2. Consumer Behavior: External Factors

Discussions explore the external factors affecting the consumer behavior in this chapter, and guide managers to learn the causes and effects of extrinsic variables to develop right marketing strategies. The external factors affecting consumer behavior have been discussed categorically in this chapter, spread across the sections on business environment, geo-demographic factors, consumer culture, seasonality, and induced consumer perception. This chapter also discusses the concerns emerging among the multinational companies, related to developing competitive marketing strategies by learning comprehensively about co-creation and creating consumer value that affect the behavior dimensions of the consumers. In general, this chapter focusses on learning about the influence of external factors by discussing how situational factors at the time and place of purchase may influence consumer behavior. The discussions also guide managers about how consumers’ relationships with the marketing organization influence the decision-making process of the company.