Consumer Behaviour 4e focuses on consumer needs, buying behaviour, and the art of customer satisfaction. It provides invaluable insight into the psychology behind consumer thinking, emotions, experiences and reasoning, as well as how choices between products/services, suppliers and product brands are made. A unique South perspective on consumer information-processing, decision-making and buying patterns is emphasised through the lens of culture, family, media and values. This perspective will inform academics in the marketing field as well as industry practitioners on how customised marketing strategies can be developed to effectively reach each consumer. The significant impact of the growth of the millennial market segment, the use of digital technology, and access to shared experiences through social media and other online channels, is also explored.

This fourth edition of Consumer Behaviour covers traditional and contemporary issues such as:

• Consumer decision-making and influencing factors
• Why customers behave the way they do
• Market segmentation and how to target a specific market
• Consumer information-processing
• Brand loyalty and how to retain customers
• Customer relationship marketing
• Cross-cultural influences on consumer behaviour
• E-commerce and its effect on consumer behaviour.

Chapter 1: Introduction to customer behaviour
Chapter 2: Creating market value for consumers
Chapter 3: Market characteristics
Chapter 4: Culture and subculture
Chapter 5: Reference groups and social class
Chapter 6: Personal characteristics
Chapter 7: Customer perception and learning.
Chapter 8: Customer motivation
Chapter 9: Customer attitudes
Chapter 10: Personality and self-concept
Chapter 11: Market segmentation
Chapter 12: The consumer decision-making process
Chapter 13: Household decision making
Chapter 14: Organisational buying behaviour
Chapter 15: Consumer loyalty
Chapter 16: Building relationships with customers
Chapter 17: The online world and consumer behaviour

Consumer Behaviour has been written to meet the specific needs of southern African universities and private colleges. The subject is an essential component of Marketing and Industrial Psychology courses. It links consumer behaviour principles and the elements of marketing strategy, thereby enabling undergraduate students, entrepreneurs and business and marketing managers to factor in consumer behaviour as a crucial determinant of a successful marketing programme.