This document defines consumer buying behaviour and identifies different types. It discusses routine response behaviour, limited decision making, extensive decision making, and impulse buying. Routine response behaviour involves automatically purchasing frequently bought, low cost, and low risk items like bread and milk. Limited decision making requires some information gathering for occasional purchases of unfamiliar brands in familiar categories. Extensive decision making is the most complex type and involves expensive, high risk, infrequently purchased items where multiple brands are researched like cars and homes. Impulse buying involves no planning and an immediate urge to purchase that may provoke emotional conflict, for example confectionery near checkouts.

1. Consumer Buying
Behaviour
Killian Heraughty
22/02/12

2. Definition of Consumer Buying
Behaviour
• ‘The decision processes and action of
consumers involved in buying and using
products’.
Dibb et al. (2006) P.160.
• ‘Anticipating consumer behaviour is not
an option for marketing managers: it is
their job description’.
Foxall (2011?)

3. Types Of Consumer
Buying Behaviour
• Routine Response Behaviour
• Limited Decision Making
• Extensive Decision Making
• Impulse Buying
Dibb et al; (2006) P.162

4. Routine Response Behaviour
• Frequently
Purchased
• Low Cost
• Low Risk
• Items purchased
almost automatically
• Examples such as
bread and milk.
Google Images

5. Limited Decision Making
• Product bought
occasionally
• Information
gathering is needed
• Unfamiliar brand in a
familiar product
category
• Sales boosted by
word of mouth
Google Images

6. Extensive Decision Making
• Most Complex
• Expensive
• High Risk
• Infrequently Bought
• Brands Compared
• Takes time seeking
Information
• Examples such as
Cars and Homes
Google Images

7. Impulse Buying
• No planning
• Powerful urge to
purchase immediately
• Self-control failure
• May provoke emotional
conflict
• Example: Confectionery
next to supermarket
checkouts
Google Images

8. Impulse Buying Facts
• 88% of all impulse purchases are made
because an item is on sale.
• Impulse buying goes down by 13%
during a planned shopping trip.
• 14% of impulse buys are food items
• 60% of females have made an impulse
purchase in the past year.
• Impulse shoppers normally buy
because they feel
angry, stressed, guilty or bored.
sgclub.com

9. References
• Dibb, S, Simkin, Pride Ferrell; (2006);
Marketing Concepts and Strategies, City:
Publisher
• Google Images [accessed on 20/02/12]
• Foxall, G. (2011?) Cardiff Business
School, University of Wales
• Sgclub.com
• Warner Brothers / Google Images