External and Situational Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior

“The Interview” 

Instructions

CONSUMER INTERVIEW:

Conduct an interview (about 30 minutes in length) with a person (respondent) who is not a member of your family. The respondent needs to be qualified to participate. In other words, you are looking for a respondent who has recently purchased a product priced at more than $50.  Your goal is to understand why the interviewee purchased this particular product/brand and to understand the product’s “place” in the consumers’ life. Probe for segmentation variables that cannot be observed which represent all four bases of segmenting variables. Spend most of your time during the interview probing/researching external influences that shaped this particular purchase (influences like family, culture, and social class.  Do not ask directly about External Influencers, it is our job (as CB researchers) to apply such from the respondents’ answers to broad open-ended questions.  Come to the interview with questions pre-prepared.  Also, be ready to ask questions in an impromptu follow-up manner that may help uncover insights to the external impacts (Consumer Behavior related) that were components of the purchase. Then, formulate and tailor questions to try to uncover if they are present in the purchase.

The write up of results is required to be no more than 4 pages, double spaced. Keep in mind that this report needs to be useful to a marketing manager for the product (so use your Principles of Marketing language AND the language of Consumer Behavior to convey concepts observed and researched).  The following headings are required and helpful to ensure nothing has been left out (use in order):

-Introduction: Describe the interviewee using the four bases of segmentation, at least two segmentation variables to represent each base.

-Brand Choice Discussion:  Identify the brand, how much it was and where purchased.  Was there a special meaning associated (gift, life-change, temporal) with this purchase.  Explain the details in paragraph form, don’t list.

– External Influence #1  (identify it and explore using applied concepts)

–External Influence #2  (identify it and explore using applied concepts)

 –External Influence #3  (identify it and explore using applied concepts)

 -Conclusion: Which of the influences was most impactful when making this purchase? Make note of body language- were there any non verbal messages conveyed in the interview? Last, which type of Consumer Behavior Research Approach was done for this exercise

Logistics Run Down:

-No more than four (4) pages in length (does not include cover page or references page)

-Include a cover page and references page (required).  If you quote your source they should be listed in the bibliography as an interview. Outside sources (esp. learning resources from weeks covered) are encouraged.

-Organize and utilize the headings given above.