Consumption and Understanding Consumers

The objects with which we seek to conjure a purposeful existence are called consumer goods according to tian and Belk.

Classification scheme is developed in an attempt to explore the different ways that products and experiences can provide meaning to people.

Consuming as experience is called as "when consumption is an emotional or aesthetic goal in itself, a consumer may find meaning in it."

Consuming as integration is called as "using and manipulating consumption objects to express aspects of the self."

Consuming as classification is called as "the activities that consumers engage in to communicate their association with objects, both to self and to others".

Consuming as play is called as "consumers use objects to participate in a mutual experience." 

Consumer behaviour is "about human responses in a commercial world: how and why people buy and use products, more specifically how they react to prices, promotional tools and what underlying mechanisms operate to help and hinder consumption."

A product is "anything a consumer acquires or might acquire to meet a perceived need"

Needs are "the basic human requirements such as for food, water, clothing, and shelter. People also have needs for love, security, prestige, sense of achievement."

The need set is "the blend of needs that is expected to be satisfied by consuming a product."

Customer is "typically used to refer to someone who regularly purchases from a particular shop or store"

Consumer is called "to anyone engaging in any activities of searching, purchasing, using or disposing of goods or services"

Consumption process is made of "searching, buying, using and disposing."

Influencer can "affect the outcome of the decision-making process through their influence on others."

Gatekeeper is "responsible for controlling the flow of information to the other members"

User is "responsible for using the product that has been purchased."

Disposer is the person that "chooses when and how to dispose of the product."

Market intelligence is called "gathering knowledge on the factors that affect both current and future needs and preferences of consumers."

Market orientation is "the companywide generation of market intelligence pertaining to current and future consumer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and companywide responsiveness to it."

Value is defined as "the ratio between the customer’s perceived benefits and the resources used to obtain those benefits."