#6001 - Consumer Behaviour Perception - Consumer Behaviour

Perception

The Perceptual Process

• People undergo stages of information processing in which stimuli are input and stored. However, we do not passively process whatever information happens to be present.

• Only a very small number of the stimuli in our environment are ever noticed. Of these, an even smaller number are attended to.

• The stimuli that do enter our consciousness are not processed objectively. The meaning of a stimulus is interpreted by the individual who is influenced by their unique basis, needs and experiences.

• These three stages of exposure, attention and interpretation make up the process of perception.

From Sensation to Perception

• Sensation refers to the immediate response of our sensory receptors to such basic stimuli as light, colour and sound.

• Perception is the process by which these stimuli are selected, organised and interpreted.

• We process raw data; however the study of perception focuses on what we add to or take away from these sensations as we assign meaning to them.

• Interpretations or assumptions stem from schemas, o organised collections of beliefs and feelings. That is we tend to group the objects we see as having similar characteristics and the schema to which an object is assigned is a crucial determinant of how we choose to evaluate this object at a later time.

• A perceptual process can be broken down into the following stages;

  • Primitive categorisation – in which the basic characteristics of a stimulus are isolated

  • Cue check – in which the characteristics are analysed in preparation for the selection of a schema.

  • Confirmation check – in which the schema is selected.

  • Confirmation completion – in which a decision is made as to what the stimulus is.

• In many cases, consumers use a few basic dimensions to categorise competing products or services and then evaluate each alternative in terms of its relative standing of these dimensions.

• This tendency has led to a very useful positioning tool – a perceptual map.

Sensory Systems

• External stimuli or sensory inputs can be received on a number of channels.

• The inputs picked up by our five senses constitute the raw data that generate many types of responses.

• Sensory inputs evoke historical imagery, in which events that actually occurred are recalled. Fantasy imagery results when an entirely new, imaginary experience is the response to sensory data. These responses are an important part of hedonic consumption or the multi-sensory, fantasy and emotional aspects of consumers interactions with products. The data that we receive from our sensory systems determine how we respond to products.

• Although we usually trust our sensory receptors to give us an accurate account of the external environment, new technology is making the linkage between our sense and reality more questionable.

Vision

• Marketers rely heavily on visual elements in advertising, store design and packaging.

• Meanings are communicated on the visual channel through a products size, styling. Brightness and distinctiveness compared with competitors.

Colour in the Marketplace

• Colours are rich in symbolic value and cultural meanings. Such powerful cultural meanings make colour a central aspect of many marketing strategies.

• Colour choices are made with regard to packaging, advertising and even shop fittings.

• There is some evidence to suggest that some colours are arousing while others are relaxing. The power of colours to evoke positive and negative feelings makes this an important consideration in advertising design.

• The ability to colour our expectations is frequently exploited by marketers.

Smell

• Odours can stir emotions or create a calming feeling. They can invoke memories or relieve stress.

Sound

• Music and sound are also important to marketers.

• There is also evidence that the literal sound that one makes when pronouncing a brands name can influence perceptions of the products attributes.

• Many aspects of sound affect people’s feelings and behaviours,

• Muzak is heard by millions of people every day. This so called functional music is played in stores, shopping centres and offices either to relax or stimulate customers.

• There is general agreement that muzak contributes to the wellbeing and buying activities of customers, but no scientific proof exists.

• Time compression is a technique used by broadcasters to manipulate perceptions of sound. It is a way to pack in more information into a limited time by speeding up an announcer’s voice in commercials.

• The evidence for the effectiveness of time compression is mixed. It has been shown to increase persuasion in some situations but to reduce it in others. One explanation for a positive effect is that the listener uses a person’s speaking rate to infer whether the speaker is confident. People seem to think that fast talkers must know what they are talking about. Another explanation is that the listener is given less time to elaborate on the assertions made in the commercial.

Touch

• Researchers have shown that touch can influence sales reactions and that tactile cues have symbolic meaning.

Taste

• Our taste receptors contribute to our experience of many products.

• Food companies go to great lengths to ensure their products taste as they should. Companies may use a group of sensory panellists as tasters. Theses consumers are recruited because they have superior sensory abilities and are then given six months training.

• In a blind taste test panellists rate the products of a company on a number of dimensions.

Sensory Thresholds

• There are sine stimuli that people simply are not capable of perceiving and of course, some people are better able to pick up sensory information than others.

• The science that focuses on how the physical environment is integrated into our personal, subjective world is known as psychophysics.

• By understanding some of the physical laws that govern what we are capable of responding to, this knowledge can be translated into marketing strategies.

The Absolute Threshold

• When we define the lowest intensity of a stimulus that can be registered on a sensory channel, we speak of a threshold for that receptor.

• The absolute threshold refers to the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected on a sensory channel.

• The absolute threshold is an important consideration in designing marketing stimuli.

The Differential Threshold

• The differential threshold refers to the ability of a sensory system to detect changes or differences between two stimuli.

• The issue of when and if a change will be noticed is relevant to many marketing situations. Sometimes a marketer may want to ensure that a change is noticed. In other situations, the fact that a change has been made is downplayed.

• A consumer’s ability to detect a difference between two stimuli is relative.

• The minimum change in a stimulus that can be detected is also known as the JND which stands for just noticeable difference.

• In the 19^th century, Ernst Weber, a psychophysicist found that the amount of change that is necessary to be noticed is related to the original intensity of the stimulus. The stronger the initial stimulus the greater the change must be for it to be noticed. This relationship is known as webers law.

Perceptual Selection

• Although we live in an information society we can have too much of a good thing.

• Consumers are often in a state of sensory overload, exposed to far more information that they are capable of or willing to process.

• The competition for our attention is increasing steadily with the increasing number of exposures to television commercials and other types of advertising.

• Because the brains capacity to process information is limited, consumers are very selective about what they pay attention to.

• Perceptual selectivity means that people attend only a small portion of stimuli to which they are exposed.

• Consumers practice a form of psychic economy, picking and choosing among stimuli to avoid being overwhelmed by advertising clutter.

• This overabundance of advertising stimuli highlights two important aspects of perceptual selectivity as they relate to consumer behaviour; exposure and attention.

Exposure

• Exposure is the degree to which people notice a stimulus that is within range of their sensory receptors. Consumers concentrate on certain stimulus, are unaware of others and even go out of their way to ignore some messages.

Selective Exposure

• Experience, which is the result of acquiring stimulation, is one factor that determines how much exposure to a particular stimulus a person accepts.

• Perceptual filters based on consumers past experiences influence what we decide to process.

• Perceptual vigilance is a factor in selective exposure. Consumers are more likely to be aware of stimuli that relate to their current needs. These needs may be conscious or unconscious.

Adaptation

• Another factor affecting exposure is adaptation, or the degree to which consumers continue to notice a stimulus over time.

• The process of adaptation occurs when consumers no longer pay attention to a stimulus because it is so familiar,

• Several factors can lead to adaptation;

  • Intensity – less intense stimuli habituate because they have less of a sensory impact.

  • Duration – stimulus that require relatively lengthy exposure in order to be processed tend to habituate because they require a long attention span.

  • Discrimination – simple stimuli tend to habituate because they do not require attention to detail.

  • Exposure – frequently encountered stimuli tend to habituate as the rate of exposure increase.

  • Relevance – stimuli that are irrelevant or unimportant will habituate because...