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Businesses look at consumer behaviour, so they can better understand:

• the decision behind why customers purchase certain products
• what influences them to make those purchasing decisions

Businesses want to understand the decision-making process of the customer, so they can better tailor the company’s marketing strategy to meet their needs.

There are different types of consumer behaviour, such as:

Routine/habitual

Routine purchases require little involvement by the customer. Routine purchases are made automatically for items such as:

• cereal
• washing powder
• toiletries

Sales promotions such as money off vouchers or buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) can be used to influence routine purchasing.

Informed

Informed consumer behaviour is when the buyer takes time to investigate the product. They will consider different products that are on offer and the specifics of the product they are interested in.

This behaviour is usually used when a customer is buying expensive long-term goods such as:

• a car
• an expensive item of technology

Impulsive

Impulse purchases happen without any prior planning or thought. Impulse purchasing often happens because a product has caught a customer’s eye, such as a bar of chocolate placed at the checkout.

Effective point of sale displays can influence impulse purchasing.