Emotion and Consumer Behavior

Paper Summary:

Marketers and business researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the way that emotional factors affect and influence consumer behavior. The paper's author contends that the term 'emotion" brings with it a great degree of ambiguity and misunderstanding that often confuses the way that this aspect is seen to relate to consumer behavior. The writer discusses some of the aspects of the interaction between emotion and consumer behavior in both a practical and theoretical sense.

Outline:
Introduction and Overview
Theoretical Perspectives
Practical Aspects
Conclusion
Works Cited

From the Paper:

"The theories of emotional behavior posited by Zajonc and others have very real practical implications for contemporary marketers and for the general understanding of consumer behavior. In essence, the significance of emotions or affective patterns of behavior, according to theorists like Zajonc, are that these feelings or emotional aspects of decision-making are the first and most primary component of consumer behavior. Another essential aspect is that in theory affective behavior takes place before reasoning and cognitive aspects. This has obvious repercussions in terms of understanding and determining consumer behavior patterns."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chaudhuri A. Emotion and Reason in Consumer Behavior. January 31, 2008. <http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/general/0,295582,sid11_gci1232374,00.html>
• Flavor trends are evolving as consumer demands become more complex. 2007. January 31, 2008. <http://www.food-business-review.com/article_feature.asp?guid=B983C47E-6AE6-44C4-8640-57F846A07559>
• Cognitive vs Affective. January 31, 2008. <http://www.ciadvertising.org/sa/spring_04/adv382j/mgbarber/website/CognitivevsAffective.htm>
• Houwer J, and Hermans D. Editorial: Automatic affective processing. January 31, 2008. <http://www.psy.kuleuven.ac.be/leerpsy/dirk/C&E2001b.pdf.>
• Zajonc, R.B. Feeling and thinking. Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist , Vol.35, pp.151-175. 1980.

More papers on Emotion and Consumer Behavior:

• Essay # 49260 : "Consumer Behavior at Wal-Mart"
• Dissertation or Thesis # 108463 : "Consumer Decision Making"
• Cause and Effect Essay # 148070 : "Emotional Responses to Products and Advertising"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: