Whether you’re running a business-to-consumer business, or simply looking to understand the psychology behind consumer behaviour, knowing how your customers think is important if you want to sell to them correctly.
If your primary audience is consumers, you need to know how they think and act in order to understand how to appeal to them.
Why Is Understanding Consumer Behaviour Important?
Consumer behaviour will cover how your customers think, use and react to your product.
This could influence all areas of the business including:
Marketing: Knowing who you are marketing to and what’s important to them is incredibly important. The saying goes, if you market to everyone, you market to no one. Analysing what encourages your audience to buy products is the first step to knowing how to sell to them. Do they value price? Convenience? Quality? Do they buy online? in shops? from influencers? By understanding when, how and why audiences buy things, businesses can come up with more effective strategies.
Packaging: Especially if a product is being sold on a shelf, the first interaction a customer will have with it is the packaging. Things like the font, branding and shape of the packaging can all be elements that draw people in.
Branding: Today more than ever, branding is an important part of a company’s identity. For example, people see a Rolex watch and think of luxury, much more than they do looking at a Casio. How the brand is developed will help tell the story of a product, aligning with the target audience’s emotions and drawing them in.
If you want to understand more about consumer behaviour, there are a number of books to help. Here, are some of our favourites:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
This book is a renowned best seller in the world of consumer psychology. The book explores why people say ‘yes’ and how to apply these insights into the world of business.
With his principles of persuasion, author Robert Cialdini helps companies understand their audiences and engage with them more effectively.
Read the book here.
Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy
Sometimes we think the reason we buy things is random, however understanding the science behind it is important if you want to influence consumer behaviour.
This books explores how to apply science to marketing, understanding how to create and market products that people actually want.
Read the book here.
Brainfluence
Brainfluence explains how to apply neuroscience and behavioural research to consumer marketing. Coined ‘neuromarketing’ this concept looks at how our brains react to certain marketing stimuli.
By understanding how to build emotional bonds with customers and with a whole range of ideas included, this book is a great resource for any marketer looking to build a loyal and long-lasting customer base.
Read the book here.
Buyology: The Truth and Lies Behind How We Buy
This book pulls back the curtain on popular marketing tactics, helping us understand why we are drawn to certain products.
Based on research, Buyology explores how 2000 volunteers interact with marketing and advertising. Through this, author Martin Lindstrom helps us understand what drives us to buy, what influences us and which decisions are subliminally being made for us.
Read the book here.
Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioural Economics
Written by behavioural economist Richard Thaler, this book explores how we think about ourselves, companies and the world around us.
With practical examples around buying habits and market behaviour, this book is a masterpiece in human psychology.
Read the book here.
Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use To Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us To Buy
Another book by Martin Lindstrom, Brainwashed looks at the tips and tricks that companies use to influence us to buy their products.
From a young age, marketers appeal to our better nature, drawing us in with elements like colours, characters and product placements. By understanding this psychology, businesses are able to understand how to make their products much more appealing to the modern consumer.
Read the book here.
Please note that this page contains affiliate links. While we only recommend products that we believe in, we may benefit financially from any purchases you make.
