Consumer Behavior Theories

This book critically examines and analyzes the classical and neoclassical behavioral theories in reference to consumer decision-making across the business cultures. Discussions in the book present new insights on drawing contemporary interpretations to the behavioral theories of consumers, and guide the breakthrough strategies in marketing.

First Published in 2012. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

How do consumers process information? How do they make choices and decisions? How are decisions translated into actions of consumption? How can marketing influence and respond to consumers? The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour illuminates an area of intense academic and wider interest, bringing together research and practical insights into how theories in social psychology can be applied to consumer behaviour. Core themes include information processing and social cognition, communication processes, attitude models, emotion, social identity theory, and action theory. Within each of the major areas of social psychology, a historical perspective is provided, current knowledge reviewed, theories and findings critiqued, and directions for future research appraised. The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour provides a deeper perspective than standard texts which tend to be either atheoretical, overly encyclopedic, or outdated. It considers why consumers buy what they do, and how they go about making individual and group decisions concerning consumption. The result is essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners in psychology and marketing, as well as for those in related fields such as public policy, public health, health psychology, political science and sociology.

After years of study in the area of consumer behavior, Mullen and Johnson bring together a broad survey of small answers to a big question: "Why do consumers do what they do?" This book provides an expansive, accessible presentation of current psychological theory and research as it illuminates fundamental issues regarding the psychology of consumer behavior. The authors hypothesize that an improved understanding of consumer behavior could be employed to more successfully influence consumers' use of products, goods, and services. At the same time, an improved understanding of consumer behavior might be used to serve as an advocate for consumers in their interactions in the marketplace.