Discuss about the Management Engineering and Information Technology.
Consumers have a difference in taste and preference. Hence marketers require the right skills to understand their consumption behavior. Marketers choose right approach to use to pursued the consumers to have the willingness to consume goods and services. Most scholars have defined consumer behavior as they study of how and why consumers exhibit different traits when buying goods and services to meet their needs and wants as they strive to seek human satisfaction.
Consumption is mandatory therefore at some point we need to make decisions on what exactly suits as we meet our delay needs and wants. The choice of consumption or purchase of a product varies from one person to the other. (Consumer Culture Theory, 2015). For instance, what might seem good to me might seem ordinary or outdated to my friend. Therefore, marketers adjust and interrogate what the clients require so that they remain relevant in the market and even welcome new customers to purchase their products. The theory of consumer behavior is the principle underpinned to the assumption upon which demand and behavior of consumers. This brings the urge for a consumer to strive to allocate the few resources to meet their satisfaction.
Understanding the theories of consumer behavior is crucial for successful marketing not only to Apple company but also to other companies in the international markets. Research has proven that behind every marketing strategy there are theories grounded in our psychological thoughts, economics, and studies on human behavior. Consumer theories tend to demystify how consumers purchase as individuals or groups (Xiao, 2015). Therefore, marketers use this knowledge to judge or determine the outcome after observing the way the clients respond.
Most importantly, before consumers decide on what to consume they have to make a choice. The choice entails the process of making a decision until they decide to settle of purchasing a particular product. The decision-making process begins by the consumer identifying the need or want, then seek information about the product, weigh the options, then decide to purchase a product and the final process is post purchase evaluation (Belk, 2006). In the post purchase process the consumer analyses if the product purchased was worth the value of money spent or if the product meets the utility of the consumer.
There are three broad factors that influence the buying behavior of customer namely; individual, group, and situational factors. Individual factors are those that are intrinsic in that they are either personal or psychological. The personal factors include age, occupation, and income among other factors whereas the psychological factors include motivation, beliefs, and attitudes, and the perception of a person about a given product. Group factors can be either social or cultural. Culture contains sub cultural and social class while the social class may include reference, groups, family, and status. Lastly, situational factors entail the mood, time, physical, and social environment prevailing (Tugrul, n.d.).
In this paper, a research is conducted on Apple company more specifically on the manufacture of iPhone mobile phones. The study will uncover how the company utilizes the social class, reference groups, culture of the customers to gains more customers and maintaining high profits from the manufacture of iPhones.
It is the culture that influence the behavior of a given set of groups in society therefore our beliefs and norms are translated to dictate the consumption behavior. Culture is profoundly known to influence the behavior of a major group in society or the whole society in general (De Mooij, 2010). As for the case of Apple, the company has regularly maintained its reputation of making powerful smartphones hence majority of the clients develop buy in based on their first experience with the company smart phones. Notably, Culture is the most basic factor that influence people to develop the urge of purchasing its products. For example, as we grow up, we learn basic perceptions, values, and wants form reference or inspiring groups like the family. Therefore, Apple marketers been keen on culture shift or on how to handle different people from various ethnic groups who have varied value and norms.
Notably, each culture contains a sub-culture; that is, a group of people sharing common value or originating from the same locality, nationality, racial groups, and religion among other social factors like social status. Multiculturalism is distinct in that there might be some cultures existing within the society (Belk, Ger, & Askegaard, 2003). For instance, Australia is a nationality and within it there are some cultures thus this can be referred to multiculturalism.
In most cases, a sub-culture can create its own market segment such that they require a special treatment or have the same perception about a product. For example, the youth culture exhibit different buying characteristics from that of the old generation. In this context, the manufacture of iPhones targets young people who are technocrats. That is why the iPhones have appealing features which seem more attractive to the youths but might seem irrelevant to aged individuals. In other words, each product attracts its own market segment hence Apple company has identified a gap in producing advanced machines which suit their young customers.
Apple company always strives to maintain their brand influence on consumer purchasing decisions by using persuasive social media tactics. Actually, Apple uses social media platforms the way consumers want them but rather not the way the company wants to use them. Many at times business assume that social media has a great influence on consumer purchasing behavior but this is not true. According to Patricia Redsicker (2014) article, a report published in state of the American consumer researchers found out despite the higher number of people using social media only 5% of them take advertisements serious on social media. Besides, 62% of individual interviewed on the same revealed that social media had no influence on their purchasing behavior.
Basically, apple has learnt to twist conversations while making its adverts or introducing their products in the market. It is a fact most people use the social media to connect to family and friends and follow trending stories rather than checking on adverts, therefore, it is less unlikely businesses can use social media to influence customers to buy their products. For the case of apple, the company is fully engaging with their existing customers hence making them ambassadors of their product. The company inspire their customers hence most of its customers brand their product while speaking to their families and friends and this is how apple is able to secure the large market share in various countries.
Apple company customer service is awesome. Their media platforms are always online hence the response rate is supersonic (“7 Key Strategies That You Must Learn from Apple’s Marketing,” n.d.). Maybe this is the reason why they always retain more customers and attract even more because of the quality of services they offer.
The difference in social class create a social group of its own (Zou, 2014). Social class is a group is society who feel they have realized self-esteem and want to be recognized by others and tend to separate themselves from the rest people of their status like earning high income hence purchasing expensive machines, vehicles, living in posy houses and many more factors. Social status is defined by wealth, occupation, income, education among other variables.
Social class is a social factor that to a great extent dictate the buying behavior of some individual not only in Apple company but also in society. Social class is an influential group in society that is defined by the wealth, education level, income, and the occupation and individual is doing among other Variables (Consumer Culture Theory, 2014). The variables make this group to feel secure and different from others because they tend to exhibit different behaviors from the rest of the groups.
Apple understands its audience by producing iPhones with feature that suite the Social class individuals. Studies have shown that social class people are extravagant such that they go for products that are expensive and can only be afforded by few people. Thus, the marketers of Apple company target such an audience. For example, people use Apple iPhones because they have high security features and they have large memory and RAM. Apple company has done a one-to-one relationship with their target audience and they use their customers to brand the name by offering incredible and high value iPhones.
In addition, individuals with Apple iPhones always feel proud hence they would like to be noticed from a distance. By this I mean, their taste is unique and generally their lifestyle is at the top status. Therefore, Apple marketers identify this group and ensure they produce high quality products to machines them. (Solomon, 2014) says, the group believes quality products are associated with high prices. Therefore, when Apple company is setting up prices for the iPhones, the prices are adjusted in a manner that favor various groups of social status hence their customers are convinced to purchase because they believe the higher the price the better the quality of a product.
Reference groups
Reference groups can influence how customers perceive a product through informational influence (Tugrul, n.d.). The groups interfere with what the customer values and inspire to be especially by changing the buying behavior of the customer. Reference groups are influential avenue that serve and contribute to decision making and consumption behavior. The groups are used for reference purposes; that is, customers look for guidance from the group to make consumption behavior. Usually groups come to play when a person lacks previous experience and where the behavior carry a social risk. In the context, if a customer is anticipating to purchase an iPhone, the customer would first do a pilot study by consulting and seeking advice from colleagues or people who have used the iPhone previously.
Cheng, White and Chaplin (2011, p. 284) for instance says when users of iPhones were criticized for their choice, they could report the matter to the administration of the company through various avenues. Therefore, we can interpret this finding that loyal customers develop a psychological and physical bond to a product such that the user of iPhone could not sustain listening a colleague to bad mouth the iPhone smart phone.
Apple has tactfully used social influence to impact the purchase decision of apple products (Aaker, 2001). Apple has succeeded in maintaining the competitive edge because they apply segmentation targeting and brand positioning. First, they use lifestyle segmentation by manufacturing smart-phones that have incredible features. Apple brand have the topmost mind positioning hence whenever think of a Smart-phones their first priority is iPhone.
When Apple is executing a marketing mix, they utilize the 4 Ps; that is, price, product, place, and promotion. Whether Apple is introducing a new product or expecting to promote already existing product, the four elements always give guidelines to determine the behavior of clients to the iPhones to produce (Lindstrom, 2009). In general Apple marketers have a good understanding of their market and at all times maintain their services unique and produce technology superior quality products.
In conclusion, successful marketing campaign by Apple brings awareness hence the consumers are given chance to decide what to consume and what not to consume after getting a variety of the gadgets produced by the company. A company is required to design specific products for those people belonging in the social class. The taste and content should be unique and probably the company should keep on improving the value of the product to introduce an element of change to convince the client the company is innovative and is offering improvised products.
References
Cheng, S.Y., White, T.B. and Chaplin, L.N. (2011) The Effect of Self Brand Connections on Responses to Brand failure: A New Look at the Consumer-brand Relationship. Journaof Consumer Psychology, 37, pp. 284-293
7 Key Strategies That You Must Learn from Apple’s Marketing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://neilpatel.com/blog/7-key-strategies-that-you-must-learn-from-apples- marketing/
Belk, R. W. (2006). Collecting in a consumer society. London: Routledge.
Belk, R. W., Ger, G., & Askegaard, S. (2003). The fire of desire: A multi-sited inquiry into consumer passion. Journal of Consumer Research, 30, nr. 3.
Consumer Culture Theory. (2013). Research in Consumer Behavior, iii. doi:10.1108/s0885-2111(2013)0000015029
Consumer Culture Theory. (2014). Research in Consumer Behavior. doi:10.1108/s0885- 2111201416
Consumer Culture Theory. (2015). Research in Consumer Behavior. doi:10.1108/s0885- 2111201517
Li, Y. (2015). Impact of consumer impulsive buying behavior on post-impulsive buying satisfaction: The mediating effects of mixed mood response. Advances in Management Engineering and Information Technology. doi:10.2495/ameit140191
Lindstrom, M. (2009) Buyoloy: How Everything We Believe About Why We Buy is Wrong. Random House Buiness.
Patricia Redsicker. (2014, August 27). 5 Ways You Can Influence Consumer Purchasing Decisions: New Research : Social Media Examiner. Retrieved from https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-ways-brands-can-influence-consumer- purchasing-decisions/
De Mooij, M. (2010). Consumer behavior and culture: Consequences for global marketing and advertising. Sage.
Xiao, J. J. (2015). Consumer Income. Consumer Economic Wellbeing, 129-149. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-2821-7_8
Solomon, M. R. (2014). Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being (Vol. 10). Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Tugrul, T. O. (n.d.). The Effects of Consumer Social Media Marketing Experiences on Brand Affect and Brand Equity. Handbook of Research on Integrating Social Media into Strategic Marketing, 73-87. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8353-2.ch005
Zou, Y. (2014). Social Media Review: The Impact of Social on Brand-Consumer Relationships. Ideas in Marketing: Finding the New and Polishing the Old, 624- 624. doi:10.1007 /978-3- 319-10951-0_230
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