Consumer Buying Behavior And Satisfaction Level: A Case Study Of JBS Australia

Factors influencing Consumer Buying Behavior

Discuss About The Behaviour Of Customers Satisfaction Level.

Food marketing to consumers is very dynamic because food purchase depends on various factors that are based on individual customers among others. Thus marketers have also advanced by segmenting their potential markets based on customer preferences to meet or exceed their expectations. The satisfaction of the buyer will rely on the performance of the offering concerning the expectations. Oliver (2014) has defined satisfaction as an individual’s emotional state of preference or displeasure caused by the comparison of the apparent performance of a product with respect to the expectations of the buyer. Customer dissatisfaction is when the performance does not match with the expectations, whereas customer satisfaction implies that the product performance is beyond the expectations (Azmi et al., 2016). Therefore, customer satisfaction is when the needs of the buyer are met, and the performance is acceptable, and buyers experience is positive (Negi, 2009; Khan and Fasih, 2014; Angelova and Zekiri, 2011; Font-i-Furnols and Guerrero, 2014).

Factors that influence such behavior of buyers can be categorized into psychological factor, social factor, and cultural factor (Armstrong et al., 2015). Lee & Kacen (2008) examined the impact of culture on consumer buying behavior and revealed that culture significantly influences consumer buying behavior. Additionally, culture affects both the individual and group behavior towards a product. In the view of Nayeem (2012), the most powerful element on consumer purchase behavior is culture because people would always want to approval and status.  Dacko (2008) found out that reference group to which the buyers subscribe to affected their behavior and emotions toward the product. Hence, the reason why effective marketing strategy must be aimed at not only meeting the needs of the consumers but also factor in various aspects that influence their purchase decisions. This study will, therefore, seek to analyze consumer buying behavior and their satisfaction level with a particular focus on the JBS meat and meat products.

The objective of this survey is to analyze consumer buying behavior and their satisfaction level towards food product, a case study of JBS Australia.

In order to explore the consumer buying behavior and their satisfaction level towards food product of JBS Australia, a comprehensive literature review was carried out. The researcher systematically reviewed and discussed the relevant literature sources to establish the background information of the topic under investigation.

Consumer buying behavior is a psychological process related to the buyer’s emotion. The process begins with the consumers’ recognition of a need; then he/she searches for ways of meeting the need. The consumer has to make a purchase decision which calls for research, and if there is contentment from the information gathered then the purchase intention is actualized (Ramesh & Divya, 2015). Similar conclusions are derived by Lee & Yun (2015), who described consumer behavior as psychological and individual conduct that affects market activities. The general theory of buying behavior and Hierarchy of needs examine the buying behavior and degree of satisfaction. They consider various factors that determine consumer purchase behavior such as quality, pricing, rewards among others.

Marketing Strategies to Influence Consumer Buying Behavior

However, Yeo Goh & Rezaei (2017) opines that the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that people will have the interest of seeking for higher needs once their basic needs have been met. With regard to Ramanathan et al. (2017), buying behavior is a systematic procedure in which the buyer adheres to the initial buying procedure to actualize a purchase decision. In view of Organ et al. (2015), buyers first determine their needs, then develop lists of preferences to compare existing options based on specific measures. Hence, organizations should focus on creating awareness to the potential buyers and then arousing the desires for the product to fulfill the need. Awan et al. (2015), opines that retention and loyalty of consumers are fundamental and should feature in the organizations marketing strategy. The researchers observed that first-time consumers rely much on the information they acquire through advertisement, and the post-purchase experience determines their loyalty.

Buyers purchase behavior can be influenced by various factors Kumar et al. (2016). These include culture with sub-cultures of social class and social culture. Meiseberg & Dant (2015) define sub-culture as a group of individuals with common customs, traditions, and values. The authors observe that culture such as social class impacts consumer buying behavior and level of satisfaction. Thus, the need for marketers to get insight into the social hierarchy of the subjects of the target market in order to achieve better sales. According to Wong Wu & Cheng (2015), sub-divisions of social factors include family, prestige, and role and the reference group. The most influential factor in consumer behavior in almost all brands is reference group in which views of the leader matters.

Contrariwise, Feldmann & Hamm (2015), contends that individuals are associated with distinctive groups, families, etc., and they have a status to uphold. As a result, the marketers must persuade their buying behavior by maintaining their status because the buyer will always make purchase decisions in reference to these factors. Wee et al. (2014) pointed out that individual factors like age and lifecycle affect the purchase decision. The researchers also found out that consumer purchase intention was influenced by their occupation, hence the reason why organizations customize certain products based on different occupational categories. Hasanov & Khalid (2015) found out that the buyers financial status or level of income influenced consumer buying behavior.

The consumer buying behaviour can only be influenced by promotional strategies if the products being promoted meet the needs of the consumers (Rashid et al., 2015). The authors recommend the traditional strategy of convincing consumers of the happiness that comes with the use of the product. Additionally, celebrities and beauticians can be fused to market the food items because they will attract the attention of people who will associate the beauty or fame with the product. Chen &Lee (2015) recommends the use of online marketing to attract buyers to the commodities because the internet is able to quickly relay messages to distant places. Creation of a social media account helps to develop brand identity and marketing is made easy since target markets can be narrowed down.

Research Methodology

Larivière et al. (2016) suggests the use effective customer service to impact the behaviour of buyers. In view of Pansari & Kumar (2017) buyers are always cautious of their safety especially in purchasing food, and therefore an organization should provide the assurance of safety in their products to customers by marketing its qualities and standards of quality attained.

The study is to adopt a mixed approach (qualitative and quantitative) to achieve a combination of different techniques which will yield overall outcomes of the statistical analysis (Maxwell, 2012).

The need for an in-depth insight into the study under investigation necessitated a qualitative approach. The researcher first began by generating research questions after conducting thorough literature review relevant to the study topic. Purposive sampling and random sampling design will be used to select the sample of 50 respondents who will be randomly targeted consumers in shopping malls, butcheries, and different offices in Melbourne Australia. Data will be collected using a semi-structured interview method to ensure equal coverage within minimal time (Maxwell, 2012). The deliberations during the interview will be recorded on tape or keenly written by the researcher and then be analyzed by highlighting relevant information.

The study will use survey method to collect data. A structured questionnaire with close-ended questions is to be designed by the researcher for data collection because it is easy to use and fosters comparability (Taylor et al., 2015). Interviews will also be adapted to support and validate the gathered data. Individuals with varying profession, religion, age, and income who usually buy and consumer JSB meat and meat products will be targeted. A sample will be developed using purposive and random sampling method. This design will ensure that only customers of JSB products participate in the study. A sample size of 50 consumers from shopping malls, butcheries, and different offices in Melbourne Australia will purposively be selected for research.  The questionnaires will be distributed in person for two weeks by the researcher and then collected back after filling in. The collected primary data will be processed statistically using SPSS, and the views of the respondents assessed using semantic differential and Linkert Scale (Solomon et al., 2012; East et al., 2016).  The findings will then be presented in the form of tables and graphs.

Reliability of data is to be achieved through test-retest method whereby four respondents will be used to test the questionnaires. The four respondents are not to be included in the final survey. Any emerging errors are to be corrected before the final study. Face validity is to be used to ensure research validity by making sure that the apparent measure reflects the content of the concept under investigation.

Timeline of Research Activity

The research is limited to the urban consumer in a defined geographical area. Thus its extrapolation is limited in application

The study is expected to take around three months from March to May 2018.

Activity	Start Date	End Date	Duration (Days)
Selection of Research topic	08/03/2018	17/03/2018	9
Developing of research objectives	19/03/2018	25/03/2018	6
Data Collection method	28/03/2018	01/04/2018	4
Development of Questionnaire	06/04/2018	10/04/2018	4
Project Proposal organization	11/04/2018	17/04/2018	6
Sample size of survey	20/04/2018	24/04/2018	4
Data collection	25/04/2018	09/05/2018	14
Data analysis	11/05/2018	18/05/2018	7
Report submission	22/05/2018	28/05/2018	6

 

Conclusion

The above literature views consumer buying behavior as a psychological process associated with the buyer’s emotions. The conventional theories suggested for analyzing consumer buying, and satisfaction level is Hierarchy of Needs and Generic theory of purchasing behavior. Consumer buying behavior is affected by culture, social factors, economic among other factors. Therefore, the preference of consumers and their satisfaction level towards JBS meat and meat products in Australia should be examined due to the varying nature of consumer buying behavior and satisfaction, and as a result, a marketing strategy recommended to the company.

References

Angelova, B., & Zekiri, J. (2011). Measuring customer satisfaction with service quality using

American Customer Satisfaction Model (ACSI Model). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 1(3), 232.

Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2015). Marketing: an introduction.

UK: Pearson Education.

Awan, H. M., Siddiquei, A. N., & Haider, Z. (2015). Factors affecting Halal purchase

intention–evidence from Pakistan’s Halal food sector. Management Research Review, 38(6), 640-660.

Azmi, A., Hasri, M., Nazri, A. S. A., Radzali, S., Azman, M., Abdullah, R., … & Fatimah, S.

(2016). Consumer Behaviour: Case Study on Avon Malaysia. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 5(12), 31-34.

Chen, M. F., & Lee, C. L. (2015). The impacts of green claims on coffee consumers’

purchase intention. British Food Journal, 117(1), 195-209.

Dacko, S. (2008). The advanced dictionary of marketing: putting theory to use. Oxford

University Press.

East, R., Singh, J., Wright, M., & Vanhuele, M. (2016). Consumer behaviour: Applications in

marketing. Sage.

Feldmann, C., & Hamm, U. (2015). Consumers’ perceptions and preferences for local food:

A review. Food Quality and Preference, 40, 152-164.

Font-i-Furnols, M., & Guerrero, L. (2014). Consumer preference, behavior and perception

about meat and meat products: An overview. Meat science, 98(3), 361-371.

Hasanov, J., & Khalid, H. (2015). The impact of website quality on online purchase intention

of organic food in Malaysia: A webQual model approach. Procedia Computer Science, 72, 382-389.

Khan, M. M., & Fasih, M. (2014). Impact of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and

Customer Loyalty: Evidence from Banking Sector. Pakistan Journal of Commerce & Social Sciences, 8(2).

Kumar, A., Bezawada, R., Rishika, R., Janakiraman, R., & Kannan, P. K. (2016). From social

to sale: The effects of firm-generated content in social media on customer behavior. Journal of Marketing, 80(1), 7-25.

Larivière, B., Keiningham, T. L., Aksoy, L., Yalçin, A., Morgeson III, F. V., & Mithas, S.

(2016). Modeling heterogeneity in the satisfaction, loyalty intention, and shareholder value linkage: a cross-industry analysis at the customer and firm levels. Journal of Marketing Research, 53(1), 91-109.

Lee, H. J., & Yun, Z. S. (2015). Consumers’ perceptions of organic food attributes and

cognitive and affective attitudes as determinants of their purchase intentions toward organic food. Food quality and preference, 39, 259-267.

Lee, J. A., & Kacen, J. J. (2008). Cultural influences on consumer satisfaction with impulse

and planned purchase decisions. Journal of Business Research, 61(3), 265-272.

Maxwell, J. A. (2012). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (Vol. 41). Sage

publications.

Meiseberg, B., & Dant, R. P. (2015). A cross-national comparison of the role of habit in

linkages between customer satisfaction and firm reputation and their effects on firm-level outcomes in franchising. In Interfirm networks (pp. 99-124). USA: Springer, Cham.

Nayeem, T. (2012). Cultural influences on consumer behaviour. International journal of

Business and management, 7(21), 78.

Negi, R. (2009). Determining Customer Satisfaction through Perceived Service Quality: A

Study of Ethiopian Mobile Users. International Journal of Mobile Marketing, 4(1).

Oliver, R. L. (2014). Satisfaction: A behavioral perspective on the consumer. Routledge.

Organ, K., Koenig-Lewis, N., Palmer, A., & Probert, J. (2015). Festivals as agents for

behavior change: A study of food festival engagement and subsequent food choices. Tourism Management, 48, 84-99.

Pansari, A., & Kumar, V. (2017). Customer engagement: the construct, antecedents, and

consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 294-311.

Ramanathan, U., Subramanian, N., & Parrott, G. (2017). Role of social media in retail

network operations and marketing to enhance customer satisfaction. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 37(1), 105-123.

Ramesh, S. V., & Divya, M. (2015). A study on consumers’ awareness attitude and

satisfaction towards select organic food products with reference to Coimbatore. Int. J. Interdiscipl. Multidiscip. Stud, 2, 81-84.

Rashid, I. M. A., Rani, M. J. A., Yusuf, B. N. M., & Shaari, M. S. (2015). the impact of

service quality and customer satisfaction on customer’s loyalty: evidence from fast food restaurant of Malaysia. International Journal of Information, Business, and Management, 7(4), 201.

Solomon, M., Russell-Bennett, R., & Previte, J. (2012). Consumer behaviour. Pearson Higher

Education AU.

Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research

methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.

Wee, C. S., Ariff, M. S. B. M., Zakuan, N., Tajudin, M. N. M., Ismail, K., & Ishak, N.

(2014). Consumers perception, purchase intention and actual purchase behavior of organic food products. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 3(2), 378.

Wong, J., Wu, H. C., & Cheng, C. C. (2015). An empirical analysis of synthesizing the

effects of festival quality, emotion, festival image and festival satisfaction on festival loyalty: A case study of Macau Food Festival. International Journal of Tourism Research, 17(6), 521-536.

Yeo, V. C. S., Goh, S. K., & Rezaei, S. (2017). Consumer experiences, attitude and

behavioral intention toward online food delivery (OFD) services. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 35, 150-162.