Consumer Behaviour

Consumer behaviour is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, sociopsychology, anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups.

Consumer Behaviour studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general.

Belch and Belch define consumer behaviour as 'the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires'.

Consumer behaviour also called as Consumer Psychology is a branch of applied Psychology, marketing and Organizational Behaviour. It examines consumer decision making process and ways in which they gather and analyze information from the environment. Consumer behaviour is a multidisciplinary field which is integral to Industrial Psychology and aspects of household economy studied in microeconomics.