a gift to the first 50 buyers of the product at the beginning of the picking season. For instance, a 30% bonus can be given, or the consumer is given a special discount upon buying in bulk at the beginning of a three-month session. This sudden availability of information in the market will create a surge in demand for the high-quality products of the company teasing more buyers to rush for the product. The company can team up with national sports events management across the country to introduce this launch at the beginning of a football league or soccer tournament. This demand in the market will encourage consumers to buy a lot of their products at the supposed discount. The company can, in return, benefit a high sales volume and more brand marketing throughout the sports period making the company famous.
5.0 Consumer Attitude Formation/Change
5.1. Changing beliefs about the brand
Disinformation is very critical in brand marketing and can result in severe problems with the company brand itself, leading to complications. The company should invest in the provision of critical information to the consumers every time to create a well-informed audience where the product information reaching its consumers is up-to-date (Bangura, 2011). The Bauerfeind Company may involve the use of consumer follow up to ensure that the product of the company meets the tailored results as promised to the consumer. This helps to build consumer trust.
5.2. Changing beliefs about competing brands
Changing beliefs about the competing brands could either have a positive or negative to the company. The perceived quality of the competitor’s products could increase, or he sue of strict pricing procedures to reduce the cost o the product can affect the market of the company negatively. Similarly, poor imaging of the competitors could increase the perceived thought about the company products. The company, in any of these instances, needs to stay focused and provide the right information to the users to help in the creation of the required business environment to elude its success (Bangura, 2011). The company can correct the disinformation that is creating issues in the market by providing enough information to the consumers. Similarly, mass brand awareness campaigns using digital media can play a critical role in the shaping of the interest of the consumers.
5.3. Changing the relative evaluation of attributes
Ethical issues in marketing, such as avoiding espionage activities and soiling the image of competitors hold in any competitive market. It is important that consumers are given correct information, and the company should focus on detailing the importance of its brand of products and the provision of offers and ince4ntives to encourage buyers to buy from the company (Laroche, Teng & Kalams, 2001). It is important to respect the ethical factors that play in the market to maintain the freedom of the suppliers and buyers.
5.4. Adding an attribute
Product launchers are important for big companies to achieve their best reach to the company itself by providing the best time to reach out to consumers. The addition of an attribute to the product of the company can offer different competitive advantages of the company. Competitive advantages allow the company to reach new audiences and create new market gaps for the company. It will be a good idea to make use of a launch that will make it possible to market the brand and its new attributes to the consumers.
6.0 Communication and Consumer Behavior
According to Sama (2019), different types of media have their perceived impact son the implication of the consumer about a product. This means that each media that is used in advertisement poses a different consumer behavior with regards to the brand. With the perceived interest in the turn of technology, this paper will address two media to be used in the advertisement of the product according to the current trends.
Mass media
The idea that is used in brand marketing is based on the rue of numbers. This means that the product can make use of the mass media forms such as radio and television to create public awareness of the brand. The company can decide on using television adverts before the news related to sports. This will enable the business to create brand awareness. According to Sama (2019), it can be deduced that mass media advertisement has been effectively used to create perceived interest of the consumer to buy the products advertised in the mass media since they trust the media.
Digital marketing
Digital technologies have greatly increased in the 21st century, with almost everything being done digitally. Using digital media to advertise products will possibly have a great impact in creating public awareness. Isoraite (2016), focuses on the importance of digital marketing tools and explain the importance of using such tools when advertising in this era of technology. Digital marketing tools such as email marketing, social media influencing, and the use of digital advert platforms such as Google, YouTube, and Facebook play a critical role in creating public awareness.
References
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