‘Barriers’ and ‘Influences’ Affecting Consumer Behaviour Philippa McKeown Senior Consumer Affairs Officer Consumer Council GCSE Home Economics Teachers’

‘‘Barriers’ and ‘Influences’ Barriers’ and ‘Influences’ Affecting Consumer Affecting Consumer

BehaviourBehaviour

Philippa McKeown

Senior Consumer Affairs Officer

Consumer Council

GCSE Home Economics Teachers’ Conference

I went to the market but I didn’t buy…

• disability

• age

• ethnicity

• knowledge

• resources (time, money, location)

BarriersBarriers

DisabilityDisability

“disabled people have a fear of complaining which is related to their low levels of confidence”Quote from Consumer Proficiency research11.Consumer Knowledge well, what do you know? March 2004

• Physical barriers

• Perceived barriers

• Hidden disabilities

• Socially isolated

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/6034.bb.wmv

BBC Learning Zone Clip:




Age – Older ConsumersAge – Older Consumers

Those who can’t jump into a car are losing out and are at the

mercy of family and friends, home help or

deliveries.

Those ‘buy one get one free’ are no good for me because by

the time I use one, the other is out of date.

Cooking information is usually small and virtually unreadable, very difficult to compare like with like.

Quotes from: Silver Service? Are supermarkets meeting the needs of older consumers? Consumer Council in partnership with Age Concern, November 2007

Age – Older ConsumersAge – Older Consumers

• Older people in Northern Ireland are the least likely to shop online.

• Elsewhere in the UK, the number of over 55’s buying online has more than doubled in the years 2004 – 2006 from 1.4. million to 3.4 million (Verdict, UK e-Retail 2007).

Source: Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency 2003 – 2007, March

2008

Age –Younger ConsumersAge –Younger Consumers

Source: Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer

Proficiency, March 2008

Young people are less well informed about their rights (57 per cent compared to 63 per cent average)

They are least likely to take further action if unhappy about goods or service (55 per cent compared to 64 per cent)

Young people were the least likely to be satisfied with the way their complaint was handled.

Age –Younger ConsumersAge –Younger Consumers

Three quarters of young people and adults believe shops treat young people differently to adults

One in four felt that shop staff did not act in a respectful way to young people

Source: Consumer Council Children Shopping Research, 2006

EthnicityEthnicity

• Language barriers

• Prejudice

• Cultural differences

• Social isolation

Friends awarded £7,500 compensation over racist bouncer at Belfast

nightclub…the doorman made racist remarks to Mr Lopez, who is Portuguese and black….http://news.bbc.co.uk

Polish Cultural Week

The festival of Polish arts and culture is aimed at helping local people understand more about the backgrounds of those families who’ve

settled here in search of work and a better way of life.Belfast Telegraph 6/5/2009

KnowledgeKnowledge

In general, consumer skills remain less well developed among:

• young people (15-24)

• older people (55+)

• those living on a low income

Source: Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency 2003 - 2007

KnowledgeKnowledge

Consumers in rural areas tend to be less confident about expressing their consumer rights and taking further action and were less aware of where to go to for help and advice1.

Research in 20032 also showed consumers from minority, ethnic and disability groups and those living in areas of social need having fewer consumer skills.

1. Well, what do consumers know now? A Consumer Council Progress Report on Consumer Proficiency 2003 – 2007, March 2008

2. Consumer Knowledge well, what do you know? March 2004

Other barriersOther barriers

1 in 4 people of working age have low literacy levels.

Source: Adult literacy in Northern Ireland,

NISRA, 1998

Resources

Time Money Location

Working hours

Low income

Rural

Dependents Access to credit

Food deserts

Lack of time to do ‘research’

Financial capability

TransportShopping

around is a luxury that some can’t

affordQuote from Consumer Council Disability Panel member

N.B This list is not exhaustive!

Access: can people get the goods or services they need or want? Choice: is there any?

Safety: are the goods or services dangerous to health or welfare?

Information: is it available, accurate, accessible and useful? Fairness: are some consumers unfairly discriminated against? Redress: if things go wrong, is there a system for putting them right? Representation: do consumers have a say in how goods or services

are provided?

7 Consumer Tests

Impact of MarketingImpact of Marketing

“Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.” Will Rogers

“ I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first of course is ransom notes…” Philip Dusenberry

Targeting Young Consumers

“advertising at its best is making people feel that without their

product, you’re a loser. Kids are very sensitive to that. If you

tell them to buy something, they are resistant. But, if you tell them

that they’ll be a dork if they don’t, you’ve got their attention.

You open up emotional vulnerabilities…”

Nancy Shalek, Shalek Agency, cited in Juliet. B. Schor’s Born to Buy: the

commercialised child and the new consumer culture, Scribner, 2004

Middleton, S., Ashworth, K. and Walker, R., Family Fortunes: pressures on parents and children in the1990s, Child Poverty Action Group, 1994

Social Psychology of Food

“Parents struggle hard to protect their children from

bullying – and make sure that their children’s

lunchboxes are as full as their classmates. In this way,

snacks like crisps or chocolate are not seen as luxuries

but a way for their children to participate in

conventional behaviour…”

Influencing FactorsInfluencing Factors

Cultural

Economic

Environmental and ethical

Personal

Physiological

Psychological and

Social


Cultural

Someone of Chinese origin might shop for specific ingredients at an Asian supermarket


Economic

A person living on a tight budget would be unlikely to buy luxury items as part of their weekly food shop.



A shopper opposed to animal cruelty may choose not to buy products that have been tested on animals.


Personal

A teenager might feel more comfortable ordering a CD online, whereas an older consumer might prefer to go to a high-street music store.


Physiological

Someone who is trying to lose weight may wish to avoid fast food and high sugar snacks.


Psychological

Some shops play music designed to make consumers feel good, stay longer and buy more.


Social

Some consumers are influenced by trends and want the latest ‘must-have’ toys, fashion items or technology.

You Were Spotted! Activity

Cultural

Economic


Personal

Physiological

Psychological and

Social

1. Spotted…shopping for chilies, sausages and sweet potatoes at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market.

2. Spotted…buying fresh haddock reduced to £1 because it’s nearing its use-by date.

3. Spotted…disposing of used plastic carrier bags at the supermarket collection bin.

4. Spotted…coming back from the sales, trying to juggle several shopping bags whilst chatting on the mobile.

5. Spotted…loading a trolley with half price bedding plants and compost.

6. Spotted…at the till, filling a rucksack with shopping essentials. 7. Spotted…queuing at a

late night Spar to buy milk.

8. Spotted…at the electrical counter in Tesco discussing the merits of a camera phone with the salesperson. 9. Spotted…taking

delivery of shopping which was ordered online.

10. Spotted…at the cinema with a home-made picnic of sandwiches, crisps and fruit juices.

You Were Spotted! Activity

Recap on resources

Lesson Plans

Being a consumer

What influences consumer behaviour

What type of yoghurt are you?

Multimedia

BBC Learning Zone Clip – disability

Silver Service DVD - older consumers

Buy Rights – Have Your Say – young consumers

‘Barriers’ and ‘Influences’ Affecting Consumer Behaviour Philippa McKeown Senior Consumer Affairs Officer Consumer Council GCSE Home Economics Teachers’

Documents

consumer knowledge

consumer rights

consumer skills

consumer proficiency

young people source

cent young people

knowledge consumers

quarters of young people